Legal Studies Major (B.A., B.S.)
Why study Legal Studies at GVSU?
- Paralegals can play an important role in the delivery of legal services, but they are not permitted to practice law. To practice law, one must obtain a law school degree and satisfy other state requirements for admission to the bar.
- The program prides itself on the diverse professional experience of its faculty members, most of whom are licensed attorneys, who collectively have many years of experience working in areas of civil and criminal law.
- Faculty are engaged in scholarly research and writing and have been recognized in their professional circles as award-winning teachers and mentors.
- The program has an advisory board consisting of attorneys and paralegals representing a broad cross-section of employers. The board plays an important role by giving guidance on matters such as curriculum, internship and employment opportunities, and trends in the legal field.
- Graduates from Legal Studies program can play an important role in the delivery of legal services, but they are not permitted to practice law. To practice law, graduates must obtain a law school degree and satisfy other state requirements for admission to the bar.
Legal Studies Major
A major in legal studies is appropriate for students who have a general interest in law, are considering a career as a paralegal, or are planning to attend law school. Legal studies students may earn a bachelor of arts (B.A.) or bachelor of science (B.S.) degree. The B.A. requires third semester proficiency in a foreign language. The B.S. requires completion of courses in statistics and research methods.
Although most courses taken at other colleges and universities may be accepted for full credit, only a limited number will be counted toward the major. Student must take at least two-thirds of the credits constituting the major at Grand Valley State University, and a maximum of nine designated legal specialty credits can be earned through transfer. In addition, at least nine credits of legal specialty courses must be taken through synchronous instruction.
Information about the transfer of legal specialty credits can be found at this link. Transfer Credits.
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Employment Outlook and Career Advice
Schedule regular meetings with your faculty mentor and a Career Center advisor to map out your path after graduation. Don't wait — your internship is one of your best chances to build a professional network and develop skills employers actually want.
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Curious about where a legal studies degree can take you? These articles are a good starting point:
Explore job growth projections and salary data for careers common among legal studies graduates:
Dig deeper into the legal field with these professional organizations, research tools, and publications
Program Transparency
- The average class size for lower-level LS courses is 25.3.
- The average class size for upper-level LS courses is 23.5
(2025-26 data)
- 93% of recent graduates are successfully placed (employed, attending graduate school, or both).
- 28% of recent graduates are in graduate or law school.
(Survey of Graduates from July 1, 2023—June 30, 2024)
Student Body ProfileLS majors at time of graduation
- Total graduates: 177
- Age under 25: 87%
- Age 25-29: 8%
- Age 30-39: 3%
- Age 40+: 2%
- Female: 83%
- Male: 17%
- White: 78%
- African-American/Black: 7%
- Hispanic: 6%
- Multi-Ethnic: 6%
- Asian: 1%
- Foreign citizen: 0%
- Transfer students: 28%
(August 2020 to April 2025)