Master’s Degree in Legal Studies

The Master of Arts program in Legal Studies is designed to present the master’s candidates with an interdisciplinary course of study in public law, emphasizing law as a social phenomenon, as well as a technical body of rules. It is a rigorous course of study, designed to develop the candidate’s critical understanding of the legal system and its role in society and public policy. It emphasizes analytical and conceptual thinking, legal and scholarly research and writing, substantive areas of the law, ethical and public interest concerns, public policy advocacy skills, and the role of the law in society. 

The objectives and outcomes of the M.A. graduate are to:

• Outline the functional structure and operation of the American legal system
• Conduct and critique legal research and empirical research
• Use legal theories to explain real-world phenomenon
• Effectively advocate legal arguments both orally and through the written word
• Use social theories to explain legal phenomenon and behavior