Legal Studies (BA)

What is A Legal Studies (BA) Degree?

There are many different fields of law like criminal, family, or civil rights law, and a BA degree in Legal Studies will give students a broad understanding of the laws that exist and how they are applied. Even though law schools don’t specify a particular Bachelor’s degree required to apply to their programs, most look favorably upon a BA in Legal Studies.

In the BA program, in addition to general education, students will complete general courses related to the legal justice system.  In addition, they will take courses in specifics like torts, criminal procedures, administrative law, and environmental law and in various applications of the law to business, technology, families, and international law.  In some BA programs you will be able to concentrate part of your studies in a particular area/specialty of the law, and you will probably complete a major capstone project or serve an internship.  Some BA programs in Legal Studies may even prepare you to sit for the paralegal certification exam upon graduation.  The program could be a good preparation for eventually going to law school.

The videos below discuss “typical” programs, so they should help regardless of which school you are considering.