Program applications for Winter 2025 is now closed. Registration for courses beginning Monday, January 6 is currently ongoing and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis as capacity is limited. Please visit SOLUS to register for courses, and the student registration guide to learn how to
Today's knowledge economy is being shaped by analytical, integrated thinkers who can employ different intellectual perspectives, who can forecast change and understand how laws and the regulatory environment will affect the goals and strategies in their fields.
The Certificate in Law focuses on case law, statutes and policies.
Students will learn the historical, social and economic forces shaping the law; methods of legal reasoning; how to develop, articulate and justify a position; and how recent domestic and international trends and agreements affect the law.
Reference Guide - Current students and alumni
Reference Guide - Distance and non-degree interest
The Certificate in Law is a part-time undergraduate program offered entirely online including final assessments. Students can benefit from individual courses or work towards completing the Certificate in Law.
Law courses can be completed in any order, but it is strongly recommended students begin with Introduction to Canadian Law as it provides a good background to Canadian law and will introduce you to the other courses associated with the program.
The Certificate in Law is comprised of seven courses and you would be expected to complete four courses (12 units).
To graduate from the Certificate in Law, you must complete four of the seven courses with a minimum final grade of "C+" in each course, and with an overall GPA of 2.60. You can finish requirements before or after graduation.
If you are a current undergraduate Queen's student*, two Law courses at the 200-level may count as electives towards your degree requirements and you will be assessed home faculty tuition fees.
As the Certificate in Law is a second credential, the two remaining courses must be taken at the 700-level and at the Faculty of Law tuition rate. Courses at the 700-level do not count towards degree requirements but are included in your overall GPA. Once courses are completed, students are not able to retroactively change a 700-level Law course to a 200-level Law course.
When enrolling in 200-level Law courses in SOLUS, please select your home faculty when choosing the academic program (I.e. BAH, BCOM, FEAS).
If you are an Arts and Science student, please read the following:
*Only one of the following courses can be chosen:
One core 200-level undergraduate Law course can be substituted for either PHIL 318, COMM 382 or EMPR 210 (only full time on-campus students can enroll in substitution courses). COMM 382, EMPR 210, and PHIL 318 do not automatically count as a 200-level requirement. To request one of the substitution courses be included as part of your academic record, send an email to lawcertificate@queensu.ca.
PHIL 318, COMM 382 and EMPR 210 cannot be taken in place of a 700-level Law course.
You must complete your first year of studies before you are eligible to enroll in the Certificate in Law program, however, you can begin adding Law courses at the 200-level starting in summer between your first and second academic year.
LAW courses at the 700-level (I.e. LAW 704) only count towards your certificate requirements and do not count towards your degree, however, are included in your overall GPA.
For distance and interest students, four courses must be taken at the 700-level (I.e. Law 701) and you will be assessed the Faculty of Law tuition rate .
The Certificate in Law is a part-time program, there is no specific duration in which you need to complete the four required courses. You can finish in two terms or two years.
The Certificate in Law is not intended as a pathway to enroll in courses from a different faculty. You are only eligible to complete Law courses associated with program.
Full-time on campus students are assessed home faculty tuition fees for 200-level Law courses.
Below are tuition fees for one 700-level Law course.
| Domestic Tuition Fees | $1,134.00 |
| Domestic Tuition Fees (outside of Ontario) | $1,249.98 |
| International Tuition Fees | $3,594.24 |
You will also assessed a $10.00 Student Assistance Levy (SAL) fee that is applied on a per term basis. Further information on tuition fees and policies are located on the Office of the University Registrar website. Tuition is due September 1 for Fall term, January 10 for Winter term and May 1 for Summer term.
If you want to drop a Law course, please review the drop date schedule for undergraduate students to learn more about financial penalties.
The Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) is a financial aid program assisting students with the costs of post-secondary studies. For further information and to see if you are eligible for government student financial assistance, please visit Student Awards. Non-degree interest Law students are not eligible for financial assistance.
To learn more and to see if you are eligible for government student financial assistance in other provinces or territories, go to Student Awards. Non-degree interest Law students are not eligible for financial assistance.
The below chart outlines when Law courses are offered throughout the academic year in Fall, Winter and Summer terms. May be subject to change.
Distance students are not permitted to take the in-class version of Introduction to Canadian Law or any 200-level Law course.
Course Name | Course Number | Fall term (September) | Winter term (January) | Summer term (May) |
| Introduction to Canadian Law (In-class) | LAW 201 | X | X | |
| Introduction to Canadian Law | LAW 201/701 | X | X | X |
| Aboriginal Law | LAW 202/702 | X | X | |
| Workplace Law | LAW 203/703 | X | ||
| Corporate Law | LAW 204/704 | X | X | |
| Public & Constitutional Law | LAW 205/705 | X | X | |
| Intellectual Property Law | LAW 206/706 | X | X | |
| International Law | LAW 207/707 | X |
If you do not meet academic progression in a Law course, you can either re-take course or enroll in another Law course.
Law courses can be taken without admission to the Certificate in Law program or as a non-degree Interest Law student through the Faculty of Law. To learn more on admission criteria, please visit our Apply page.
Law courses associated with the Certificate in Law are completed at an undergraduate level, and cannot be applied for transfer credit to any professional degree program including the Juris Doctor or Master's degree program.
Undergraduate Law courses completed at any other post-secondary institution will not be assessed for transfer credit when applying to the Certificate in Law.