The Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Legal Studies provides students with a broad educational background in American law and policy that prepares them well for a lifetime of informed civic participation. Students will also acquire the technical skills and specialized knowledge that will enable them to build a career working in federal and state agencies or court systems, in a variety of legal service settings, in private law offices or corporate legal departments, and in a multitude of other public and private organizations where familiarity with government regulation and legal processes is required. The program also lays the academic foundation for students who later wish to advance to graduate programs in law or public policy. The program is approved by the American Bar Association.
Please note that students obtaining the BA in Legal Studies are not authorized to provide direct legal services to the public. The program offers training for paraprofessionals who are authorized to perform substantive legal work under the supervision of a licensed attorney. The program does not train lawyers.
Admission Requirements
- Complete the Admission Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees.
Graduation Requirements
- Complete the General University Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees.
- Complete the General Education Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees.
- Courses used to fulfill the Social Sciences General Education Requirement must be taken outside the legal studies major.
- Take the Legal Studies Exit Examination. There is no minimum score required for graduation.
- Complete the following major requirements with a minimum grade of C in Legal Studies (LEGL) courses:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Oral Communication Skills | ||
| Complete one of the following (with a minimum grade of C): | 3 | |
| Fundamentals of Oral Communication | ||
| Small Group Communication | ||
| Interpersonal Communication | ||
| Public Speaking | ||
| Written Communication Skills | ||
| WRTG A111 | Writing Across Contexts | 3 |
| Complete one of the following (with a minimum grade of B): | 3 | |
| Writing and the Humanities | ||
| Writing and the Professions | ||
| Writing and the Sciences | ||
| Arguing Across Contexts | ||
| Complete one of the following (with a minimum grade of B): | 3 | |
| Writing in Public Life | ||
| Technical Writing and Design | ||
| Professional Writing | ||
| Research Writing | ||
| Core Courses | ||
| LEGL A101 | Introduction to Law | 3 |
| LEGL A215 | Legal Ethics and the Role of the Legal Professional | 3 |
| LEGL A352 | Criminal Law: Murder, Robbery, and Other Crimes | 3 |
| LEGL A356 | Legal Research, Analysis, and Writing | 3 |
| LEGL A367 | Civil Procedure and Pretrial Practice | 3 |
| LEGL/JUST A374 | The Courts | 3 |
| LEGL A377 | Evidence, Investigation, and Discovery | 3 |
| LEGL A487 | Trial and Advanced Litigation Processes | 3 |
| LEGL A489 | Legal Studies Senior Seminar | 3 |
| Complete one of the following: | 3 | |
| Race, Equal Protection and the Law | ||
| Law, History and Social Change | ||
| Constitutional Law | ||
| Civil Liberties | ||
| Electives | ||
| Complete 15-17 credits (12 upper-division) of Legal Studies (LEGL) electives, or from the following list: 1 | 15-17 | |
| Aviation Law and Regulations | ||
| Business Law I | ||
| Business Law II | ||
| Real Estate Law | ||
| Construction Law | ||
| Boundary Law I | ||
| Boundary Law II | ||
| First Amendment and Media Ethics | ||
| Philosophy of Law | ||
| Internship | ||
| Complete at least 3 credits of the following: | 3-6 | |
| Legal Studies Internship | ||
| Total | 60-65 | |
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Upper division law courses from the justice curriculum may be used to satisfy this requirement with department approval. Only 6 credits of JUST A490 may be used to satisfy elective requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies.
A minimum of 120 credits is required for the degree, of which 39 credits must be upper-division.
Pro Bono Service Honors
The Justice Center recognizes distinguished achievement by conferring pro bono service honors to those legal studies students who work toward improving access to justice by contributing volunteer service to Alaska legal aid agencies. In order to receive pro bono service honors, a student must meet the following requirements:
- Major in any of the legal studies programs, as well as legal studies minors;
- Meet the catalog requirements for the minor, degree or certificate sought;
- Complete the following number of volunteer hours with a legal services agency approved by the department's program coordinator:
- Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies: 120 hours
- Students intending to graduate with pro bono service honors must obtain written verification of their hours of service from the legal service agency or agencies assisted;
- In the semester they intend to graduate, students must submit their verification of service hours and written notice of their intent to graduate with pro bono service honors to the department's program coordinator. The verification and notice must be received by the coordinator on or before the date established by the Office of the Registrar as the deadline to apply for graduation.
