Admission to accredited schools of law requires from three to four years of college preparatory work, with preference given to applicants with a bachelor’s degree even where the degree itself is not a requirement for admission. Law schools are not specific as to preparatory coursework, but applicants will be expected to present a broad preparation, a good scholastic record, and acceptable scores on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), which should be taken nine months prior to the term for which admission is sought. For students planning to prepare for law, suggested programs include those leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree or Bachelor of Science degree with a major emphasizing fields such as history, political science, or English, or those leading to a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the College of Business.  The minor in Legal Studies allows students to focus their study toward their interest in the law while recognizing the inter-disciplinary character of the American Bar Association’s statement on under- graduate education.  The minor can easily be paired with just about any major at UNA. In addition to the three required courses, the students are able to select electives within law-related fields such as business, criminal law, and civil law, among others.  The minor provides a mentoring environment likely to lead to a higher rate of success on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), better preparation for law school in terms of writing and legal reasoning, and a clearer understanding for admittance to a law school.  For details on Pre-Law requirements and programs the student should consult the Department of Politics, Justice, Law, and Philosophy.

Major: No specific major required, but political science, history, English, and business are some of the more common majors.

Minor: Legal Studies

Minor in Legal Studies

Courses

• U.S. Constitutional History (HI/PS 367)
• Logic (PHL  202)
• Judicial Process and Behavior (PS 344)

Nine hours from the following list or additional courses with approval of the Chair of the Department of Politics, Justice, Law, and Philosophy (including at least three hours at 300-400 level)

• The Legal Environment of Business (BL 240)
• Business Law for Entrepreneurs (BL 381)
• Criminal Law (CJ 295)
• Criminal Evidence (CJ 430)
• Criminal Procedure (CJ 434)
• Communication Law and Ethics (COM 400W)
• Technical Writing (EN 339W)
• Entertainment Industry Law (ENT 470W)
• Internship (PS 495)
• Law and Society (SO 430)