Male student speaking into microphone during a mock trial

Legal Studies Major

Bethany offers a major and minor in legal studies, as well as a paralegal certificate and pre-law program.

Major Requirements

Note Bethany’s Program Requirements Disclaimer when planning your coursework.

Mission Statement

The legal studies program prepares students for various law-related careers while adhering to biblical moral principles and values. This major equips students for a variety of vocations, including paralegal, business leadership, nonprofit board service, community development, consulting, corrections, and probation. This major also provides a foundation for the pursuit of advanced degrees in law or other graduate programs. Students cultivate a broad understanding of basic principles of law and the role and function of the legal system.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students majoring in legal studies will demonstrate an ability to:

  1. Identify the appropriate legal procedures applicable to a variety of civil and criminal controversies;
  2. Research and analyze the relationships among case facts, statutory law, case law, and constitutional principles involved in specific legal controversies;
  3. Advocate, in both written and oral communication, for a particular party in a legal controversy;
  4. Evaluate, in reference to both the historically contingent legal culture and the more transcendent principles of natural law, the arguments offered by competing sides in legal controversies.
Group photo of students and faculty in the BLC Legal Studies Department, standing on courthouse steps
Legal Studies students travel to Washington D.C. to visit the United States Supreme Court

Requirements

Lower Division Electives (18 credits)
Required courses:
One of the following:
One of the following:
One of the following:
One of the following:

Upper Division Requirements:

One of the following:
Two of the following:
One of the following:

To view the most recent course list and requirements for the Legal Studies major, please consult the Academic Catalog.

Contact for more information

Legal Studies ​Faculty

Additional information is available on the Legal Studies Department page.

Next Steps

Interested in studying at Bethany? Scheduling a campus visit is a great way to see what we have to offer. You can meet professors or sit in on a class too! Contact our admissions office to learn more.