Study in one of the leading law schools in New Zealand. Look deeper to find out why laws are made, who made them, how they work and how to change them.
The Bachelor of Laws degree is the professional qualification and pathway to legal practice and to a wide range of other career options for law graduates in business, non-governmental organizations and public service.
Top 251-300 according to the 2022 QS Subject rankings
Commitment to research
Real admission to the Bachelor of Laws (LLB); colleagues not competitors
Learn from award winning professors
From 2023, students in Tauranga will be able to enrol in all of our Law programmes.
This includes our two-year Diploma in Law, our three-year Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Law (for students who do not wish to practice law), our four-year Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree, and all our postgraduate degrees as well - including the LLM, MLS, PhD, and SJD. Students enrolled in the Diploma in Law or the BA in Law also have the option to credit their Law papers toward completion of the LLB.
Gain the skills and knowledge that meet the high demands of a wide range of careers, both inside and outside the legal profession.
Bachelor of Law
Bachelor of Arts - Law as a major
Bachelor of Law - Double Major
Bachelor of Climate Change - Law Major
Graduate Diploma in Dispute Resolution
Experience a modern approach to studying law that is critical to a successful law graduate in today’s rapidly changing world.
High quality professional training in all the core subjects required by the New Zealand Council of Legal Education. Our focus on teaching practical skills are a key feature of the Waikato law programme, making our graduates in high demand for conventional legal positions, as well as policy and law reform roles.
The Faculty of Law - Te Piringa, supports the use of te reo and the teaching of Māori customary law. We are committed to fostering Māori, Pacific Island and indigenous issues within the context of the Treaty of Waitangi partnership principle.
University of Waikato students are tackling some of the world’s biggest issues. Law and Social Sciences student Shaymaa Arif talks about the state of her home in the Middle East and what she’s doing to help.
All our postgraduate degrees in Law can be studied in Hamilton, Tauranga, and/ or online.
Our Master of Legal Studies (MLS) degree is designed for professionals who wish to add advanced studies in Law as part of their skill set. This degree emphasises creativity, communication, critical analysis, applied knowledge and problem solving in a variety of specialist disciplines.
Our graduate and postgraduate programme provide graduates with the deep inner confidence required to pursue leading careers in law or policy across all sectors of the economy, and successful and rewarding academic careers as legal scholars.
Master of Laws (LLM)
Master of Legal Studies (MLS)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD)
For practicing lawyers our LLM degree satisfies the requirements for New Zealand Law Society CPD points.
University of Waikato Law Professor Alexander Gillespie has been named the joint winner of this year’s Critic and Conscience of Society Award.
Supreme Court Justice of Samoa, Leilani Tuala-Warren, considers her work in protecting constitutional law during the recent Samoan political crisis a highlight.
When University of Waikato law alumnus Aidan Warren was five years old, he sat on the knee of his koro who gave him some advice, “When you grow up, become a lawyer to help our people.” In October 2021, Judge Aidan Warren was sworn in to the Māori Land Court and the vision of his koro was fulfilled.
As the first Māori and the first New Zealander to be appointed by the President of the Human Rights Council to the UN’s Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP), Dr Toki (Ngāti Rehua, Ngātiwai, Ngāpuhi) is well on her way to playing her part on the global stage to support the recognition of Indigenous rights.
In 1991, when Te Piringa - Faculty of Law at the University of Waikato opened its doors, it was the beginning of a new approach to legal education in New Zealand.