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2025 Undergraduate Catalog

Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies

The Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies offers in-depth knowledge of the U.S. court system, legal writing and research, legal practice, and various types of law, while emphasizing governance, civil and criminal processes, and the theory and philosophy of justice. This degree will aid you in doing your part to help solve aspects of the complex societal challenges associated with the public’s ability to access justice by providing a broad understanding of law and the legal field. By equipping you for ethical service and leadership, the knowledge gained from this degree is often required in environments such as law firms, corporations, and local and national government agencies.

Degree Program Objectives

In addition to the institutional and degree level learning objectives, graduates of this program are expected to achieve these learning outcomes:

  • Appraise the merits of legal research and writing skills as applied in realistic contexts.
  • Differentiate factual, conceptual and procedural patterns through the use of critical thinking and legal analytical skills.
  • Collaborate on finding legal solutions with technology.

Degree at a Glance

Degree Program Requirements

General Education (30 semester hours)

Major Required (24 semester hours)

Students must choose a concentration for this degree program and may select from a General Concentration, Concentration in Criminal Law Support, Concentration in Legal Communications, Concentration in Legal Data Analytics, Concentration in Legal Data Security, Concentration in Legal Entrepreneurism, Concentration in Legal Ethics, or Concentration in Legal Office Administration.

General Concentration (24 semester hours)

Concentration Requirements (24 semester hours)

Concentration in Criminal Law Support (24 semester hours)

This 24-semester-hour concentration provides a comprehensive conceptual and skills-based exposure to the substantive law, ethics, and procedures needed to effectively assist lawyers in preparing for and presenting legal cases before criminal courts.* (*Practice of law is defined by state bar associations. Students must check with their respective state bar associations to learn more about attorney and non-lawyer legal professional licensing requirements.)

Objectives

Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

  • Explore and react appropriately to a range of realistic criminal law contexts.
  • Differentiate the factual, conceptual, ethical, and procedural patterns relating to criminal law matters through the application of critical thinking and legal analytical skills.
  • Use technology to find legal solutions to criminal law-related challenges.
  • Gain skills often needed to competently and ethically support lawyers in criminal law-related matters.
Concentration Requirements (24 semester hours)

Concentration in Legal Communications (24 semester hours)

This 24-semester-hour concentration provides a comprehensive conceptual and skills-based exposure to the substantive legal and communications-related topics, ethics, and procedures needed to effectively assist lawyers in their public communications.

Objectives

Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

  • Communicate with the public in multiple ways about legal contexts.
  • Differentiate factual, conceptual, ethical, and procedural patterns relating to legal matters through the use of critical thinking and legal analytical skills.
  • Use technology to find public communication-related solutions to legal challenges.
  • Gain skills often needed to competently and ethically deliver public communications about a variety of legal matters.
Concentration Requirements (24 semester hours)

Concentration in Legal Data Analytics (24 semester hours)

This 24-semester-hour concentration provides a comprehensive conceptual and skills-based exposure to the substantive legal and business concepts, ethics, and procedures needed to effectively assist lawyers in understanding and maximizing the power of their data.

Objectives

Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

  • Scrutinize legal data in multiple ways to maximize its use in appropriate legal and business ways.
  • Differentiate factual, conceptual, ethical, and procedural patterns relating to legal data through the use of critical thinking and legal analytical skills.
  • Use technology to find solutions to challenges associated with legal data.
  • Gain skills often needed to competently and ethically work with offices that handle legal data.
Concentration Requirements (24 semester hours)

Concentration in Legal Data Security (24 semester hours)

This 24-semester-hour concentration provides a comprehensive conceptual and skills-based exposure to the substantive legal and business concepts, ethics, and procedures needed to effectively assist lawyers in protecting their data, including that which belongs to their clients.

Objectives

Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

  • Scrutinize legal data in multiple ways to protect its use in appropriate legal and business ways.
  • Differentiate factual, conceptual, ethical, and procedural patterns relating to legal data through the use of critical thinking and legal analytical skills.
  • Use technology to find solutions to challenges associated with legal data.
  • Gain skills often needed to competently and ethically protect legal data.
Concentration Requirements (24 semester hours)

Concentration in Legal Entrepreneurism (24 semester hours)

This 24-semester-hour concentration provides a comprehensive conceptual and skills-based exposure to the substantive legal and business concepts, ethics, and procedures needed to effectively operate a business to help create new solutions to challenges impacting the legal field.

Objectives

Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

  • Explore innovative business concepts to try to solve issues related to society’s inability to access justice when they need it.
  • Differentiate factual, conceptual, ethical, and procedural patterns relating to legal and business challenges through the use of critical thinking and legal analytical skills.
  • Use technology to find solutions to challenges associated with legal entrepreneurism.
  • Gain skills often needed to competently and ethically try to help solve at least some portion of the access-to-justice problem.
Concentration Requirements (24 semester hours)

Concentration in Legal Ethics (24 semester hours)

Students in this concentration learn the substantive law and procedures needed to effectively assist lawyers in making ethical decisions on behalf of their clients. The same knowledge and skills can support those students desiring to become non-lawyer legal professionals who are authorized to act independently of lawyers.* It also offers students opportunities to practice relevant skills in realistic scenarios. (*Practice of law is defined by state bar associations. Students must check with their respective state bar associations to learn more about attorney and non-lawyer legal professional licensing requirements.)

Objectives

Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

  • Explore and react appropriately to a range of realistic legal contexts that involve ethical dilemmas.
  • Differentiate the factual, conceptual, ethical, and procedural patterns relating to legal matters involving ethical questions through the application of critical thinking and legal analytical skills.
  • Use technology to find legal solutions to ethical challenges.
  • Gain skills often needed to competently and ethically support lawyers, or act independently (if legally authorized) in matters involving ethical questions.
Concentration Requirements (24 semester hours)

Concentration in Legal Office Administration (24 semester hours)

This 24-semester-hour concentration provides a comprehensive conceptual and skills-based exposure to the substantive legal and business concepts, ethics, and procedures needed to effectively operate legal offices.

Note: EDMG220, FINC300, FINC405, and HRMT407 may be taken as elective courses to expand your knowledge of this specific concentration area.

Objectives

Upon successful completion of this concentration, the student will be able to:

  • Explore business concepts to help operate legally-oriented businesses properly.
  • Differentiate factual, conceptual, ethical, and procedural patterns relating to legal and business challenges through the use of critical thinking and legal analytical skills.
  • Use technology to find solutions to challenges associated with legal office administration.
  • Gain skills often needed to competently and ethically manage legal business operations.
Concentration Requirements (24 semester hours)

Final Program Requirement (3 semester hours)

Elective Requirements (39 semester hours)

  1. All literature courses require successful completion of ENGL101-Proficiency in Writing or ENGL110-Making Writing Relevant.

  2. All literature courses require successful completion of ENGL101-Proficiency in Writing or ENGL110-Making Writing Relevant.

  3. Prerequisite: Senior Standing and completion of all major courses prior to enrollment. Must be taken as the last course before graduation.

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