Legal Studies, Associate of Science

Admission

For more information about admission to this and other acclaimed undergraduate programs at St. John’s University, please visit Undergraduate Admission online. Or contact us directly at the campus of your choice:

Admission Office - Queens Campus
718-990-2000
[email protected]

Admission Office -  Staten Island campus
718-390-4500
[email protected]

Courses

The Associate of Science Degree in Legal Studies requires the completion of 60 credits of coursework.  

Major Area Requirements: 21 Credits

Required Coursework: 15 Credits from the following courses:

Ideally, students will complete LES 1100 in their first semester at St. John’s, LES 1101 and 1015 in their second semester at St. John’s and LES 1102 and 1004 in their third or fourth semesters at St. John’s.   LES 1100 is a prerequisite for all Legal Studies courses.  LES 1100 and 1101 are prerequisites for LES 1102. 

Elective Coursework: 6 Credits selected from the following, including at least 3 credits of “Legal Specialty Electives”:

* With permission of the Director

** Legal Specialty Elective

Business Area: 3 Credits:

3 Credits from the following courses:

Core Requirements: 24 Credits

24 Credits from the following courses:

Other Liberal Arts Requirements: 9 Credits

9 Credits from the following courses:

Free Electives: 3 Credits

3 Credits of Free Electives. 

Students who wish to continue on for a Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies can view the course requirements for that program here.  

Career Outcomes

Students explore the legal, ethical, practical and theoretical foundations of the law. After completing the Legal Studies program student should be able to:

• Conduct factual and legal research and write summaries reporting on his or her findings.
• Understand basic legal principles and locate relevant legal precedent as a preliminary to the legal advice to be rendered by an admitted attorney.
• Organize and manage document reviews, demonstrative exhibits and perform other trial preparation tasks.
• Draft for review and use by an admitted attorney contracts, real estate closing documents, pleadings and correspondence.

Students explore the legal, ethical, and constitutional foundations of the field and learn managerial, organizational, research and writing skills. Among other things, students learn the following methodologies:

• The American judicial system and its constituent components.
• Identification of interrelationships among cases, statutes, regulations and other legal authorities.
• The ability to read, evaluate and analyze sources of law and apply them to related issues.
• The ability to prepare, read and interpret basic documents used by the legal profession and government agencies.

Legal assistants and paralegals may not provide legal services directly to the public, except as permitted by law.

Additional Information

In addition to working with respected scholar-practitioner faculty in the classroom, Legal Studies students can participate in many other learning activities. 

Student Organizations.  Students gain an academic and professional edge by joining any of the more than 180 student clubs, organizations and honor societies at St. John's, including these:

• Legal Society: Offers guest speakers and events on law and law school related topics. 
• Criminal Justice Association: Brings students into contact with the structures and procedures of the criminal justice system and provides information about career opportunities and job availability.
• Lambda Epsilon Chi: National honor society for Legal Studies majors.
• The College of Professional Studies Honor Society: Recognizing undergraduates who demonstrate academic excellence and involvement in campus, church or community activities. 
• Alpha Phi Sigma: The Alpha Epsilon Rho Chapter of this criminal justice honor society.
• Phi Alpha Delta: The pre-law fraternity.  

Information about our student organizations can be found here. 

Internships.  As suggested above, many students complete internships while at St. John’s and the faculty and career services personnel are available to help students with the process of obtaining internships.  Students who want assistance with resumes, cover letters and navigating the SJU database of internships should contact Jaime Grillo in Career Services at  [email protected].  Students on the Queens Campus who have an internship and would like to discuss receiving academic credit for that internship should contact Professor Mary Noe at [email protected].  Students on the Staten Island Campus who have an internship and would like to discuss receiving academic credit for that internship should contact Professor Ellen Boegel at: [email protected].    

The Legal Apprentice.  Many students publish articles in The Legal Apprentice, an undergraduate legal journal for law articles written by SJU college students.  Additional information about the Legal Apprentice, including model articles, deadlines and submission guidelines can be found here.

The St. John’s University Intercollegiate Mock Trial Team.  The Mock Trial Team is coached by Legal Studies Faculty and regularly competes at regional and national intercollegiate Mock Trial Tournaments.  The Mock Trial Team has made it to the National Intercollegiate Mock Trial Tournament 20+ times in the past 25 years.  Information about the team can be found here.  Be on the lookout for information about tryouts each fall. 

Law School/Graduate School and Dual Degree Programs. Many Legal Studies Students who continue on for a bachelor’s degree are interested in law school or graduate school and ultimately attend law school or graduate school.  In addition to the opportunities mentioned above, there are a number of additional opportunities available to these students.  

• Dual B.S. Legal Studies/Juris Doctor Degree. Qualified Students can enter St. John’s University School of Law at the end of their junior year and double count their first year of law school as their last year of college.  Conditions apply.  Speak to your advisor if you are interested.  Information about this Program can be found here. 
• Dual B.S. Legal Studies/M.A. Government and Politics Degree.  Dual B.S. and M.A. degree that can be completed in a total of five years. Speak to your advisor if you are interested. 
• Dual B.S. Legal Studies/M.A. Sociology Degree.  Dual B.S. and M.A. degree that can be completed in a total of five years. Speak to your advisor if you are interested.
• Pre-Law Advisement. All students interested in law school, have access to information about the law school application process and can speak to a pre-law advisor about the law school application process.  For information on the law school application process or to contact a pre-law advisor, see the CPS Pre-Law Advisement page here.
• Ronald H. Brown Law School Preparatory Program.  Law School Prep Program offered by St. John’s School of Law over the summer.  Information about the Program can be found here.  Financial Aid is available for the Program.  Internship credit is available for the sophomore session.  There are three separate summer programs that students can apply to:
  • Summer after freshman year.  Focuses on leadership and professionalism and includes an internship.
  • Summer after sophomore year.  Law school-like classes taught by law professors and includes an internship.
  • Summer after junior year.  On site LSAT prep course, plus workshops on and assistance with the law school applications process.

For more information about the Legal Studies Program contact Prof. James Croft on the Queens Campus at [email protected] or Prof. Ellen Boegel on the Staten Island Campus at [email protected].  

All St. John's students benefit from the University's many outstanding facilities and resources. Computer laboratories contain sophisticated PC and Mac workstations with a full range of the latest academic software packages.

High-tech classrooms and lecture halls feature sophisticated multimedia equipment. Lounges and quiet study areas enhance the research experience in our 1.7 million-volume University Library. The 127,000-square-foot D’Angelo Center, the new University and Student Center, features high-tech classrooms, lecture halls, a Starbucks Café, full service food court as well as lounges and study areas.

Students take advantage of St. John’s location in dynamic New York City. Our faculty and Career Center have strong ties to employers and other professional and educational resources throughout the New York area. Students make New York their classroom through innovative courses like Discover New York.