Accelerate your Path to Law School and Beyond
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE
Our practitioner-based program teaches you not only the theory of law but also its practice from our faculty, 100 percent of whom have practiced law or served as judges. By your second year, you will be working as a legal assistant or a paralegal, gaining valuable experience well before graduation.
Stevenson’s Legal Studies program was the first in the state and one of the first in the nation to be approved as a paralegal education program by the American Bar Association (ABA). Ours is the only ABA-approved bachelor’s degree paralegal education program in Maryland. Paralegals may not provide legal services directly to the public, except as permitted by law.
Students must take at least nine semester credits or the equivalent of legal specialty courses through synchronous instruction.
Our Legal Studies degree is a pre-law program—which means our curriculum consists of the same courses offered in law school at an undergraduate level—and you will work with one-on-one with a dedicated pre-law advisor.
Graduates of the Legal Studies program will:
- Conduct research using all appropriate resources to identify and obtain relevant legal authority.
- Compose documents based on factual investigation, legal research, and analysis to inform and/or persuade.
- Apply legal terminology, principles of law, and rules of ethical legal practice to the performance of legal services.
- Operate as productive and professional members of a legal services delivery team using appropriate communication, technology, and time-management skills.
- Perform substantive legal work under the direction of an attorney, as permitted by law.
Stevenson Legal Studies
Connection to Career
Internship Placements
- Baltimore City Public Defender’s Office
- Law Office of Michael A. Freedman
- Legal Aid Bureau, Housing/Consumer Law Unit – Baltimore City
- Maryland Volunteer Legal Services
- United States Attorney, District of Maryland
Top Employers
- Baltimore County Government
- Capriolo & Unglesbee, P.A. Chaney Law Firm
- Law Office of Jonathan Ackerman
- Office of the Public Defender Para Consulting Group
- TWS Expedited Logistics, LLC United States Postal Service
Graduate Opportunities
- Florida Costal School of Law
- New York Law School
- University of Maryland School of Law
- Widener University School of Law
- William and Mary School of Law
Legal Studies Law Day
Exceptional Experiences
Stevenson Legal Studies students can participate in our Mock Trial, preparing them for careers in the legal profession. Our Mock Trial teams have competed against teams from across the mid-Atlantic, including Johns Hopkins University, Bucknell University, Howard University, UMBC, and Haverford College.
Study Legal Studies at Stevenson
Career Opportunities
Career Paths for Legal Studies Majors
The Legal Studies program prepares you for the next steps in your career after college. Whether your path is working in paralegal services or pursuing a J.D. degree, Stevenson will support you. Graduates of our Legal Studies program embark on many rewarding career choices, including:
- Legal Research/Writing
- Employment Law
- Sports Law
- Litigation
- Child/Family Law
- Criminal Law
Curious about internships and job placement after you graduate? Visit our Career Connection Center.
Courses
The courses listed below are required for completion of the bachelor’s degree in legal studies. Students must also complete the requirements for the Stevenson Educational Experience (SEE).
Specific pre- and co-requisites for each course are listed in the course descriptions.
Typically, students take lower-level (100- and 200- level) courses in their freshman or sophomore years, and upper-level (300- and 400- level) courses in their junior or senior years.
Major Requirements
| FYS 100 | First Year Seminar | 1 credit |
| LAW 102 | Introduction to Legal Studies | 3 credits |
| LAW 112 | Torts | 3 credits |
| LAW 114 | Estates and Trusts | 3 credits |
| LAW 120 | Contract Law | 3 credits |
| LAW 125 | Legal Research and Writing I | 3 credits |
| LAW 130 | Business Organizations Law | 3 credits |
| LAW 204 | Constitutional Law | 3 credits |
| LAW 210 | Legal Research and Writing II | 3 credits |
| LAW 216 | Civil Litigation and Pleading | 3 credits |
| LAW 225A | Internship: Part I | 1 credit |
| LAW 225B | Internship: Part II | 3 credits |
| LAW 352 | Law Office Technology | 3 credits |
| LAW 480 | Legal Studies Capstone | 3 credits |
| POSCI 102 | American Government: Political Institutions and Procedures | 3 credits |
18 LAW elective credits, up to 6 credits which may be taken at the lower level.
Explore our academic catalog for a full listing of courses, course descriptions, suggested course sequences, and more.
Minors and Other Options
Minor in Legal Studies
The minor in legal studies requires successful completion of a minimum of 18 credits of LAW courses that are program requirements for the major. The minor in legal studies is not intended to prepare students to work as paralegals and is not approved by the American Bar Association. All course prerequisites must be met to be eligible to take the selected course for a minor. Please see an academic advisor for more information. General guidelines regarding minors may be found in the Minors section of the catalog.
Pre-Law Option
The legal studies program is an excellent option for students interested in applying to law school. Many of our program’s graduates go on to law school and become lawyers. Legal studies students can combine law classes with a series of designated liberal arts courses that develop critical thinking, writing, and analytical skills. The same substantive and procedural law courses offered at law schools are offered in Stevenson’s legal studies program. Legal studies program faculty are experienced lawyers and judges. A full-time legal studies faculty member, also an attorney, serves as a dedicated pre-law advisor and assists students with Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) preparation and law school applications. An upper-level law elective is available to help prepare students to take the LSAT. Graduates who attend law school find that the legal studies program at Stevenson gives them a competitive advantage.
BS/MS Option
The BS/MS option is available for students majoring in legal studies who wish to combine their bachelor’s coursework with work toward a master’s degree in one of Stevenson’s graduate programs. Students choosing this option may earn their master’s degree in as little as one year after their bachelor’s degree. Interested students may apply to the BS/MS program upon completion of 60 undergraduate credits. Once admitted into this program, students develop an educational plan in consultation with their undergraduate and graduate advisors. For more information on this program see the SUO catalog.
3+3 Early Entry Program Option
A 3+3 Early Entry Program Option with the University of Baltimore School of Law (UB Law) is available to legal studies majors. Students who complete the 3+3 curriculum can apply to UB Law during their junior years. If admitted, students begin law school in lieu of their senior years, and graduate from Stevenson University after successful completion of the first year of law school.
Second Bachelor’s Degree
A second bachelor’s degree is available in legal studies, which includes 33 credits of LAW courses with at least 21 legal specialty credits required. Consult the website for additional information and for program requirements. All LAW courses and legal specialty courses must be taken at Stevenson.
Scholarship Opportunities
Mock Trial Scholarship
Freshman applicants interested in participating in Stevenson’s nationally recognized Mock Trial team can apply for the Mock Trial Scholarship. Incoming fall students will need to submit a Mock Trial Scholarship application by January 15. Finalists will be invited via email to attend an on-campus audition and interview day in the spring.
Meet Our Students & Alumni
An Appeal for Advocacy
Jaden Thorton
Legal Studies Major
As an All-Regional Attorney on Stevenson’s award-winning Mock Trial Team, Jaden has been practicing his craft in courtrooms across the country with his team. “We learn skills on how to present a position and argue that point against another person. This creates the ability to think quickly on your feet and convince a third party (or jury) that you are correct.”
100%
of our students have experience in legal internships starting as early as sophomore year.
100%
of qualified applicants from SU’s Legal Studies program are accepted to law school.
3+3
3+3 program with UB Law provides an opportunity for early entry to Law School
Have a Question?
Contact Admissions
Undergraduate Admissions
Owings Mills Campus
Garrison Hall North, Second Floor
1-877-468-6852