Legal Studies Major – Bachelor of Arts

All students in the Legal Studies Major must earn a grade of "C" or higher in each course taken that has an LGS course prefix. Students may not retake more than two LGS courses to meet this requirement, and may only retake a course once to meet the requirement. Students must also obtain an overall 2.25 GPA in the Legal Studies Major in order to complete the program requirements for the degree.

Program Competencies

Students are expected to:

  1. Know the structure and relationship of local, state, and national governments; laws; and the American court system and procedures.
  2. Know the roles of attorneys and paralegals in the delivery of legal services, and know and apply the ethical rules and laws that govern non-lawyers, paralegals, and attorneys in the delivery of legal services.
  3. Know and apply fundamental principles of law in specialized substantive areas of law.
  4. Conduct and update relevant legal research of primary and secondary resources using electronic databases, the internet, and print materials.
  5. Function effectively within the context of the modern law office using up-to-date technologies to create legal forms, documents, and summaries to assist attorneys in the practice of law.
  6. Communicate effectively with a variety of audiences.
  7. Analyze, recognize, investigate and coherently summarize legal issues and relevant facts.

Assessment

  1. Senior capstone project

  2. Internship evaluations

  3. Employment and graduate surveys

  4. Legal memoranda, documents and pleadings

Program Requirements

General Education

General Education Courses(See GNED Course Listings)

33

Total Credit Hours:33

Refer to the General Education section for a complete listing of general education requirements for the University. Program requirements that are also general education requirements will count in both places (as applicable).

Major Requirements

Legal Studies Major Requirements

LGS 210Introduction to Law and Ethics

3

LGS 321Legal Research and Writing I

3

LGS 325Pretrial Practice

3

LGS 332Property Law

3

LGS 334Torts, Personal Injury Litigation and Insurance Law

3

LGS 335Contracts and the Uniform Commercial Code

3

LGS 340Criminal Law and Procedure

3

LGS 421Legal Research and Writing II

3

LGS 425Trial Practice

3

LGS 490Legal Studies Internship I

3-6

LGS 499CSenior Paralegal Practice Seminar

3

Total Credit Hours:33

Electives

Choose six hours from the following approved electives (at least three hours must be from courses with an LGS prefix):

LGS 305Legal Reasoning

1-3

LGS 333Family Law

3

LGS 336Employment Law

3

LGS 337Corporate Law

3

LGS 345Debtor/Creditor Relations

3

LGS 355Administrative Law

3

LGS 360Special Legal Topics

1-3

LGS 370History of American Law

3

LGS 380Global Legal Perspectives

1-3

LGS 390Legal Studies Experiential Learning Lab

1

LGS 400Law and Society Seminar

3

LGS 436Wills, Trusts, and Estates

3

LGS 476Special Problems in Legal Studies

1-3

LGS 495Legal Studies Internship II

1-3

POLS 321Constitutional Law: Governmental Powers

3

POLS 322Courts and Civil Liberties

3

POLS 324Environmental Law and Policy

3

POLS 329Comparative Constitutional Law and Politics

3

Total Credit Hours:6

Minor

All majors must have a minor or additional major. See Terms to Know.

Total Credit Hours:21

Free Electives

Free Electives (chosen by student)

variable

Total Credit Hours: 120