Law and History Concentration

Are you interested in a career in law or policy? The Law and History Concentration is designed to give you practical experience learning how to read and analyze legal documents, as well as the opportunity to study the fascinating history of the law.

This makes the Law and History Concentration excellent preparation for students considering applying to law school. As the American Bar Association explains, students can be admitted to law school from any undergraduate discipline, but it is good to choose a program that “interests and challenges you” and that gives you “opportunities to develop your research and writing skills.” For this reason, a History Major has always been a traditional pathway to law-school – one recent study found that nation-wide, history majors had the highest success rate in applying to law schools! Of course, this sort of training is also excellent preparation for many other jobs in law and policy-related fields, such as advocacy, research, and public service. And it will help you make better sense of the many legal issues that are regularly debated in modern political and cultural life.

Our new concentration allows you to practice legal analysis, and to show your interest in legal studies on your transcript. Choosing this concentration is very simple. You just need to take four designated courses as part of your history major. The first is a core course on Law and History (HIST 382) which provides an introduction to such subjects as the histories of the Supreme Court, social movements, and Constitutional rights. Then you need to choose three more electives from a large selection of exciting, law-focused courses offered in the history department and elsewhere at Mason, including in philosophy, criminology, government and other fields. You can find more details in the “Degree Requirements” tab above; if you have questions, please ask your academic advisor.