Request an Appointment
Click here to schedule an appointment with an advisor.
Requirements
1. Legal Studies 250, Introduction to Legal Studies (not open to freshmen)
This course is restricted to sophomores, juniors and seniors. This is a prerequisite for most Legal Studies courses.
2. SEVEN Upper Level Legal Studies Courses, drawn from the 200, 300 or 400 levels
Note that 250, 296, 298, 396, 398, 450, 496, and 498-499 may not be used toward your upper-level requirement. Practicum and Independent Study courses may NOT be used toward major requirements, nor can courses be used that are taken pass-fail.
For course descriptions and times of offering, visit SPIRE or contact the department.
3. Legal Studies 450 -- Legal Research and Writing (Junior Writing Requirement)
Double majors may substitute Junior Writing from their other major. If Legal Studies is your secondary degree, SPIRE will automatically use the Junior Year Writing course from your primary major (if taken already). Be aware that this only applies to students doing a double major. Should you drop your other major before graduating, you will be required to take Legal 450 to graduate. contact the legal studies advisor for more information.
4. TWO liberal arts law-related courses taken outside of the department.
These must be taken from a list prepared by the department. Only one of the two coursese may be at the 100 level. Note that business law, HRTA law, Sports Law and applied legal training are specifically excluded from this list because they are not liberal arts courses. The list includes courses previously accepted from the other four colleges as well.
If you see a liberal arts course that you think would be appropriate for this requirement, please acquire a copy of the course description and contact the legal studies advisor to see if the course can be approved as a law-related course. Many people use this "outside" requirement as the one they will fulfill if taking courses at home to be transferred back to UMass, or if they are on exchange. Remember to get approval before you take them, or risk not having the course count toward major requirements.
Please note that a minimum 2.0 GPA (both within the major and across all coursework) is required for graduation.
