Program Learning Goals:
- Students will engage analytically and critically with issues, problems, and practical dilemmas.
- Students will acquire knowledge of American political institutions, processes, and theories, along with specialized knowledge of at least two areas of law (constitutional, business, criminal and/or environmental).
- Students will develop the skills of legal research and writing, public speaking, and courtroom procedure through coursework and participation in the Mock Trial team.
- Graduates will be prepared for success in law school and to assume constructive roles in the legal field.
Program Requirements
A minimum of 60 credits is required including the following:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BUAD 210 | Foundations of Business Law | 3 |
| BUAD 315 | Advanced Business Law | 3 |
| POLS 117 | Democracy, Capitalism, and Their Critics (GT-HI1) | 3 |
| POLS 180 | Power in America (GT-SS1) | 3 |
| POLS 300 | Constitutional Law I | 3 |
| POLS 301 | Constitutional Law II | 3 |
| POLS 309 | Political Theory I- Ancient to Early Modern | 3 |
| POLS 310 | Political Theory II-Modern and Contemporary | 3 |
| POLS 390 | Mock Trial (Mock Trial) | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Inequality and Development (GT-SS1) | ||
| Globalization, Borders and the Human (GT-SS1) | ||
| Issues in State and Local Government | ||
| Select four of the following: | 12 | |
| Strategic Negotiations | ||
| Environmental and Water Law | ||
| Politics of the Environment | ||
| The Politics of the Presidency | ||
| Politics of Social Movements | ||
| Human Rights | ||
| American Foreign Policy | ||
| Political Economy | ||
| American Political Thought | ||
| Mock Trial (Mock Trial) | ||
| Select four of the following courses in at least three disciplines: | 12 | |
| Introduction to Financial Accounting | ||
| Income Tax | ||
| Small Group and Conflict Management | ||
| Macroeconomics (GT-SS1) | ||
| Microeconomics | ||
| American Economic Development | ||
| Borderlands: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality | ||
| Literary Culture of the American West | ||
| Environmental Literature (GT-AH2) | ||
| Ancient World Literature (GT-AH2) | ||
| Introduction to Philosophy (GT-AH3) | ||
| Symbolic Logic | ||
| Applied Ethics | ||
| Psychopathology | ||
| Homicide | ||
| Introduction to Criminal Justice | ||
| Victims and Society | ||
| Mental Health and Criminal Justice | ||
| Capstone course: | 3 | |
| Senior Seminar | ||
| Total Credits | 57 | |
Law School
Western has a 3+3 agreement with the Vermont Law and Graduate School. The Politics and Government Pre-Law Emphasis (with a 3+3 Juris Doctor from Vermont Law and Graduate School) is for highly qualified and motivated students who are interested in combining their undergraduate education with a professional program in law with a seamless transition from the Politics and Government undergraduate program to law school at Vermont Law and Graduate School (VLGS). Students will have the opportunity to achieve a bachelor’s degree and a Juris Doctor (JD) Degree in six years. To participate in this dual degree program, students must:
- complete the Politics and Government Comprehensive Pre-Law 3+3 curriculum, the 37 credit WWGE program, and complete a minimum of 93 credits at Western by the end of their junior year.
- apply for this dual degree program to the POLS faculty coordinator with a letter of interest no later than the end of their sophomore year (completion of 60 credits) and may not apply until the end of one semester of college is completed. Application includes a letter of interest and development of a degree plan with their advisor that shows that they can meet the POLS Pre-law emphasis and Western Watershed General Education requirements by the end of their junior year (93 credits).
- apply to VLGS no later than March 31 of their junior year, including have taken the LSAT exam no later than February of their junior year.
- maintain a 3.3 cumulative GPA at all times.
- Students will gain admission to VLGS by meeting the above requirements and earning a GPA above the prior year's median GPA and prior year's median LSAT of their entering class.
- Dual degree students who have matriculated to VLGS transfer up to 30 law school credits back to Western to complete their graduation requirements and receive a bachelor’s Degree.
- Students who meet or exceed the median GPA and LSAT score of the first-year class in residence at VLGS at the time of admission will be granted a Merit Scholarship for at least $30,000 annually at Vermont Law and Graduate School. They may be eligible for additional VLGS institutional aid at the discretion of Vermont Law and Graduate School.