Program Student Learning Outcomes
Students graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies will be able to:
- Demonstrate understanding of fundamental principles of the legal discovery process.
- Conduct effective and comprehensive legal research using commonly available legal research databases.
- Analyze statutes, case law, and secondary sources and synthesize into convincing legal arguments.
- Draft standard legal documents in accordance with commonly used stylistic conventions in legal practice.
Sample Plan
The academic plan below is one pathway through the degree/certificate. It includes all requirements, taking into account recommendations from program faculty. Each student’s plan may vary according to their initial course placement, intended course load, additional majors and/or minors, and their placement into required prerequisite courses. Any change in the plan below can have an unforeseen impact on the rest of the plan. Therefore, it is very important to meet with your academic advisor to verify your personal academic plan.
Please review the following terms, definitions, and resources associated with the sample academic plan below.
- Each course in the far left column links to a pop-up bubble with a course description, prerequisite requirements, and associations with university requirements. For example, if a course fulfills a general education requirement, you will see that in the pop-up bubble.
- GER: indicates a General Education Requirement. GERs that also count toward degree/certificate requirements appear as a specific course in the plan. For these courses, "GER" is not indicated explicitly in the table, but if you click on the course, you will see the course's GER status in the pop-up bubble.
- Program Elective: indicates a specific course selection determined by program faculty to fulfill a degree/certificate requirement. Students should seek assistance from their academic advisor.
- Elective: indicates an open selection of 100-400 level university courses to fulfill elective credits needed to meet the minimum total credits toward the degree/certificate.
- Upper Division Program Elective: indicates a specific 300-400 level course selection determined by the program faculty to fulfill a degree/certificate requirement. Students should seek assistance from their academic advisor.
- Upper Division Elective: indicates an open selection of 300-400 level courses to fulfill elective credits needed to meet the minimum total credits toward the degree/certificate. These courses must be upper division in order to meet General University Requirements for the particular degree/certificate type.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| LEGL A101 | Introduction to Law | 3 |
| WRTG A111 | Writing Across Contexts | 3 |
| GER Fine Arts | 3 | |
| GER Oral Communication Skills | 3 | |
| GER Quantitative Skills | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| LEGL A215 | Legal Ethics and the Role of the Legal Professional | 3 |
| GER Humanities | 3 | |
| GER Social Sciences 1 | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Program Elective (Written Communication: WRTG A211 or WRTG A212 or WRTG A213 or WRTG A214) | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| LEGL A374 | The Courts | 3 |
| GER Humanities | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Program Elective | 3 | |
| Upper Division Program Elective (Advanced Written Communication: ENGL A311 or ENGL A312 or ENGL A313 or ENGL A414) | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| LEGL A352 | Criminal Law: Murder, Robbery, and Other Crimes | 3 |
| LEGL A356 | Legal Research, Analysis, and Writing | 3 |
| GER Natural Sciences | 3 | |
| GER Social Sciences 1 | 3 | |
| Upper Division Program Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| LEGL A367 | Civil Procedure and Pretrial Practice | 3 |
| LEGL A377 | Evidence, Investigation, and Discovery | 3 |
| GER Alaska Native-Themed | 3 | |
| GER Natural Sciences w/Lab | 4 | |
| Upper Division Program Elective (LEGL A312 or LEGL A315 or LEGL/PS A343 or LEGL A443) | 3 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| LEGL A487 | Trial and Advanced Litigation Processes | 3 |
| GER Intercultural Fluency | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Upper Division Program Elective 2 | 3 | |
| Upper Division Program Elective 2 | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| LEGL A495 | Legal Studies Internship | 3-6 |
| GER Integrative Capstone | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Upper Division Program Elective 2 | 3 | |
| Credits | 15-18 | |
| Spring | ||
| LEGL A489 | Legal Studies Senior Seminar | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 121-124 | |
- 1
Courses used to fulfill the GER Social Sciences must be taken outside the legal studies major
- 2
Only 6 credits of JUST A490 may be used to satisfy this requirement.