Postgraduate Certificate in Law

The Postgraduate Certificate in Law is for those who have already completed an undergraduate degree, whether in law or another area, and want to gain advanced legal knowledge and develop their research skills.

It provides you with advanced theoretical and practical knowledge of law and legal issues, which you can integrate with your existing knowledge and related professional experience. Practising lawyers can earn credit towards satisfying compulsory Continuing Legal Education requirements by enrolling in and completing courses towards a Postgraduate Certificate in Law.

In exceptional circumstances, a student who does not otherwise meet the criteria for entry to the Master of Laws but who has completed the Postgraduate Certificate in Law may be considered for admission into the Master of Laws.

Download programme guides

Minimum entry requirements

  • A Bachelor of Laws or Bachelor of Laws (Honours); or
  • A bachelor’s degree; or
  • A relevant professional qualification or professional experience approved by the Dean of Law to be equivalent to a bachelor’s degree

Applicants must demonstrate to the Dean (or representative) an ability to undertake advanced study and research in law.

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

To qualify for the Postgraduate Certificate in Law, you must successfully complete 60 points from approved courses from the Master of Laws, including LAWS901 Legal Research Methodology.

This is a short, zero points, zero tuition fees compulsory course for all new law postgraduate students. You need to complete this course either before or alongside any other law postgraduate courses you're studying at AUT.

Master of Laws

Areas you can focus on in the Postgraduate Certificate in Law

You can focus on one of the following areas if you complete at least 60 points in this single subject area:

  • Climate change law
  • Human rights law
  • Indigenous rights and law
  • International law
  • Jurisprudence
  • Non-adversarial justice
  • Private law
  • Public law
  • Trusts/trusts and fiduciary obligations

Skills you will develop

The outcomes for graduates of the Postgraduate Certificate in Law are outlined in the Graduate Profile below.

Graduate Profile

You can do a general PgCert or you can have a focus area marked on your transcript if you complete your 60 points from the courses on offer under the following headings:

* Depending on the topic in the Special Topic course

Quick facts
Programme code:
AK1050
Level:
8
Points:
60
Duration:
0.5 years full-time / part-time available
Campus:
City Campus
Starts:
3 Mar 2025
21 Jul 2025

Key semester dates
Fees
Domestic
$5,303 (for 60 points)
($4,730 tuition fees + $573 student services levy)
International
$20,196 (for 60 points)
($19,600 tuition fees + $596 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.

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