Nov 21, 2024  
Undergraduate Bulletin 2016-2017 
    
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Undergraduate Bulletin 2016-2017 [ARCHIVED BULLETIN]

Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies

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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 & 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
  • Most 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 comprised of coursework in the areas of general electives, proficiency requirements, general education requirements and human services requirements.

Proficiency Requirements (9 hours)

General Education Requirements (21 hours)

Legal Studies Courses (42 hours)

Concentrations

A student may complete two concentrations. Concentration courses apply to the human services 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 three of the following courses for the sustainability studies concentration:

General Electives (48 hours)

Additional course work necessary to bring the total credit for the degree to 120 hours.

Additional Requirements

  1. Each student must complete a minimum of 30 semester credit hours of undergraduate credit in the Dominican University School of Professional and Continuing Studies BLS program.
  2. Each student must attain a minimum grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale.
  3. 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 anticipated completing degree requirement.

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