Legal Studies Major - Law School Early Admission Option

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Law School Early Admission (3-3) Program

If law school is in your future, consider Hamline’s 3-3 program, which allows highly talented and motivated students to complete their undergraduate degree and law degree in just six years.

The objectives of this special program are:

to provide exceptional, highly motivated undergraduates who demonstrate academic excellence, maturity, and professionalism with an opportunity to complete their bachelor’s and law degrees in six, instead of the usual seven, years;
to integrate the liberal arts education with professional legal training; and
to provide a program that will develop legal professionals who are committed to defining and strengthening the moral and ethical values of the legal profession through value-based education.

The Legal Studies Department offers its own 3-3 major program, the Legal Studies - Law School Early Admission Major which is paired with a minor outside of the Legal Studies Department. Students may also choose from a variety of majors paired with a Law School Early Admission Minor. Students seeking law school early admission through a department other than Legal Studies must complete the LSEA minor along with the program requirements of the department in which they major. A sample of the program majors which can be combined with the LSEA Minor are: business (general, BBA), communications studies, criminal justice, economics, English, finance, history, management, marketing, philosophy, psychology, political science, sociology, and women’s studies. Please see the Law School Early Admission Minor section of this Bulletin for specific information.

Students interested in any 3-3 program should meet with an academic advisor in the Legal Studies Department early in their undergraduate career to discuss. Please also contact the chair of the department in which you would like to major for more information. If you decide partway through your studies that the 3-3 track is no longer right for you, then simply continue on with your studies and graduate in four years.

Major Requirements

The Legal Studies Department offers its own 3-3 program, the Legal Studies-Law School Early Admission (LGST-LSEA) Major.

Candidates for early admission to Hamline University School of Law (HUSL) through the LGST-LSEA Major must:

Declare their candidacy by filling out a Declaration of Major form, select the LGST-LSEA Major, and meet with a Legal Studies faculty member as soon as possible.
Contact the Hamline University School of Law Admissions Office to discuss the profile recommended to be admitted to the Hamline University School of Law.
Complete the five required legal studies courses and 20 credits of elective courses.
Select and complete a minor outside the Legal Studies Department by the end of their junior year.
Fulfill the Hamline plan requirements and complete 100 semester credits by May of their junior year.
Complete the Breadth of Study (76 credits outside of the Legal studies Department) by May of their junior year.
Complete the “Intent to Graduate” form by their junior year.
Register for and complete the LSAT during their junior year. Materials and scholarship applications are available on line and at the law school.
Apply for admission to the Hamline University School of Law by March of their junior year and with acceptance in the fall class.
Complete and transfer back to the College of Liberal Arts 28 credits of successful first-year law school work with a grade of C- or better to earn their bachelor’s degree.

Five (5) required courses

Twenty (20) elective credits

Choose twenty (20) credits from the courses below. Note: to meet the 76 credit Breadth of Study requirement, 16 of the 20 elective credits must be taken outside of the Legal Studies department.

An undergraduate minor outside of the Legal Studies Department is required

Complete a minor outside of the Legal Studies Department by the end of the junior year.

Students completing the Legal Studies/Women’s Studies double major for the 3-3 program do not need a minor.

Notes:

Participation in the 3-3 program does not guarantee you law school admission; students must take the LSAT and apply to and be accepted to Hamline’s School of Law. Students who are not accepted into law school after three years can complete their undergraduate major and earn their bachelor’s degree in the usual four years. They may, of course, reapply to law school upon completion of their undergraduate degree.

Once students enroll at the Hamline University School of Law, they are no longer eligible for financial aid as an undergraduate student, including the presidential fellowship. However, they are eligible to apply for financial aid and scholarships through the law school.

Students also seeking their paralegal certificate may follow this major, but doing so does not guarantee a paralegal certificate. Students interested in Hamline’s ABA-approved Paralegal Certificate should refer to the Paralegal Certificate section of this bulletin.

Transfer Students:

Transfer students are eligible for the law school early admission (3-3) program.They must complete a minimum of sixteen (16) credits at Hamline toward their undergraduate major. In all other respects the LGST-LSEA program is identical for transfer students. They are encouraged to contact one of the following Legal Studies department professors prior to beginning at Hamline: Jeanne Kosieradzki at (651)523-2745, Jerry Krause at (651) 523-2327, Leondra Hanson at (651) 523-2678, Stephen Arnott at (651) 523-2582, or Meg Hobday at (651) 523-2629. Transfer students are also encouraged to consult with the Transfer Coordinator in undergraduate admissions at (651)523-2207.

Transfer students must complete a minimum of sixteen (16) credits in the major while enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts. All other respects the LGST-LSEA program is identical for transfer.