Legal Studies Major

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The Legal Studies Department offers the flexible Legal Studies Major for students interested in the field of law. It is an optional major for pre-law students. Students also seeking their paralegal certificate may follow this major, but doing so does not guarantee a paralegal certificate. Paralegal certificate recipients may major in any subject. Students who are interested in the paralegal certificate should also refer to the Paralegal Certificate section of this bulletin.

Major Requirements

The Legal Studies Major consists of forty (40) credits as follows:

Five (5) required courses:

Twenty (20) elective course credits

Twenty (20) credits of elective courses chosen from the following legal studies or interdisciplinary offerings:

If you plan to attend law school:

Legal studies majors who intend to go on to law school are strongly encouraged to consider a second major or minor in the field of their choice. A Legal Studies Major is not required for law school admissions. Students interested in law school should also strongly consider taking PHIL 1130: Logic, as well as writing-intensive and formal reasoning courses beyond those required of the Hamline Plan.

Majors who plan to work immediately after completing their four-year degree are encouraged to select electives leading to the paralegal certificate or to finish a major in another discipline that offers law-related employment opportunities requiring a bachelor’s degree such as criminal justice, English, or political science.

Notes:

The Legal Studies Major does not qualify students to sit for the bar examination or to work as lawyers. Postgraduate study in an American Bar Association-approved law school after graduation from college is required to practice law.