Legal Studies

Major Description:

Alderson Broaddus University’s legal studies major is designed for students who wish to attend law school or pursue other careers in the legal field, such as court staff and paralegals. Legal studies is an interdisciplinary, liberal arts major that engages the meanings, values, practices, and institutions of law and legality. The legal studies curriculum includes legal principles and history, civil rights and liberties, argumentation and logic, legal research and writing, and ethics. The legal studies major’s interdisciplinary nature prepares the student for success in a wide range of career fields, and students will have the unique opportunity to gain real-world experience by participating in various internship opportunities.

Required Courses

	Course #		Credit Hours	Course Name
____	COMM	240	3	Argumentation & Persuasion
____	CJUS	200	3	Intro to Criminal Justice
____	CJUS	340	3	Principles of Criminal Law
____	CJUS	450	3	Criminal Courts & Process
____	LEGL	200	3	Intro to Law and Society
____	LEGL	280	3	American Legal History
____	LEGL	300	3	Civil Rights and Liberties
____	LEGL	350	3	Legal Research and Writing
____	LEGL	500	3	Field Practicum
____	PHIL	290	3	Applied Logic
____	POLS	200	3	American National Government*
____	POLS	310	3	Constitutional Law
PLUS 3 credit hours in a law elective from any discipline (International Law or Business Law recommended)
____	____________	________	3	____________________
PLUS 3 credit hours of ethics from any discipline:
____	____________	________	3	____________________
PLUS one of the following:
____	CJUS	550	3	Seminar in Criminal Justice
____	HIST	510	3	Seminar in History
____	POLS	550	3	Seminar in Political Science
Recommended but not required:
____	ECON	201	3	Macroeconomics
____	ENVS	340	3	Environmental Policy and Regulation
____	LEGL	390	3	Special Topics in Legal Studies (may be repeated for credit)
____	POLS	210	3	State & Local Government
____	SOCI	340	3	Social Problems
____	SOCI	350	3	Criminology

Foreign language: Three semesters of one modern foreign language are required.
Liberal studies program: As outlined on appropriate Liberal Studies Check Sheet.
Among REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATION, the student must have a grade point average of 2.00 or higher in the major and have 120 college-level credit hours.

Career Opportunities

The legal studies field has a variety of careers, depending on the student’s interests and strengths. Graduates of the legal studies major will pursue careers as court clerks and administrators, legal assistants, paralegals, research associates, mediators, and government employees.

For students interested in obtaining their J.D. after graduation so they may become attorneys, the legal studies major will prepare them for the rigors of law school. All students take a seminar course to help them prepare for their careers.

Wondering what all you can do with a degree from AB’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences? Contact the Office of Career Services for ideas and academic planning.

Internship Opportunities

Opportunities for Involvement

For more information, contact us:

John Hicks

Associate Professor of History

John Hicks

Associate Professor of History

hicksjd@ab.edu

(304) 457-6240

	Class of 2018	Class of 2019	Class of 2020
Maximum entering class size (as approved by ARC-PA)	36	36	36
Entering class size	36	36	36
Graduates	34	28	34
* Attrition rate	5.5%	22.2%	5.5%
**Graduation rate	94.4%	77.7%	94.4%
Attrition rate calculation: Number of students who attritted from cohort divided by the entering class size. *Graduation rate: Number of cohort graduates divided by the entering class size.

	DIDACTIC PHASE				CLINICAL PHASE			YEARLY TOTALS
	Year 1 Summer	Year 1 Fall	Year 1 Spring	Year 2 Summer	Year 2 Fall	Year 2 Spring	Year 3 Summer	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Total
Tuition	$14,500	$14,500	$14,500	$14,500	$14,500	$14,500	$29,000	$43,500	$43,500	$29,000	$116,000
Fees	$200	$305	$305	$330	$205	$205	$550	$810	$740	$550	$2,100
Books	$1,000	$1,000	$1,000	$1,000	$0	$0	$0	$3,000	$1,000	$0	$4,000
Supplies	$0	$0	$0	$500	$0	$0	$1,000	$0	$500	$1,000	$1,500
Other Supplies	$0	$0	$0	$0	$800	$967	$0	$0	$1,767	$0	$1,767
Room	$4,050	$4,198	$4,198	$4,198	$5,165	$5,165	$10,330	$12,446	$14,528	$10,330	$37,304
Board	$2,100	$2,100	$2,100	$2,500	$2,500	$2,500	$5,000	$6,300	$7,500	$5,000	$18,800
Transportation	$855	$855	$855	$2,133	$2,133	$2,133	$4,266	$2,565	$6,399	$4,266	$13,230
Personal Expenses	$2,509	$2,509	$2,509	$2,509	$2,509	$2,509	$5,018	$7,527	$7,527	$5,018	$20,072
Certification Exam	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$0	$850	$0	$0	$850	$850
Loan Fees	$68	$68	$68	$68	$68	$68	$136	$204	$204	$136	$544
Health Insurance	$2,441	$2,441	$2,441	$2,441	$2,441	$2,441	$4,882	$7,323	$7,323	$4,882	$19,528
TOTAL								$83,675	$90,988	$61,032	$235,695

Legal Studies

Legal Studies Major at Alderson Broaddus University

Major Description:

Required Courses

Career Opportunities

Internship Opportunities

Opportunities for Involvement

For more information, contact us:

John Hicks

Associate Professor of History

COVID INFORMATION