BA Legal Studies at University of Wisconsin-Madison

Programme overview

The Legal Studies major provides a liberal arts education across traditional disciplines, focusing on law, legal processes, legal institutions, and their operation in society. In addition to courses in Legal Studies, students can take a wide range of courses offered by other units, including Sociology , Psychology , Religious Studies , Political Science , Educational Policy , African American Studies , Philosophy , Gender and Women’s Studies , American Indian Studies , Chicanx/e & Latinx/e Studies , English , and History .

Faculty: College of Letters & Science | Department: Center Law Society Justice | Duration: 120 credits | Study mode: full-time | Location: Madison, WI, United States

What you will study

The degree requires 120 credits in total. Courses listed in the requirements include GEN BUS 301 Business Law; GEOG 307 International Migration, Health, and Human Rights; LEGAL ST 400 Topics in Legal Studies and the Social Sciences; LEGAL ST 409 Human Rights in Law and Society; LEGAL ST 444 Law in Action; LEGAL ST 450 Topics in Legal Studies and the Humanities.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Applies to College of Letters & Science, not specific to this major: Requirements to Declare the Major No application required. All students who meet the requirements listed below are eligible to declare. For information on how to declare, visit Advising & Careers. Courses required to get in None GPA requirements to get in None Credits required to get in None Other None

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

First-year entry terms: Fall (Early Action and Regular Decision) and Spring. Transfer entry terms: Fall (Priority and Regular Decision) and Spring.

First-year Fall Early Action: application deadline November 1, materials deadline November 9, decision on or before January 31. Fall Regular Decision: application deadline January 15, materials deadline January 22, decision on or before March 31. Spring Regular Decision: application deadline October 1, materials deadline October 15, decision on or before December 31. First-year fall and spring applications open August 1. Early Action is non-binding.

Transfer Fall Priority: application deadline February 1, materials deadline February 16, decision on or before March 31. Fall Regular: application deadline March 1, materials deadline March 15, decision on or before April 30. Spring Regular: application deadline October 1, materials deadline October 15, decision on or before December 31. Fall transfer applications open December 1; spring transfer applications open August 1.

Apply via the Common Application or the Universities of Wisconsin Application. The application fee is $80 US and is non-refundable; fee waivers are available for applicants with financial hardship. ACT and SAT scores are optional for students applying for admission through the spring 2028 term (application deadline October 1, 2027).

Explore more study programmes

Arts & Humanities