Legal Studies BA

Admission Criteria

Current UB students seeking admission to the Legal Studies BA will be added to the major upon request by completing the College of Arts and Sciences Major/Minor Change Request Form.

Course Requirements

Academic Requirements

Students must maintain a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.000 in the major. All courses taken by a student that are included in the Legal Studies curriculum will be used in calculation of the major GPA. For example, if a curriculum requires a student to select two courses from a particular section and the student completes three courses from that section, all three courses would be used to calculate a student’s major GPA. The Legal Studies major may not be combined with any other major to form a joint major.  Students pursuing a double major may use a maximum of two advanced (300 or 400 level) courses towards both majors. For example a student completing a double major between Legal Studies and sociology may take only two advanced level sociology courses for completion of the Legal Studies major.

For students not continuously registered at UB or who are newly admitted transfer students, courses taken more than 10 years prior to the date of admission or readmission to the University may constitute no more than 20% of a major program in the Legal Studies major.

Transfer Credit Policy

At least 50 percent of coursework toward the major must be completed at UB. Courses taken more than 10 years prior to the date of admission to the University may constitute no more than 20% of a major program in the Legal Studies major.

Program Distinction

A student in this major is eligible for Program Distinction upon degree conferral if the criteria are met. Criteria are found under Academic Honors in the Policy and Procedure section of this Catalog. Program Distinction is noted on the official transcript.

Curricular Plan

A Curricular Plan provides a roadmap for completing this academic program and the UB Curriculum on time. Your actual plan may vary depending on point of entry to the university, course placement and/or waivers based on standardized test scores, earned alternative credit and/or college transfer credit.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Legal Studies BA, students will:

• Possess a basic narrative of American history.
• Understand the basic structures, functions and principles of American government.
• Understand law in an historical, political, or philosophical perspective.
• Understand aspects of the role of law in regulating behavior, the relation of law to politics, social structure, race, gender, and class.
• Develop writing skills and analytical skills associated with the evaluation of data or patterns of argument.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the history of the US Constitution, impact of the US Constitution on American law and life, the evolution of constitutional interpretation, the role of the courts.
• Demonstrate understanding of the systems through which law is created, changed and administered; law in transnational contexts, the institutions of the law and law as a social phenomenon; the law’s dynamic relation with health, welfare, and the environment.

(HEGIS: 14.01 LAW- GENERAL, CIP: 22.0000 Legal Studies)