CONSIDERING LAW SCHOOL????
CONSIDER THIS……..

Major in Jurisprudence

The Department of Political Science and Law is pleased to announce the launch of a new major in Jurisprudence for the Fall of 2007. Jurisprudence is an interdisciplinary major focusing upon law within a liberal arts framework. It is a major for students seeking an intellectually challenging experience providing an excellent educational gateway to a career in law. Students in the Jurisprudence major will be expected to develop an essential understanding of legal ideas and philsophy as tehy affect institutions and social processes. Through diverse dimensions of law viewed through a variety of humanistic and social science disciplinary perspectives, students will study the role of law through the contextual relationships between law and societal forces that generate statutes, case law, and regulations. Through the major, students will develop and enhance their abilities to think critically, reason analytically, argue effectively, conduct scholarly research, and write with clarity and precision.

While the knowledge and skills fostered through the Jurisprudence major provide preparation for a variety of professional careers in both the public and private sectors, we anticipate that a majority of students are ultimately interested in attending law school. Law schools have expressed strong support for the approach provided by the Jurisprudence major, in particular the capstone year-long Senior Research and Writing Seminar. The American Bar Association National Directory of Law-Related Programs lists fewer than a dozen comparable Law-Related Liberal Arts majors nationwide, at schools such as Amherst College and the Universities of Massachusetts, and California at Berkeley. A Pre-Law Studies Minor is also offered as an alternative for students who wish to combine law-related study with other academic majors.

Planned Initiatives:
" The initiation of Rapoport Legal Scholars, a competitive scholarship opportunity available annually to several third-year students in the Jurisprudence Major or Pre-Law Minor, to assist them financially as they prepare to apply to law school.
" The Montclair State University "Alumni in Law" mentoring network.
" The completion of an articulation agreement with at least one area law school, which we expect to be in place shortly. This agreement will enhance opportunities for outstanding students interested in enrolling in law school.

Admission Criteria
Beyond the general criteria for admission into the university, all students must apply to and be admitted into the Jurisprudence major. For entry into the program, students must meet one of the following selective criteria:

1. Top twenty percent of high school graduating class.
2. An overall minimum GPA of 3.0 at the completion of a minimum of 24 credits at
Montclair State University or transfer institution.
3. An overall minimum GPA of 3.0 in the student's first three courses in the
Jurisprudence major.

For further information please contact Dr. Marilyn R.Tayler, Jurisprudence Coordinator and University Pre-Law Advisor at taylerm@mail.montclair.edu.