New to Campus: Undergrad Legal Studies
Published: October 25, 2010 | Read Time: 2 minutes
The College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Southern Utah University has initiated a new course of study for current and prospective students interested in the law: undergraduate legal studies.
Students are eligible to apply for law school after earning a bachelor’s degree in any field of study and after taking the LSAT exam. However, Undergraduate Legal Studies Program Director Doug Larson indicated, “Law school admission has become more competitive in recent years. SUU students need to start early and prepare well to get into reputable schools.”
As head of this new program, Larson says he and his staff – as well as the University’s assistant attorney general and local legal community – are “committed to helping SUU students become the very best candidates for law school they can be.”
Additionally, undergraduate legal studies will serve as a valuable resource for student internships and potential employment opportunities within the law disciplines. Students within this track of study will work regularly with paralegals, lawyers, judges and law makers – a valuable edge over the competition in preparations for law school and the LSAT exam.
Included in this new program is a paralegal studies track – the only one of its kind in southern Utah.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the paralegal field is “projected to grow 28 percent between 2008 and 2018, much faster than the average for all occupations [because] employers are trying to reduce costs and increase the availability and efficiency of legal services by hiring paralegals.”
Furthermore, CNNMoney.com ranked the paralegal profession 14th in the “Top 20 Jobs for people who want more pay, more upside, and more control over where they're going.”
Students interested in this field may earn an associate of applied science degree, preparing them to step directly into the workforce. They may also apply their associate’s degree toward obtaining a bachelor’s degree in a chosen field, which offers greater training and increased job opportunities.
Additional information about Undergraduate Legal Studies at SUU will be discussed at an information session on Wednesday, October 27, in the Great Basin Room in the Sharwan Smith Student Center. More information can also be obtained by contacting Doug Larson at larsond@suu.edu or by visiting the new SUU Legal Studies website.
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