Legal Studies Major

The B.A. in Legal Studies consists of 18 hours of core courses in Political Science, History, and Professional Legal Studies (including a capstone experience), and 18 hours of electives from many disciplines across Western Kentucky University. A second major, minor, or certificate is required.

The program provides students an interdisciplinary perspective while fostering greater understanding of the law as it relates to history, the sciences, and ethics in the United States and around the world.  While the program appeals to pre-law students, it also serves as a background for a wide variety of careers, including public administration, academics, government, diplomatic corps, homeland security, non-governmental organizations, and law enforcement.

​Legal Studies allows students from many disciplines to focus their studies using their individual disciplinary interests as a launching point for exploring how the study of law cuts across disciplinary lines. It offers courses in a wide range of subjects, including American legal history, political process, constitutional law, philosophy and ethics, sociology and criminal justice, business, journalism and broadcasting, economics and property law, English, and environmental law and regulations.

Legal Studies Minor

The Legal Studies minor consists of 24 hours and provides students an interdisciplinary perspective while fostering greater understanding of the law as it relates to history, the sciences, and ethics in the United States and around the world.  While this minor will appeal to pre-law students, it can also serve as a background for a wide variety of careers, including public administration, academics, government, homeland security, non-governmental organizations and law enforcement.

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Why Legal Studies?

Legal Studies allows students from a broad range of disciplines to focus their studies using their own majors as a launching point for exploring how the study of law cuts across disciplinary lines.  It offers courses in a wide variety of subjects, including philosophy and ethics, American legal history, political process, constitutional law, sociology and criminal justice, business, journalism and broadcasting, economics and property law, and environmental law and regulations. 

Legal Studies prepares students for a wide variety of careers in law, business, journalism and broadcasting, public policy, and sciences.  A future FBI agent, attorney, or advisor to a Fortune 500 company will need to understand not only environmental law, for example, but also the history of law in the United States as well as the ethical underpinnings of business law and ethics.  For science majors, Legal Studies provides an interdisciplinary supplement to their major. The Legal Studies program does not prepare students to work as paralegals and is not approved by the ABA to do so. Students who want to work as paralegals should consider Professional Legal Studies, which offers ABA-approved paralegal training.

For more information, contact Dr. Patricia Minter.