The School of Law offers the following programmes of study:

• a four year Bachelor of Laws degree offered face to face on Emalus Campus and online;
• A graduate LLB admission stream which involves three years of full time study only;
• a combined Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Arts degree involving five years of full time study;
• two Certificate of Laws programmes - at vocational or sub-degree level - offered in the print based DFL mode;
• Master of Laws by either a combination of coursework and dissertation or thesis alone (depending upon academic qualifications);
• the Doctor of Philosophy programme.

Details of these programmes are provided below. All programmes are open to students from the University's member countries as well as to students from outside the region.

Apart from the above programmes offered by the School of Law students can also take law as a major or minor in other degree programmes for example as part of the Bachelor of Arts programme.

Please note that in many cases studies can be completed by either full time, print based extension delivery or by Internet delivery or any combination of these. USP is a mutli mode University committed to flexible learning.

Focus on South Pacific Legal Systems

The education of lawyers who eventually practise in the South Pacific region has up until now, largely been provided by other common-law jurisdictions, notably Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the United Kingdom. Whilst this system has produced many able lawyers it has not satisfied the need for a form of legal education focused on the concerns of the countries of the region. Neither has it facilitated the qualification of the region's own students. Those who have trained abroad have done so at considerable expense either to themselves, their families, government or aid agencies. Perhaps the most significant criticism, however, is that this process has not produced a sufficient range of lawyers who fully understand at first hand the laws operating in the various jurisdictions of the South Pacific region.

Therefore, the focus of the USP law programme is on the laws of the countries in the USP region. By USP region we mean here the twelve countries whiuch are members of USP Cook Islands, Fiji Islands, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Tokelau, and Vanuatu.

Law graduates from USP not only achieve international academic standards but also acquire an in-depth knowledge of the laws, including customary law, of their own particular countries. They also acquire also a high standard of knowledge of the laws and the legal systems of the countries within the University region. The diversity and quality of this programme cannot be duplicated elsewhere in the world. There is considerable merit in learning law in such a comparative way.

The Bachelor of Laws

A full-time, four year Bachelor's degree in law (LLB) is offered for students who wish to obtain degree level qualifications in law, which may be used as a stepping stone to entry into the legal profession. Several different study options are available.

Many students undertake all four years of the programme by full time study on Emalus campus in Port Vila, Vanuatu. Some students elect to undertake the first year of the programme full time at Lacuala campus in Suva Fiji Islands and then do the second, third and fourth years face to face in the law school at the Emalus campus in Port Vila, Vanuatu.

Other students do law studies partly by Internet delivery before finishing off their studies on Emalus Campus.

The School of Law is in the process of developing the whole of its LLB programme for offering via Internet delivery.

The Graduate Admission Stream

A person who is a graduate in any discipline involving a degree with a minimum of three years of study can apply to undertake the Bachelor of Laws programme via the graduate admission stream. This involves three years of study as opposed to the four years in the nromal undergraduate programme.

A person admitted to this stream must undertake 24 semester length courses comprising all compulsory law courses plus the remaining courses as 300 elective law courses.

The Combined Degree Programme

What is offered here a combined BA/LLB degree programme which can be completed within five years of full time study. The degree is fully accredited for professional admission. The successful candidate receives both degrees. It provides the opportunity for a person to gain legal qualifications as well as qualifications in another discipline.

This kind of qualification has become the standard means of admission to legal study in Australia. For one thing it requires that before undertaking the LLB the student should have substantially completed studies in another discipline. This is very important because it provides a valuable background for the study of law.

Such a programme improves the overall qualities of the law graduate. It also enhances their prosepcts of gaining employment not only in the legal profession but in other employment areas relevant to their non-law qualifications.

Bachelor of Laws

Admission Requirements

The normal entry requirements for a degree at USP apply to the LLB programme:

Pass in USP foundation programme, or equivalent examination e.g. national Form Seven, New Zealand University Entrance,
OR,

Special permission under Reg. 3, Admission Regulations for Bachelor Degree Programmes.
In addition, a special form of entry to the law degree will be available to holders of the USP certificate or diploma in law. Holders of these certificates or the diploma may enter the degree programme if they have obtained a B average, or above.

Rules for Progression

Students are required to complete all the prerequisites for the courses they enrol in. For example, all courses in the second year have a component in first semester, and a further component in second semester. The prerequisites state whether it is necessary for the student to have passed the first component in order to progress to the second component.

Where students fail to successfully complete one or more of the courses comprising the programme of study for each year, the normal USP rules about carrying failed courses to the next year's study will apply. For instance, students may carry two courses forward from the 100 level, to be completed along with the necessary 200 level courses of study.

The School generally discourages overloading by students unless in exceptional issues. Furthermore there are standard University policies relating to unsatisfactory progress. Advice on progression and enrolment issues should be sought from the Head of School, from the Academic Office, Laucala Campus, or from the Senior Assistant Registrar (Emalus).

Law Courses Offered in the Bachelor Degree Programme

The following indicates how the degree programme will look with effect from February 1999:

Year I

Year I consists of 8 courses, 5 of which are compulsory (see below). There are courses in English and other non law areas to ensure that students have adequate language skills and an understanding of general societial issues before grappling with legal concepts.

Compulsory
LA110 Law and Society
LA111 Courts and Dispute Resolution 1
LA112 Legislation 
LA113 Courts and Dispute Resolution 2
LA114 English for Academic Purposes (unless exempt)
Plus
Any three non law level 100 courses.

Year II

Year II comprises 8 courses, all of which are compulsory. They include the three "core" law subjects of Contracts I and II, Criminal Law and Procedure I and II and Public Law I and II.

LA201 Law of Contract I
LA202 Law of Contract II
LA203 Torts 1
LA204 Torts 2
LA205 Criminal Law and Procedure 1
LA206 Criminal Law and Procedure 2
LA207 Constitutional Law
LA208 Administrataive Law

Years III and IV

Year III includes five more compulsory subjects which are LA300 Property I and LA301 Property 2, LA302 Equity and Trusts, LA303 Succession and LA310 Evidence. The remainder are elective courses which students can choose to suit their own career needs. Three elective courses must be chosen. An extensive range of electives is provided, and counselling will be available to assist students select appropriate combinations of courses. The list of current electives appears below.

Year IV consists of three compulsory courses: LA305 Current Developments in Pacific Law, LA334 Legal Ethics and LA304 Legal Drafting. The remaining subjects are electives and may be elected to suit future requirements of individual students. Five elective courses must be chosen.

Electives for Years III and IV