Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies

The Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies (BLS) is an interdisciplinary program exploring the American legal system from a wide range of perspectives, including economics, philosophy, theology and history. Consistent with Dominican University’s 110-year commitment to social justice, students are required to complete a course in legal ethics along with at least one ethics unit in each class.

Students may elect to declare up to two concentrations, which include: criminal justice, disability advocacy, labor relations, law and social justice, paralegal studies, public administration, and sustainability studies. Courses are conveniently offered in the evenings at Triton College or online in an accelerated 8-week format.

Graduates of the program will be qualified to work as paralegals, law enforcement officers, public officials and nonprofit leaders. Those looking to work as paralegals will have the opportunity to take courses in specific areas like civil litigation or real estate law and gain preparation for paralegal certification examinations. As a rigorous social science program, the BLS will also prepare students for law or graduate school.

Each academic year consists of six 8-week sessions
Classes are offered in an eight-week format
Transfer credit of up to 68 semester credit hours from community colleges or up to 90 semester credit hours from a combination of community colleges and 4-year colleges or universities may be granted.

Degree Requirements

The Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies totals 120 credit hours and is comprised of coursework in the areas of general electives, proficiency requirements, general education requirements and legal studies requirements.

Proficiency Requirements (9 hours)

EN 102 - Composition II (3) or equivalent
MT 150 - Contemporary Math (3) or equivalent/higher course, or
HS 302 - Statistics for Social Scientists
Religion elective (3)

General Education Requirements (21 hours)

SPCS 200 - Adult Learning Seminar (3)
Social Science (6)
Natural Science (6)
Humanities (6)

Legal Studies Courses (42 hours)

LS 300 - The American Legal System
LS 301 - Legal Research and Writing
LS 320 - Religion and the Law
LS 321 - Law & Economics
LS 322 - Philosophical Basis of the Law
LS 325 - Contracts
LS 400 - Legal Ethics
Legal Studies electives (21 hours). Up to three additional 200-level or higher social sciences courses can-with approval of program coordinator-be applied to this requirement.

Concentrations

A student may choose to complete two concentrations and may request a college issued certificate from the program coordinator upon graduation to note the achievement. Concentration courses apply to the legal studies elective requirement and may include courses that have the HS prefix.

Criminal Justice

This concentration is geared toward those who wish to work in law enforcement or as paralegals in criminal law departments or who are pursuing further academic study in law or criminology. The required courses for the criminal justice concentration are:

Disability Advocacy

This concentration trains students to work on behalf of individuals with disabilities in legal, educational, or social services settings. The required courses for the disability advocacy concentration are:

Labor Relations

This concentration prepares students for work in labor organizations, human resources, mediation, or employment law. To complete the labor relations concentration, students complete three of the following:

Law and Social Justice

This concentration focuses on the law as both a means and a barrier to achieving social justice. It is designed for students who seek careers in public interest law or nonprofit organizations, or who are interested in the problems of injustice. The required courses for the law & social justice concentration are:

Paralegal Studies

This concentration is ideal for students who wish to work as paralegals. Students must complete three of the following courses for the paralegal studies concentration:

Public Administration

This concentration is designed for students who seek employment in government agencies, nonprofit organizations, or municipal law firms. The required courses for the public administration concentration are:

Sustainability Studies

This concentration is aimed at students with an interest in environmental law and advocacy or those who seek to incorporate sustainable management practices into their organizations. Students must complete the following three courses for the sustainability studies concentration:

General Electives (48 hours)

General electives constitute additional course work necessary to bring the total credit for the degree to 120 hours. Up to 6 credit hours of graduate work may be applied to the BLS degree in the elective category. These courses will also apply to the respective graduate degree, thereby reducing by 6 credit hours the total number of credit hours required to complete both degrees. Students must have senior standing in the BLS program and must obtain the consent of the program coordinator/college dean to take classes from a graduate program. Additional information is available from the CASS advising office.

Additional Requirements

Each student must complete a minimum of 30 semester credit hours of undergraduate credit in residence in the BLS program.
Each student must attain a minimum grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale.
Each student must file an application for graduation with the Office of the Registrar by the deadline posted for the semester in which the student anticipates completing degree requirements.

Accelerated Degree Options