Graduate Diploma – Legislative Drafting is a postgraduate diploma in Legal Studies programme taught at Athabasca University in Athabasca, Canada. The programme runs for 2.5 years, delivered fully online. Tuition for international students is CAD 2,170 per credit (CAD 2,052 per credit for local students).
At a glance
Degree:Postgraduate Diploma
Field:Legal Studies
Duration: 2.5 years
Delivery: Online
Local tuition: CAD 2,052 / credit
International tuition: CAD 2,170 / credit
Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
The Graduate Diploma – Legislative Drafting at Athabasca University is an 18-credit online program that must be completed entirely through Athabasca University. It combines required courses covering the foundations of legislative drafting with a project course for practical application, and focuses on drafting within common law jurisdictions and parliamentary systems, including constitutional and human rights compliance considerations. Admission requires a recognized law degree equivalent to an LL.B. or J.D., or approval of the program coordinator. The university offers continuous admission with monthly start dates; full-time students can complete the diploma in as little as 1.5 years, with a normal completion time of around 2.5 years or less and a maximum of five years. Credits earned in the program can transfer toward master's-level study. The diploma is designed for people entering a career in legislative drafting as legislative counsel, those starting out in drafting work, practitioners wanting to refresh or enhance existing drafting knowledge, and professionals who work with legislation in another capacity.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Admission requires a recognized law degree (LL.B. or J.D.); applicants without one may instead qualify with Program Director approval based on a related degree plus 3 years of relevant legislative drafting experience. The program has continuous admission, so applicants can apply at any time, and all courses are individualized study beginning on the first day of every month, year-round. Applicants should consult the program calendar for the complete admission requirements and application process.
Application Details
Start Date:Continuous — courses begin the first day of every month
Application Deadline:Athabasca University's undergraduate degrees, majors and university certificates admit on a continuous, rolling basis for both domestic and international applicants: there is no fixed application deadline, and most individualized-study courses start on the first of every month provided registration is received by the 10th of the prior month. The university's published admissions information does not distinguish international timing from domestic. The one fixed-cohort exception among this institution's programmes is the Post-LPN Bachelor of Nursing, whose September 2027 intake takes applications from Sept. 1 to Nov. 15, 2026, with all supporting documents due by Nov. 30, 2026, for both domestic and international applicants; the Post-RN Bachelor of Nursing, by contrast, remains open/rolling with monthly starts. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
