Political Science BA/Law JD - Program Requirements

Credit for political science courses completed with a passing grade at other colleges or universities may be granted in instances where comparable courses exist within the department at UB. The department gives transfer credit for a maximum of five political science courses. Where applicable, transfer courses may be used to meet specific departmental requirements.

SUNY Seamless Transfer is a SUNY-wide program intended to make transferring to UB and other SUNY Schools simple and efficient for SUNY students. SUNY has defined courses that SUNY students can take before transferring which will apply to the major at UB and ensure timely graduation.

Information about the Transfer Path for this major can be found on the SUNY Website.

Students are encouraged to contact their academic advisor or department to discuss how their coursework will apply to their degree.

The Accelerated Political Science BA/Law JD Program has no prerequisite courses.

Major

Twelve PSC courses, 8 of which must be upper division-300/400 level:

Required Courses:

PSC 101 Intro to American Politics

One of the following: PSC 100 Enduring Issues in Political Science, PSC 102 Intro to International Politics, PSC 103 Intro to Comparative Politics, OR PSC 104 Intro to Political Philosophy

One Methods of Inquiry Course: PSC 200 Empirical Political Science, PSC 393 Game Theory, OR PSC 408 Basic Stats for Social Sciences (or an approved substitution from the following: SOC 294 Basic Statistics for Social Sciences, ECO 480 Econometrics I, PSY 207 Psychological Statistics, STA 119 Statistical Methods, SSC 225 Statistics for Social Sciences, MGQ 301 Statistical Decisions in Management, GEO 211 Univariate Statistics in Geography)

One course in 3 of the 4 Political Science fields (American Politics, Comparative Politics, International Politics, Public Law)

Additional Political Science electives/courses to meet the major requirements (total of 12 courses; 8 of which must be upper division-300/400 level). A maximum of 2 courses (6 credit hours) can be from the following: PSC 496 Political Science Internship, PSC 497 Honors Thesis, and PSC 499 Independent Study

UB Seminar courses cannot count towards major requirements.

Electives
Undergraduate Electives - (18 credits)

JD – First-Year Requirements
LAW 509 – Torts (4 credits)
LAW 501 – Civil Procedure (4 credits)
LAW 507 – Property (4 credits)
LAW 515 – Legal Analysis, Writing and Research I (4 credits)
LAW 503 – Contracts (4 credits)
LAW 505 – Criminal Law (4 credits)
LAW 511 – Constitutional Law (4 credits)
LAW 516 – Legal Analysis, Writing and Research II (3 credits)

JD – Second-Year and Third-Year Curriculum
LAW 564 – Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility (3 credits)
LAW experiential elective (6 credits) (see experiential list below)*
LAW seminar elective (3 credits) (see seminar list below)**
LAW research or writing-intensive elective (3 credits) (see research/writing list below)***
LAW free electives (44 credits)

*experiential course options
LAW 523 – Judicial Externship (3 credits)
LAW 567 – Greening Buffalo (3 credits)
LAW 637 – Corporate Negotiations (3 credits)
LAW 828 – Innocence and Justice Project (3 credits)

**seminar course options
LAW 529 – Mindful and Pro-Identity (3 credits)
LAW 640 – Trump and the Law (3 credits)
LAW 656 – Privacy: Theories and History (3 credits)

***research/writing options
LAW 977 – Pro Se Civil Litigation Practicum (3 credits)
LAW 956 – Introduction to Appellate Advocacy (3 credits)
LAW 920 – Community Justice Clinic (3 credits)

Students should consult with an academic advisor to determine how any transfer or exam credit might be utilized in meeting general education, prerequisite, or major requirements.

See Baccalaureate Degree Requirements for general education and remaining university requirements.

Total Credit Hours Required represents the minimum credits needed to complete this program, and may vary based on a number of circumstances. This chart should not be used for financial aid purposes.