“We are very pleased to offer this new Bachelor of
Arts in Law degree. This will be the eleventh new bachelor’s degree
that Lincoln College has added since beginning our transition back
to our roots as a degree-granting university,” said Dr. David
Gerlach, president of Lincoln College. “This degree is particularly
exciting because the program has been designed to be unlike that
offered by any other college or university in the nation.”
Approval for the program was required by the Higher Learning
Commission (HLC), which is the regional accreditation agency for
post-secondary institutions in 19 states. The HLC approved the
program in mid-April.
After a thorough study, Lincoln College determined that a Bachelor
of Arts in Law degree would be a good fit for Lincoln College and
set about designing a curriculum that will give the college a unique
program unavailable at other schools.
While there are a handful of schools across the country that offer
undergraduate degree programs in law, the Lincoln College program
has unique characteristics that will make it stand out from other
colleges and universities. For example, the Lincoln College program
will offer courses that are similar to those offered during the
first two years of most law schools.
The curriculum will include a full semester-long LSAT (Law School
Admission Test) preparation course. Courses were designed with the
help of an advisory board of practicing attorneys and will be taught
by experienced judges and lawyers using the same methods and
approach followed by law schools.
[to top of second column] |
At the same time, the program will offer the flexibility to
pursue tracks other than law school preparation, for those students who choose
not to attend law school but would still like to work in the legal profession.
Lincoln College has also secured a letter of intent for partnership from
Chicago-Kent School of Law, which would assure that qualified, participating
students would be admitted to the law school upon graduation.
The Bachelor of Arts in Law program will prepare graduates to advance to law
school or pursue other career opportunities requiring a solid foundation in law
such as paralegals, legal administrative assistants, and legal interns.
The program will provide students with the skills necessary to think critically,
write competently and persuasively about legal issues, utilize current
technology to perform legal research and associated tasks, conduct themselves
ethically in their professional and personal lives, and analyze case law.
The curriculum will consist of core substantive law classes to prepare students
for the rigorous legal study and writing they will encounter in the first two
years of law school. The curriculum culminates with a Moot Court Trial
competition where students will have the opportunity to apply what they have
learned.
[Mark Gordon
Public Relations and Media Manager
Lincoln College] |