American Law and Legal Systems Major

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Objectives

The objectives of this special program are: (1) 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; (2) to integrate the liberal arts education with professional legal training; and (3) 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.

Major Requirements

Four (4) required courses

Twenty-eight (28) credits

Twenty-eight (28) credits taken in the first year of law school comprise the remainder of the coursework for this major.

An undergraduate minor is required

Complete a minor outside of the legal studies department. The minor must be one that could become the student’s major should she or he opt out of the program or not be accepted for early admission by the School of Law.

Credit requirements

Completion of the Hamline Plan and a total of one hundred (100) credits of coursework by the end of the spring term of the junior year.

Continuation beyond the junior year

During the junior year the student takes the LSAT (Law School Admission Test) and applies to Hamline University School of Law. To continue in the program the student must be accepted by Hamline University School of Law, matriculate, and complete the first year of law school (28 credits).

Note

Students are accepted for admission to law school based upon their LSAT score, their overall academic record including their performance in the required legal studies courses in the major, their personal statement and recommendations. Non-acceptance does not necessarily mean that the student is unsuited for the study of law. It usually means that, in the judgment of the law school admissions committee, the student is not likely to benefit from early admission and should complete a four-year degree prior to law school. Students who are not accepted can major in either legal studies or the field of their minor and can complete their bachelor’s degree in the usual four years and reapply upon completion.

Once a student enrolls in law school, the student is no longer eligible for financial aid as an undergraduate student, including the presidential fellowship. However, he or she is eligible to apply for financial aid and scholarships through the law school. Upon the successful completion of the twenty-eight (28) credits comprising the first-year law school curriculum, the student is awarded his/her bachelor’s degree with a major in American law and legal systems by the College of Liberal Arts.

Transfer Students

Transfer students are eligible to participate in the law school early admission program. You must take three of the four required courses at Hamline. Transfer students are strongly encouraged to consult with the Hamline pre-law advisor prior to transfer and immediately upon matriculation at Hamline.