New Legal Studies Concentration Offered
The University of Scranton will offer a new concentration in legal studies beginning in the fall semester of 2018 that will be available to both incoming and current students. The interdisciplinary concentration provides students preparing for law school, as well as those interested in studying law at the undergraduate level only, with a flexible curriculum that can both advance understanding of the law and develop skills necessary for success in law school.
Housed in the University’s College of Arts and Sciences, the legal studies concentration is intended to further develop and formalize the curriculum associated with the currently existing Pre-Law Advisory Program, which is a non-curricular advisory program that assists students interested in attending law school after graduation.
“The Pre-Law Advisory Program focuses on helping pre-law students choose a major, prepare for the LSAT, write personal statements, get letters of recommendation and submit applications. Although the advisory program has a recommended curriculum for pre-law students, there are no courses that pre-law students are required to take,” said Matthew Meyer, Ph.D., pre-law advisor and associate professor of philosophy at the University. “The legal studies concentration would develop and formalize this aspect of the program by transforming and expanding the list of recommended courses into a curricular program in which students could enroll.”
According to Dr. Meyer, the courses in the concentration follow the recommendation of the American Bar Association for pre-law students and focus on improving students’ writing, problem solving and critical reading skills, in addition to advancing understanding of the law and developing a commitment to justice and the common good. The legal studies concentration will work in tandem with the Pre-Law Advisory Program to place pre-law students in the best possible law schools with the best possible financial packages.
The concentration requires participants to take one three-credit course (Legal Studies Fundamentals, INTD 115) and four additional three-credit courses selected from a variety of courses approved for the concentration for a total of 15 credits (five courses).
The approved courses are offered in several disciplines, including political science, communication, history, philosophy, criminal justice and sociology, among others.
“The legal studies concentration will also encourage faculty from multiple disciplines to develop new courses pertaining to law and will also allow for more pre-law related programming beyond the classroom,” said Dr. Meyer.
Scranton already enjoys great success with its law school placements. In the past four years, 100 percent of graduating seniors were accepted into law school and more than 130 Scranton graduates received acceptance into more than 50 law schools throughout the United States, including to some of the country’s most prestigious law schools. Scranton’s Pre-Law Advisory Program also offers assistance to Scranton alumni who wish to apply to law school.
The University also entered into an affiliation with Villanova University School of Law that gives Scranton students the option of automatic admission to the law school and a minimum scholarship of $25,000 per year while at Villanova for students who meet program requirements. Similar affiliations with other law schools are expected to be announced in the near future.
For more information, visit scranton.edu/academics/cas/pre-law/, or contact Dr. Meyer at 570-941-5814 or matthew.meyer@scranton.edu.