Bachelor of Data Science/Bachelor of Laws (Honours)

Why choose this course?

Data scientist, as an occupation, has experienced a growth of 492 per cent from 2015 to 2019 (Burning Glass Technologies, National Skills Commission Analysis, 2020). It is widely acknowledged as one of the most desirable careers, not just in Australia, but globally.

Across the world, we are collecting massive amounts of data. It’s the new currency. But that data means very little if we’re not able derive meaningful insights from it. We need skilled data scientists to create meaning with the data.

The legal industry is not immune from that trend. As data stores in the sector grow, so will the latent value within that collected data. Law firms have an opportunity to collect and analyse the right data to improve the client experience, to mitigate risk, and to understand the legal implications of data collection.

Some progressive corporate legal teams have created formal roles for legal data scientists, and they are investing in data strategies and new techniques to harness value from this data.

Data science is an ever-changing landscape and at the completion of this course, you’ll be able to move with it having developed a set of fundamental tools and techniques to lead in transforming industry. This is your opportunity to be at the forefront into one of emerging careers in contemporary times.

Real-world learning

You will be encouraged to become an independent learner through discussion, debate and interaction with peers and teaching staff, independent studies and self-reflection. You will apply theoretical frameworks to real-world problems, so you can make clear connections between what is learned in the classroom, and your future practice.

Learning opportunities and environments across the double degree include:

• use of case studies, data sets, and legislation
• use of industry software applications and tools
• use of authentic assessment tasks
• incorporation of industry-based projects
• opportunities to engage with industry guest speakers and leading data science researchers in both face-to-face and online environments, and the availability of internships
• work placements in law firms, government departments and community organisations, mock trials, mooting competitions, and analysis of real cases and legislation.

Learn from the best

Across both disciplines, you’ll be learning from the experts with many years of real-world experience and industry contacts, and who are grounded at the cutting-edge of their areas of knowledge.

As an acknowledged leader in data science research and with our Centre of Data Science, QUT is well-placed to provide you with the expertise at the forefront of this exciting discipline. Our researchers leading the research in the Centre are also the unit coordinators and lecturers in the course.