Law electives at AUT
Patents or prisons? Banking or AI? This is the part of your Bachelor of Laws that’s all yours.
For Part III and IV of your law degree you choose 11 electives, most taught by lecturers who’ve practised the law they’re teaching. That’s 165 points to shape around where you want to end up – a firm, a courtroom, boardroom, government, NGO or a field where the law is still being formed.
Some courses are run over a full semester. Other courses are taught in intensive blocks (of one to four weeks) or take the form of supervised research programmes. Here's the full list for 2027.
How do I enrol in law electives?
If you’re an AUT student, you can enrol through My AUT. Courses fill up fast. Make sure to enrol early.
Studying somewhere else? You’re welcome to apply online for an individual course. AUT law students get first preference, and other students are offered any places left after that.
Which law electives can I take in 2027?
Semester 1
City Campus
- LAWS703 Advanced Private Law
- LAWG723 Artificial Intelligence and the Law
- LAWS797 Company Law
- LAWG708 Competition Law
- LAWG703 Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice
- LAWG725 Democracy and Political Conflict
- LAWS721 Employment Law
- LAWS723 Insolvency and Receivership
- LAWS778 International Human Rights Law
- LAWG701 International Trade Law
- LAWG724 NZ Bill of Rights Act 1990
- LAWS777 Principles of Intellectual Property
- LAWS742 Youth Justice
South Campus
- LAWS788 Law of Armed Conflict
- LAWS755 Non-Adversarial Justice
- LAWG716 Pacific Regional Governance
Research (no classes)
- LAWS736 Supervised Legal Research
- LAWS737 Supervised Legal Research
Semester 2
City Campus
- LAWS734 Advanced Employment Law
- LAWS770 Art Law
- LAWS753 Banking and Financial-Services Law
- LAWS712 Climate Change Law
- LAWS776 Clinical Legal Education
- LAWS783 Human Rights and Business
- LAWS714 Law of Evidence
- LAWS731 Problems in Patent Law
- LAWS704 Public International Law
- LAWS733 Resource Management Law
- LAWS740 Special Topic III: Law and Foreign Policy
- LAWS784 Special Topic IV: Dispute Resolution
- LAWS749 Wills and Estates
South Campus
- LAWS779 Commercial Criminal Law
- LAWS746 Commercial Transactions
- LAWS707 Prison and Parole Law
Research (no classes)
- LAWS736 Supervised Legal Research
- LAWS737 Supervised Legal Research
Block courses (one intensive week, City Campus)
- LAWS727 Mental Health and the Law – June/July
- LAWS710 Accident Compensation Law – August/September
Found a few you like? The 2027 Bachelor of Laws study planner shows the prerequisites and points, so you can plan your year. Enrol early – courses fill up fast.
Frequently asked questions
How many electives do you take in a law degree at AUT?
Eleven. That’s 165 of the 480 points in the Bachelor of Laws.
When do you choose law electives?
From Part III, usually your third year. You’ve got two years to work out what you love first.
Can non-law courses count as law electives?
Yes, up to 30 points of approved courses. It’s a good option if you want to pair law with something else.
Do law electives change each year?
Yes, the list is updated every year.
Can non-AUT students take law electives at AUT?
Yes, if there’s room. Some courses have limited places, and AUT law students get first preference.
What happens if a course is full?
Talk to us. Email law@aut.ac.nz.