Major in Legal Studies (BA/BS)

This major prepares students for careers as legal assistants or paralegals. It also provides a strong foundation in law-related courses for students who plan to work in the courts, the legislature or in legal departments of government and business. Paralegals, as part of a legal team, are supervised by a lawyer and cannot practice law.

69 credits

Interdisciplinary major requirements

Common core, 39 credits

BL 260	Principles of Business Law	3
POLS 130	American National Government	3
POLS 140	Introduction to Law	3
POLS 141	Introduction to Legal Studies	3
POLS 205	Legal Ethics & Professional Responsibility	3
POLS 241	Family Law	3
POLS 242	Legal Research and Writing	3
POLS 243	Civil Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution	3
POLS 250	Access to Justice in the Legal System	3
POLS 320	Tort Law	3
POLS 344	Advanced Legal Research and Writing	3
POLS 445	Criminal Litigation: Law and Procedure	3

3 credits from

POLS 479	Practical Experience in Law	3
	or
POLS 480	Access to Justice Clinic	3

Complete one concentration

Concentration 1: Public Law, 30 credits

BL 367	Principles of Estate Planning	3
POLS 260	Public Administration	3
RE 230	Real Estate Principles	3
RMI 270	Principles of Risk Management and Insurance	3

12 elective credits from

ACC 201	Principles of Financial Accounting	3
CJC 101	Introduction to Criminal Justice	3
COMM 320	Persuasion	3
COMM 340	Leadership and Group Communication	3
PHIL 200	Symbolic Logic	3
POLS 337	State and Local Politics	3
POLS 447	Environmental Law and Policy	3
POLS 408	Topics in Legal Studies	3
POLS 433	The Judiciary	3
POLS 435	Controversies in Federalism	3
POLS 474	Women and Politics	3
SOC 100	Exploring Society	3
SOC 250	LGBTQ+ Sociology	3
SOC 425	Sociology of Law	3
SOCW 100	Introduction to Social Work	3

6 elective credits from

POLS 443	American Constitutional Law	3
POLS 444	Constitutional Liberties	3
POLS 455	Administrative Law	3
POLS 456	Equal Employment Opportunity and Discrimination Law	3
POLS 459	Election Law	3
RMI 473	Insurance Law	3

Concentration 2: Business Law, 30 credits

ACC 201	Principles of Financial Accounting	3
BL 367	Principles of Estate Planning	3
ECON 201	Elementary Microeconomics	3
RE 230	Real Estate Principles	3

12 elective credits from

ACC 202	Principles of Managerial Accounting	3
BL 363	Uniform Commercial Code Law	3
ISOM 210	Business Information Systems	3
ISOM 250	Contemporary Design for Business Solutions	3
ECON 202	Elementary Macroeconomics	3
ECON 346	Economic Analysis of Legal Issues	3
FIN 300	Principles of Finance	3
MGT 300	Managing Behavior in Organizations	3
PHIL 200	Symbolic Logic	3
POLS 337	State and Local Politics	3
POLS 351	Public and Non-Profit Management	3
POLS 381	Developing Countries in a World Economy	3
POLS 408	Topics in Legal Studies	3
POLS 433	The Judiciary	3
POLS 435	Controversies in Federalism	3
POLS 447	Environmental Law and Policy	3
POLS 474	Women and Politics	3
POLS 454	Grants and Budgets	3
RE 331	Real Estate Construction Law and Finance	3
RMI 270	Principles of Risk Management and Insurance	3
RMI 330	Employee Benefits and Retirement Planning	3

6 elective credits from

POLS 443	American Constitutional Law	3
POLS 444	Constitutional Liberties	3
POLS 455	Administrative Law	3
POLS 456	Equal Employment Opportunity and Discrimination Law	3
POLS 459	Election Law	3
RMI 473	Insurance Law	3

Total Credit Hours: 69