Legal Studies
2004-2006 Undergraduate Catalog | Catalogs

Roosevelt University offers legal studies programs for both undergraduate and graduate students. Undergraduates may pursue combined BA/JD or BS/JD programs with The John Marshall Law School. In addition, a legal studies minor may be elected by students preparing for law school. Graduate students may pursue programs combining degrees in political science or public administration with the JD degree at John Marshall. See the graduate catalog for descriptions of these programs.

Combined BA/JD and BS/JD Program

The combined Bachelor of Arts/Juris Doctor or Bachelor of Science/Juris Doctor program makes it possible for students to begin their law degree at The John Marshall Law School after completing 90 credit hours toward the bachelor’s degree rather than the usual 120 hours. This difference means a student may complete both degrees after six years of full-time study instead of seven years. In order to be eligible for this program, students must meet the following criteria:

• At least 60 credit hours must be taken at Roosevelt University; no more than 30 credit hours transferred from another institution.
• All University core requirements (including distribution requirements) must be completed prior to reaching the 90-credit-hour level.
• A major must be chosen from among those offered by the College of Arts and Sciences: requirements must be completed prior to reaching 90 credit hours.
• Students must complete the following prior to reaching the 90-credit-hour level:

Eng 222, Eng 302, or Bcom 301
Phil 209 or 210
Phil 329
Pos 101
Pos 374 or Pos 375

• Prior to having reached the 90-credit-hour level, students must take the LSAT and achieve the minimal score necessary for admission to John Marshall Law School, which is determined annually.

Once students have completed the above requirements and are admitted to John Marshall Law School, they must take the required first year law school curriculum. The first year courses taken at John Marshall will be cross-credited and applied towards completion of the remaining 30 credit hours of the bachelor’s degree at Roosevelt.

This program does not guarantee admission to John Marshall Law School, but it does allow participating Roosevelt students to apply for the JD program a year sooner than other students and, thus, make it possible for them to eliminate a year from the time that it normally takes to complete both degrees separately. Students participating in the combined BA/JD or BS/JD program must take the LSAT and apply separately to John Marshall Law School in the same way as other prospective law students.

Minor in Legal Studies

Undergraduate students at Roosevelt University may pursue a minor in legal studies. This minor is designed to help students appreciate the larger social environment within which law is found, as well as to help them prepare for a professional career in law, politics, business, administration, and consulting, or an academic career in legal studies. Any student who plans to go to law school should consider the minor in legal studies; it is not only for students in the combined degree programs. The courses of the minor are divided into legal ideas and legal skills categories. Students who wish to complete this minor must take 18 semester hours from courses listed below. All courses in the minor must be completed with a grade of C or higher. At least 12 semester hours must be taken at Roosevelt University.

Courses in legal ideas:

	Phil 329	Philosophy of Law
	Pos 374	Constitutional Law I: Principles and Comparative Traditions
	Pos 375	Constitutional Law II: American Jurisprudence

Courses in legal skills:

	Eng 222	Writing About Ideas
	Eng 302	Professional Writing
	or Bcom 301	Business Communications
	Phil 209	Critical Reasoning or Phil 210 Logic