The six-year integrated sequence leads to both the B.S. or B.A. in Political Science and J.D. degrees. Students who wish to complete this program must identify themselves to the Political Science Department as majors with a politics and governance emphasis who wish to complete the Accelerated Program. All undergraduates who major in political science and have completed at least 90 credit hours of undergraduate coursework with a minimum GPA of 3.25 are eligible to apply to NIU’s College of Law under the special provisions of this program. As part of the application to the College of Law, applicants must take the LSAT and receive a score above the 50th percentile of the previous year’s matriculating law class. Applicants are advised to take the LSAT and submit their application to the College of Law no later than February of their junior year. Admission will be on a competitive basis, and the likelihood of admission will depend on the number and quality of applicants to the program, the number and quality of applicants to the College of Law in general, as well as other factors normally considered in admissions decisions by the College of Law.
Curriculum
Students must complete all the requirements for the Political Science B.A. or B.S. degrees as well as all general education requirements (90 credit hours in total) by the end of their junior year. Beginning with the first semester of their senior year, students will start taking classes at the College of Law. These courses will count toward the final 30 credits of the undergraduate degree. The final two years of the program will follow the standard College of Law timetable.
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