Legal Studies/3+3

Why Major in Legal Studies? 

The need for professionals with a strong understanding of the law is growing – in healthcare, business, entertainment, the nonprofit sector, law enforcement, government and more.

Whether you’re an aspiring attorney, juvenile court advocate, legislative assistant, compliance officer, FBI agent, insurance agent, judge, politician and more, Belmont’s legal studies program offers you two different pathways to complete the major and launch your future legal career.

BS/BA in Legal Studies: This pathway allows you to complete the legal studies major with a minor in four years. Many students choosing this option are preparing for work in law-related fields, graduate work outside of law school, or want a more traditional 4-year undergraduate experience before entering law school.

3+ 3 Program (BA/BS)/(JD): This pathway offers an accelerated path to Belmont’s College of Law, allowing you to complete your first year of law school at Belmont during your fourth undergraduate year. You save time and money, completing both your bachelor's in legal studies and Juris Doctor (J.D.) in six years instead of seven.

What You'll Learn

With both pathways in the legal studies major, you’ll benefit from small class sizes and mentoring by our interdisciplinary faculty, who bring the expertise and resources of multiple departments at Belmont. You’ll immerse yourself in courses that focus on:

• the judicial system, methods of resolving disputes, constitutional law, torts, criminal law, property and contracts
• argumentation, with emphasis on analysis, evidence, reasoning, constructing & refuting claims
• the entrepreneurial process - solo practitioners and innovation within the legal industry
• fundamental theories of the nature of law or broad themes of social and political philosophy
• examining ethical issues using real-world case studies

Elective courses allow you to focus on areas of potential specialty, including international law, music industry contract law, criminal justice, poverty and justice, communication law, entertainment law, copyright law, or eco-justice and faith.

Program Details

Curious about your coursework? View requirements for this degree in the course catalog.