Master of Laws

A Master of Laws will deepen your legal knowledge and legal research skills.

We offer a range of study options to suit your needs - you can complete the Master of Laws entirely by thesis, entirely by coursework, or through a combination of coursework and research.

One area of focus for our taught programme is advanced criminal law, enabling you to gain further expertise in that area. Other courses focus on human rights law, and indigenous rights and law.

Download programme guides

Minimum entry requirements

  • A Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Laws (Honours) or equivalent
  • In exceptional circumstances, an applicant who does not meet the requirements above but who has extensive professional or scholarly experience of an appropriate kind, may be considered for admission
  • Applicants must demonstrate to the Dean (or representative) an ability to undertake study at postgraduate level in the proposed course of study

International student entry requirements

English language requirements

  • IELTS (Academic) 7.0 overall with 7.0 or higher in Writing and Reading, and 6.5 in Listening and Speaking; or equivalent

English language requirements

Legal research methodology requirement

You will normally also be required to complete a short, zero points, zero tuition fees course called Legal Research Methodology at the beginning of the programme. However, an exemption may be granted if you are able to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the dean (or representative) that you already have advanced skills in legal research methodology.

To qualify for the Master of Laws, you need to complete 120 points, including, if necessary, LAWS901 Legal Research Methodology.

Skills you will develop

The outcomes for graduates of the Master of Laws are outlined in the Graduate Profile below.

Graduate Profile

As part of your Master of Laws you can include a specialisation or focus area.

Specialisations in the Master of Laws

You can complete the 120-point Master of Laws without a specialisation, or you can choose to have a specialisation marked on your degree parchment by having at least 90 points from the courses in the listed specialisations below:

Focus areas in the Master of Laws

You can choose to have a focus area marked on your transcript by completing at least 90 points from the courses in the listed focus areas below:

Quick facts
Programme code:
AK1044
Level:
9
Points:
120
Duration:
1 year full-time / part-time available
Campus:
City Campus
Starts:
15 Jul 2024
3 Mar 2025
21 Jul 2025

Key semester dates
Fees
Domestic
$10,607 (for 120 points)
($9,461 tuition fees + $1146 student services levy)
International
$38,646 (for 120 points)
($37,500 tuition fees + $1146 student services levy)
  • Fees shown are based on a full-time workload for the points indicated next to the fee. The exact fee charged will depend on which courses you select at the time of enrolment.
  • Fees are subject to change year to year. If you are planning for study beyond the current year, fees may vary from those stated.
  • There may also be other fees and charges you need to pay.
  • International students' tuition fees reflect the full cost of tuition. Domestic students' tuition fees are less due to a proportion of the tuition fees being funded by the New Zealand Government.

Scholarships

The information on this page was correct at time of publication. For a comprehensive overview of AUT qualifications, please refer to the Academic Calendar.