2015 2015: UMass Law signs 3+3 articulation agreement with Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

Undergraduates at MCLA can substitute first year at the Law School for their senior year at the College, earning Bachelor’s degree and Juris Doctor degree in six years

This week UMass Law Dean Mary Lu Bilek joined Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) Interim President James C. Clemmer at MCLA’s Bowman Hall to sign an articulation agreement to establish a joint program leading to a Bachelor’s Degree and a Juris Doctor Degree. UMass Law has previously established 3+3 articulation agreements with Fitchburg State University, UMass Boston, UMass Lowell, and its own Dartmouth campus.

With this new agreement, undergraduates at MCLA could substitute the first year at the Law School for their senior year at the College, thus earning their Bachelor’s degree and Juris Doctor degree in six years instead of the typical seven in this 3 + 3 program. The program is for MCLA students with a strong interest in law, or who develop an interest early in their undergraduate education, and whose career goals and legal education needs can be well served by UMass Law.

Juniors may be admitted to the program upon meeting a number of requirements, which include a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better, a minimum score of 150 on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), recommendations from the College members of the Joint Programs Committee, fulfillment of all admissions requirements normally imposed by the Law School, and at least two semesters of undergraduate pre-law advisement.

This partnering academic program allows both institutions to better serve the citizens of the Commonwealth and lend an advantage to their individual efforts to recruit outstanding students.

In November 2014, UMass Law launched its Commonwealth Fellows program to provide an automatic $5k discount for incoming law students who are either Massachusetts residents or attended a Massachusetts public college or university as an undergraduate, and who scored 152 or higher on the LSAT and earned a 3.0 or higher undergraduate GPA.

One of the law school’s signature programs is the Public Interest Law Fellowship Program (PILF), which consists of approximately 60 students who are provided a scholarship that represents 50 percent of both tuition and fees in exchange for a commitment by the students to careers in public interest law. As part of this program, students are required to perform 200 hours of community service/pro bono work.

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) is the Commonwealth's public liberal arts college and a campus of the Massachusetts state university system. MCLA promotes excellence in learning and teaching, innovative scholarship, intellectual creativity, public service, applied knowledge, and active and responsible citizenship. MCLA graduates are prepared to be practical problem solvers and engaged, resilient global citizens.

UMass Law is the only public law school in Massachusetts and was established in 2010. It is conveniently located 30 miles from Providence, RI, and 60 miles from Boston, MA. UMass Law is committed to ensuring access to an affordable legal education for students who hope to pursue justice and serve others through the practice of law. UMass Law has been provisionally accredited by the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the American Bar Association.