More Information About Bachelor in Legal Studies

What should I know when considering a degree in Bachelor in Legal Studies ?

A bachelor's degree in legal studies prepares students to become valuable assets to a law firm, corporate legal department, bank, insurance company, or government agency. Those who choose this course of study enjoy the opportunity to sharpen their critical thinking skills, communication abilities, and knowledge of legal procedures and issues. For students who wish to become lawyers, a bachelor's degree in legal studies can be excellent preparation for law school. Additional career possibilities include public policy, human resources and teaching.

Legal Studies Courses

Legal studies is an interdisciplinary major. Students take courses on specific legal issues, but may also take courses in ethics, legal history, psychology, human rights, sociology, and rhetoric. Specific issues that legal courses address include business and tax law, dispute resolution, technology and the law, criminal law and property justice. Since law deals with so many different aspects of human society - from criminal justice to family law matters - a well-rounded education is important.

Legal Careers

Furthermore, legal assistants and paralegals are often assigned tasks that used to be done by lawyers, so it is critical for students pursuing a legal studies degree to gain as much knowledge as possible due to the wide variety of tasks they may be asked to do. Even entry-level jobs require good legal research skills, as well as analytical ability, familiarity with law-related terms and protocols, and good communications skills, particularly in writing. For example, a legal assistant may be asked to research previous cases similar to a current one or analyze case facts and present a report to his or her supervising attorney. Although a legal assistant does not actually provide legal advice or bring a case to court, he or she works closely with many aspects of case preparation.

Students with a bachelor's in legal studies who pursue work as a paralegal may earn around $43,040 (the median annual salary of this profession as of May 2006.) An experienced legal assistant can earn more than $67,540. Students who choose to pursue law careers can expect to earn significantly more following their law degree.

A bachelor's degree in legal studies prepares students well for work in a variety of settings. Those seeking a degree that is professionally rewarding and flexible will find that this is a degree worth considering.

Article Resources:

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos114.htm

The University of Massachusetts at Amherst
http://www.umass.edu/legal/

The University of California at Berkeley
http://legalstudies.berkeley.edu/?p=12

What are the leading schools offering programs in Bachelor in Legal Studies ?

• University of Maryland University College Since 1947, University of Maryland University College (UMUC) has pursued one primary mission: to make higher education more accessible, convenient, and rewarding for busy adults. UMUC offers more than 80 online degree and certificate programs, each designed to offer you a challenging educational experience with maximum flexibility. ( More Info )
• Keiser University eCampus Keiser University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097, 404.679.4501, to award associate, bachelor's and master's degrees in the fields of Accounting, Business Administration, Criminal Justice, Paralegal, Computer Networking, Medical Assisting and Medical Administration. ( More Info )
• Post University Online Post University Online provides quality career education to those students seeking associate, bachelor, master and certificate training in various business, healthcare, information technology, human services, education and legal fields. Online education enables students to receive quality training without entering a classroom. ( More Info )