History BA / Law JD

Major: History and Law 
Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Juris Doctor (JD)
Calendar Type: Quarter and semester
Minimum Required Credits: 180.0 quarter credits & 85.0 semester credits
Co-op Options: No Co-op (Six years)
 

About the Program

This accelerated degree program combines the BA in History in the College of Arts and Sciences and the JD offered by the Kline School of Law. It is a "3+3" program, allowing qualified students to earn both their BA in History and their JD in six years. The study of history at Drexel emphasizes the development of skills in independent research, analysis, and communication that provide a strong foundation for success in law school.

Additional Information

For more information about the History major, visit the Department of History webpage. 

Admission Requirements

For the BA: Standard admission requirements for all Drexel undergraduate programs

To be admitted to Drexel's Kline School of Law, students must:

• Maintain a minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.45
• Earn a LSAT score that meets or exceeds the Kline School of Law's current LSAT median (as determined by point of entry into the undergraduate program) no later than December of year 3 of undergraduate program
• Actively participate in pre-law and BAJD activities
• Meet regularly with academic advisor and the pre-law advisor
• Maintain satisfactory progress towards completing required undergraduate coursework as set out in the plan of study in three years
• File complete, binding application to the Kline School of Law by December 31 of year 3 of the undergraduate program
• Comply with all admission and seat deposit requirements of the Kline School of Law
• Comply with all character and fitness requirements of the Kline School of Law

Students who do not meet these qualifications may still be granted admission if space is available. 

Degree Requirements

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See the CoAS Core Curriculum List for a complete list of course options.

**

These courses ought to be taken in sequence as much as possible in the compressed schedule. See the plan of study.

***

The History Distribution courses must be at least 200-level, and a course may not fulfill more than one Distribution category. Between the History Distribution courses and History elective/Concentration electives, students must complete at least two 300-level courses.

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Students must complete a department language requirement. They may either successfully complete 103 in one language (including the option to test out of it, if the university offers the language of the student's competence), or they may take 12 credits of language distributed across more than one language.

• Students may count one Study Abroad or international co-op experience (minimum one quarter) in a non-English speaking country toward their language requirement. Students should consult with their advisor to ensure this credit is properly recorded.
• Students may count one language course toward the CoAS "cultivating global competence" distribution requirement.

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The number of Free electives will vary depending on the number of credits in other course selections. Students need 180 credits for the History BA; the Law School credits contribute 33 (undergraduate quarter) credits. Consequently, students will need enough Free elective credits to reach 147 undergraduate credits.

Writing-Intensive Course Requirements

In order to graduate, all students must pass three writing-intensive courses after their freshman year. Two writing-intensive courses must be in a student's major. The third can be in any discipline. Students are advised to take one writing-intensive class each year, beginning with the sophomore year, and to avoid “clustering” these courses near the end of their matriculation. Transfer students need to meet with an academic advisor to review the number of writing-intensive courses required to graduate.

A "WI" next to a course in this catalog may indicate that this course can fulfill a writing-intensive requirement. For the most up-to-date list of writing-intensive courses being offered, students should check the Writing Intensive Course List at the University Writing Program. Students scheduling their courses can also conduct a search for courses with the attribute "WI" to bring up a list of all writing-intensive courses available that term.

Sample Plan of Study

Undergraduate course credits are quarter credits

Law School course credits are semester credits

First Year Law course credits (22 semester credits) are counted toward the History BA.