3+3 ACCELERATED LEGAL STUDIES PROGRAM

The Legal Studies 3+3 Program is a partnership between the College of Professional and Liberal Studies (CPLS) and the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. Its aim is to allow eligible UofM students to earn a bachelor's degree and a law degree in six years, saving a full year of time and tuition.

Details:

This accelerated program follows the "3+3" format that is now offered by several schools as a means of earning a bachelor's degree and a law degree in six years instead of the usual seven. Undergraduate students would enroll in the CPLS Legal Studies Program. They would complete their general education coursework and begin taking foundational Legal Studies courses during their sophomore year. Early in their junior year (or the summer before), students would take the LSAT and prepare to apply for admission to the UofM School of Law. If admitted, students would spend their senior year taking coursework at the School of Law as a first-year law student. Those 30 hours of first-year law school courses would count towards the students' law school matriculation and would also satisfy their remaining coursework for the undergraduate Legal Studies Program.

If students successfully complete their first-year law school courses, they will graduate from the CPLS with a Bachelor of Professional Studies degree (Legal Studies concentration). From there, students would continue in law school with only two years remaining to complete their Juris Doctor degree. If students do not successfully complete any of their first-year law school courses, they would have to retake courses as necessary to meet degree requirements both for the School of Law and for the CPLS.

Eligibility Requirements:

Undergraduates participating in the program would apply for admission to the School of Law at the beginning of their junior year of undergraduate study, but they would not be guaranteed admission. Admission standards would be rigorous, to ensure that students are prepared to manage the demands of law school before completing their undergraduate studies. Law School admission under the 3+3 Program would require a minimum undergraduate GPA at or above the Law School's median for the current first-year class and an LSAT score at or above the 75th percentile. Students applying under the 3+3 program would also be subject to all other standards and criteria that apply to traditional applicants.

Counting 30 Hours in Common:

The Legal Studies B.P.S. degree normally requires 30 hours of core classes, 12 hours of law-related electives, 12 hours of interdisciplinary studies, six hours of thematic studies, and a three-hour senior project. In the 3+3 Program, the eleven required first-year law school classes (which includes three two-hour classes) would replace two of the LEGL core classes, all four of the law-related electives, three interdisciplinary electives, and senior project, for a total of 30 hours in common between the B.P.S. degree and the J.D. degree. (See substitutions chart below).

Course Substitutions: 

Total Graduation Requirements (120 Hours):
• 41 hours of general education courses
• 16 hours of general electives
• 54-Hour Coordinated Study (including 30-hour core, 12 hours of law-related electives, and 12 hours of interdisciplinary electives)
• 9 Hours of CPLS Requirements (thematic studies and senior project)

Substituted courses are in red (totaling 30 hours):

* Law school courses marked with an asterisk are replacing courses that are considered part of the Professional Studies major (only nine hours from the major have been substituted).

Legal Studies Sample Four-Year Plan: Traditional Program

Legal Studies Sample Four-Year Plan: 3+3 Program

Legal Studies Program Summary (with 3+3 Adjustments)

Contact:

College of Professional and Liberal Studies
University of Memphis
Debbie L. Wyatt
College Academic Advisor II
901.678.2716
dwyatt@memphis.edu

Law Admissions
Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law
1 North Front Street
Memphis, TN 38103-2189
Phone: (901) 678-5403
Email: lawadmissions@memphis.edu
Facebook: memphislawschool
Twitter: @memlawschool