Crime & Justice Studies Pre-Law

Crime and justice studies (CJS) offers a pre-law concentration for majors who are interested in legal analysis, law or graduate school, or careers in the legal professions. All course requirements within the CJS pre-law concentration fall within existing CJS major, college, and university studies requirements. Crime and justice studies majors who know they want to pursue a career in law may add a pre-law concentration to their degree to add additional focus on legal studies and entrance exam preparation in their coursework while requiring the same number of credits as the regular CJS major.

Students pursuing the BA in crime and justice studies with a pre-law concentration will:

develop comprehensive perspectives on the various and, at times, conflicting expectations that exist within the institutions and agencies that comprise and work with the criminal justice system
prepare to think critically and act effectively as an engaged citizen
gain knowledge and skills toward understanding and transforming injustice

Students interested in law school or legal careers may also explore the political science major with a pre-law concentration, a philosophy major with a pre-law concentration, or a minor in legal studies.

All course requirements within the CJS pre-law concentration fall within existing CJS major, college, and university studies requirements. Students within the CJS pre-law concentration choose their required four (4) CJS electives within any of the three CJS prelaw concentration areas of focus: critical legal studies, policy and procedure, or transnational legal studies.

Course descriptions, schedules and requirements

Enrollment in the 3+3 joint degree program with UMass Law offers an accelerated pathway to an undergraduate and law degree, enabling qualifying students to substitute the first year of law school for the final year of their undergraduate program, thereby earning both a bachelor’s degree from UMass Dartmouth and a Juris Doctor from UMass Law in six rather than seven years.

UMassD advantages

Pre-law advising: Receive advising on which courses to take to prepare for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and law school.
3+3 Law degree: UMass Law’s accelerated program allows you to receive both an undergraduate degree and a law degree in 6 rather than 7 years. In your fourth year, you would matriculate at UMass Law as a first-year law student.
Enroll in Inside-Out, a program that provides CJS students with the opportunity to take classes with incarcerated communities inside a local jail or prison.
Join faculty in their research or consider becoming a tutor for your peers.