Job prospects for Law/Science (1 Viewer)

[Pyrobooby]

I was just wondering what kind of job prospects there would be for such a graduate.

I skimmed through various threads on this forum but no thread seemed to directly address this issue.


I've looked through some pages discussing intellectual property, patent laws and such but I just feel unsure as to whether or not this is the way to go.

Also, is a Law/Science degree uncommon?



Thank you in advance.

 

[izzy88]

Law/Science is uncommon, but it doesn't mean its useless, or that you shouldnt do it. My question for you in asking about job prospects - are you seeking jobs that will use both of your degrees?

because...

If you want to be a lawyer, you need a law degree. It doesn't really matter what your other degree is, unless you want to go into something like patents (where most people seem to come from science/engineering backgrounds).

So really, the job prospects for a science/law graduate aren't that different from a arts/law graduate or a commerce/law graduate if you are looking to go into law (apart from the added areas of patents or something similar).

A lot of people who do go into law don't really use things they learnt in their first degree - apart from general sort of writing, researching skills.

If you are asking about jobs that will use both science and law then I'm not really sure, and hopefully someone else will be able to give you some answers.

The only thing about science/law is that it is a lot more hours on campus then arts or commerce combined students - because science generally have a lot more contact hours. It is uncommon, but there are always a few. Most people do arts/law or commerce/law.

 

[kaz1]

Scientific patents for pharmaceutical companies?

 

[Pyrobooby]

Thank you izzy for the insight. I suppose I was looking for a degree that will make use of both degrees because that makes more logical sense to me.

At school I did mathematics/science subjects (4U, Biology, Chem) and thus thought a science/law degree would make more sense (I read in a few places how an LLB looks attractive to an employer). Although my high school subjects were not humanities based whatsoever, that didn't mean I disliked it; rather I had talent in science/mathematics and realised they were the subjects I needed to do to maximise my ATAR.

Which brings me to my next question: would commerce/law be a stupid decision for a science/mathematics based student like me?

Also, is it possible to change the combined degree if I find no interest in it (e.g. I take up commerce/law but decide it is not for me and switch a science/law)? I plan to study at UNSW.

 

[izzy88]

Thank you izzy for the insight. I suppose I was looking for a degree that will make use of both degrees because that makes more logical sense to me.

At school I did mathematics/science subjects (4U, Biology, Chem) and thus thought a science/law degree would make more sense (I read in a few places how an LLB looks attractive to an employer). Although my high school subjects were not humanities based whatsoever, that didn't mean I disliked it; rather I had talent in science/mathematics and realised they were the subjects I needed to do to maximise my ATAR.

Which brings me to my next question: would commerce/law be a stupid decision for a science/mathematics based student like me?

Also, is it possible to change the combined degree if I find no interest in it (e.g. I take up commerce/law but decide it is not for me and switch a science/law)? I plan to study at UNSW.

I can't really help on choosing commerce/law over science/law as I did arts rather than commerce. I personally think that for the other degree to law you should pick something you are interested/like. I take the view that the law degree is the one that 'is good for me/will get me a job' and my arts degree is the 'its interesting, i like to learn, but its unlikely i'll use it in later life' kind of degree. However obviously commerce/law is a very popular combination as it allows people to choose to go into banking etc, not necessarily law. However, to be clear, you don't need a commerce degree to go into a corporate law firm. They teach you everything you need to know. It depends what you want.

On the transferring thing, generally yes you can transfer, so from arts/law to commerce/law however you will not necessarily get credit for most of the subjects you were studying in first year - ie. you can transfer, but it will probably take you longer than the normal 5 years as you will probably have to catch up on subjects/requirements for whatever degree you switch in to. This can be clarified with the uni though.

 

[enoilgam]

I was just wondering what kind of job prospects there would be for such a graduate.

I skimmed through various threads on this forum but no thread seemed to directly address this issue.


I've looked through some pages discussing intellectual property, patent laws and such but I just feel unsure as to whether or not this is the way to go.

Also, is a Law/Science degree uncommon?



Thank you in advance.

The job prospects for law have been decreasing in the last few years due to an over supply of graduates. The fact is, a law degree isnt as valuable as it once was.

 

[frieda]

If you like maths then I can suggest you do commerce or economics and major in statistics/econometrics. Science/Law is a bit more rare, and I think that firms that deal with more 'sciencey' aspects of law (such as climate-change, dust-diseases actions, pharmaceutical patents) are more or less the commercial law firms, where your business degree may help you more (at least at the interview level).

Saying that though, I work in a well-regarded mid-tier (that deals with some of those types of work I've listed above) that takes law students from a range of disciplines - in fact one of our partners apparently has a doctorate in science.

 

[acemusic415]

Job prospects that I think is good with Sci/Law is the job of a Coroner - requiring both legal and scientific knowledge. Or something in forensics?

 

[LoveHateSchool]

I think if you want to do Law/Science together, you should because you'll enjoy it and find it easier to get better grades which makes you more competitive. It also makes you have a "unique" combo of double degrees, most people get law double degrees with arts/commerce. I don't think you should be worrying so much about job prospects, you will have a law degree either way, and you also have the breadth of a double degree either way.