Getting a law degree through the traditional method takes a long time, usually four years. For those who want to take a fast track to a law degree, accelerated law degree programs are the best option. Accelerated law degree programs allow students to enroll in law school while they are finishing a bachelor’s degree. These programs are known as “3+3″ programs because students finish their bachelor’s degree in three years and then enter law school. Some of the US schools who offer this program include: Fordham School, George Mason University, and Dickinson College.
Columbia University in the US has an early admission program known as the Accelerated Interdisciplinary Legal Education (AILE) which is linked with 28 undergraduate schools (1). These schools include prominent private universities and liberal arts colleges such as Princeton, Johns Hopkins, and Barnard. The deans of these schools nominate one or two exceptional junior year students for admission to the Columbia Law School. While enrolled at the law school, these students also undergo one term of interdisciplinary studies in other departments of Columbia University.
Drexel University in Philadelphia also has an accelerated degree program that enables students to finish a bachelor’s degree and a Juris Doctor degree at the same time.(2) To be eligible for this program, applicants must have the following requirements: a combined and critical reading SAT score of 1360 (minimum critical reading score of 650), minimum high school GPA of
3. 5, graduation in the top 10 percent of the high school class, an essay submitted online to Drexel’s website (3), and US citizenship or permanent residency. Applicants must also pass an in-person interview conducted by Drexel’s BA/BS/JD Admission Committee which tests the applicant’s maturity, focus, and discipline. Once they are admitted to Drexel’s accelerated law degree program, students are required to maintain a cumulative GPA of at least
3. 45. They must also strive to finish their undergraduate studies within three or four years.
The University of Kansas School Of Law also offers an accelerated law degree program that enables students to graduate within two academic years and three summer sessions. (4)
This program allows for more flexibility in course work and also enables new law students to concentrate on fewer subjects during the initial months of legal studies.
(1) http://www.law.columbia.edu/
(2) http://www.drexel.edu/em/undergrad/academic-programs/accelerated-degrees/default.aspx
(3) http://www.drexel.edu/apply/bsjd
(4) http://www.law.ku.edu/admissions/summer_start.shtml