Students who do not meet these standards may not matriculate to VLGS as a dual degree student but are still eligible to apply for admission to VLGS once a bachelor’s Degree at Western is completed. Similarly, if students do not complete the undergraduate portion of the Politics and Government Comprehensive Major: Pre-Law Emphasis (with a 3+3 Juris Doctor from Vermont Law and Graduate School), they will be able to complete the POLS Comprehensive Major with a Pre-Law emphasis to complete a bachelor’s Degree at Western and then have the opportunity to apply to VLGS or other law schools of their choice.
Western Watershed General Education Requirements
Students must complete all Western Watershed General Education requirements to graduate.
Graduation Requirements
Undergraduate programs require a minimum of 120 semester credits for graduation. Of those 120 credits, 40 credits must be in upper-division courses (those marked 300 and above). Fifteen of these 40 upper-division credits must be earned in courses that are part of the standard or comprehensive major program being pursued.
Students are expected to review all graduation requirements, which can be found in the Western Undergraduate Catalog: Graduation Requirements.
Degree Plans are for planning purposes. They reflect a suggested plan to complete the degree in a projected timeframe per program of study.
“Western Watershed Course(s)” refers to a course from the Tributaries area of the Western Watershed program. These courses should be chosen in consultation with the student’s advisor.
Sample Plan
| Year One | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| POLS 117 | Democracy, Capitalism, and Their Critics (GT-HI1) (also Gen Ed) | 3 |
| POLS 180 | Power in America (GT-SS1) | 3 |
| ENG 102 | Writing and Rhetoric I (GT-CO1) | 3 |
| WWGE 101/102/103/104 | Headwaters: Studies in...(select one) | 2 |
| Western Watershed | Non-specific Western Watershed Courses | 3 |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Spring | ||
| BUAD 210 | Foundations of Business Law | 3 |
| POLS 260 | Globalization, Borders and the Human (GT-SS1) | 3 |
| POLS | Pre-Law Elective (1 of 5) | 3 |
| ENG 103 | Writing and Rhetoric II (GT-CO2) | 3 |
| Western Watershed | Non-specific Western Watershed Courses | 3 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Year Two | ||
| Fall | ||
| POLS 300 | Constitutional Law I | 3 |
| POLS 309 | Political Theory I- Ancient to Early Modern | 3 |
| BUAD/POLS | BUAD/POLS Elective (1 of 5) | 3 |
| POLS 255 or POLS 282 or Elective | 3 | |
| Western Watershed | Non-specific Western Watershed Courses | 3 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| POLS 301 | Constitutional Law II | 3 |
| POLS 310 | Political Theory II-Modern and Contemporary | 3 |
| BUAD/POLS | BUAD/POLS Elective (2 of 5) | 3 |
| Western Watershed | Non-specific Western Watershed Courses | 6 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Year Three | ||
| Fall | ||
| POLS 390 | Mock Trial | 3 |
| BUAD/POLS | BUAD/POLS Elective (3 of 5) | 3 |
| POLS | Pre-Law Electives (2 of 5) | 3 |
| Elective | Electives | 3 |
| Western Watershed | Non-specific Western Watershed Courses | 3 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| BUAD 315 | Advanced Business Law | 3 |
| BUAD/POLS | BUAD/POLS Elective (4 of 5) | 3 |
| POLS | Pre-Law Elective (3 of 5) | 3 |
| Elective | Electives | 3 |
| WWGE 301/302/303/304 | Delta Studies in...(select one) | 1 |
| Western Watershed | Non-specific Western Watershed Courses | 3 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Year Four | ||
| Fall | ||
| BUAD/POLS | BUAD/POLS Elective (5 of 5) | 3 |
| POLS | Pre-Law Elective (4 of 5) | 3 |
| Elective | Electives | 9 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| POLS 485 | Senior Seminar | 3 |
| POLS | Pre-Law Elective (5 of 5) | 3 |
| Elective | Electives | 9 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 120 | |
Western is committed to doing our part to provide each student a clear path to graduation. This four‐year degree plan is a sample map for fulfilling requirements in the major and General Education. The pathway that you take to your degree may differ somewhat from this illustration, depending on where you start and the detours and side trips you may take along the way. You are responsible for ensuring your overall, upper division, and major‐specific credits as well as GPA requirements are fulfilled for graduation.