Legal Studies Minor
Faculty
W. Green, D. Murphy
The Legal Studies minor is available to all MSU students except students majoring in Paralegal Studies. The minor is designed to provide students with basic legal knowledge and skills, and is designed to prepare students interested in attending law school, or who wish to increase their marketability in other career fields. The Legal Studies minor also provides students from a variety of majors the opportunity to study and share a common interest in the law.
Students in the Legal Studies minor learn how to conduct legal research using the Internet and other computer-based legal reference tools, as well as using the traditional method of legal research in the legal reference section of the library. Students are required to study the basic substantive law areas of torts, property and contract law, as well as civil and criminal law and procedure. In addition, students must complete six semester hours from a wide range of electives on the law.
Students who graduate with a minor in Legal Studies will have a good basic understanding of law and procedure; however, they will not be considered prepared to be employed as a paralegal, and may not practice law or render legal advice except as provided by applicable law. This program is not part of the ABA approval for the PLS program.
Program Requirements
PLS 321 — Legal Research |
3 |
PLS 325 — Civil Litigation for the Paralegal I |
3 |
PLS 332 — Property Law |
3 |
PLS 334 — Torts, Personal Injury Litigation and Insurance Law |
3 |
PLS 335 — Contracts and the Uniform Commercial Code |
3 |
PLS 340 — Criminal Law and Procedure |
3 |
Subtotal |
18 |
Plus six semester hours from the following list (at least one elective course must have a PLS prefix):
GOVT 303 — Comparative Constitutional Law and Politics |
3 |
GOVT 321 — Constitutional Law: Government Powers |
3 |
GOVT 322 — Courts and Civil Liberties |
3 |
GOVT 324 — Environmental Law and Policy |
3 |
PLS 333 — Family Law |
3 |
PLS 336 — Wills, Trusts, and Estates |
3 |
PLS 337 — Corporate Law |
3 |
PLS 360 — Paralegal Specialty Course |
3 |
Total for Minor |
24 |
Specific general education courses required by the program:
GOVT 141 — United States Government |
3 |
PLS 226 — Law for the Layperson |
3 |