Political Science with a 3+3 Track to Law (BA)

This program was approved for students entering the university in the Summer 2024–Spring 2025 catalog year. For more information about catalog year, go to Catalog Year Information.

Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a 3+3 Track to Law
Unit: College of Arts and Sciences (AS)
Department: Political Science
Academic Plan Code(s): POLS BA 3+3

Program Information

The College of Arts & Sciences and the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law have joined forces to create 3+3 Accelerated Law programs that allow eligible students in the College of Arts & Sciences to begin law school in their senior year of undergraduate study. Students substitute undergraduate major and elective requirements with the first 30 hours of law school, earning an undergraduate degree after their first year of law school and a Juris Doctor (JD) degree two years later.  Students must have completed three years (6 semesters, fall & spring) of undergraduate course work post high school graduation, including transfer credit, prior to enrollment at Brandeis.

Completion of this degree requires work to be submitted for the department’s Learning Outcomes Measurement. For details, contact the department.

Degree Summary

Departmental Admission Requirements

There are no specific admission requirements for this degree plan.  

The Change Major Request form can be found under the Academic Progress tile on ULink.

Admission to Law School

Admission to the 3+3 track does not guarantee admission to the law school. Students seeking admission to law school must complete a law school application and satisfy all of Brandeis’ admissions requirements, including its median GPA and LSAT expectations.

The law school requires that students seeking admission through the 3+3 program have completed three years of undergraduate course work, including transfer credit and credit earned in summer.  It is recommended that students planning to pursue this track have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5.

For more information on Brandeis and its admissions requirements, please contact the Brandeis School of Law Office of Admissions. The office can also arrange for you to visit the law school and to sit in on a class.

General Education Requirements

*All degrees require the completion of the University-wide General Education Program (link provided above). Some General Education requirements may be met by the requirements for the major or supporting coursework, in which case additional electives may be required to complete the minimum hours for the degree.

College/School Requirements

Program/Major Requirements

At least 50 of the total minimum hours required must be at the 300 level or above.

Law School Courses

¹

Completion of the intermediate level of a single foreign language

²

In addition to courses counted toward General Education; 6 hours must be at 300 level or above

³

May be incorporated into other degree requirements

⁴

Fulfills General Education requirement.

⁵

Substitutions may be approved by the departmental advisor.

⁶

Fulfills WR requirement.

⁷

POLS 399 may be an appropriate elective under any category depending on its topic in a given semester.

⁸

POLS 333 may be used as an elective option under Public Policy or International Relations. It may only satisfy one requirement. It may not be used to satisfy both requirements.

⁹

POLS 341 may be used as an elective option under International Relations and Comparative Politics. It may only satisfy one requirement. It may not be used to satisfy both requirements.

¹⁰

POLS 363 may be used as an elective option under International Relations and Comparative Politics. It may only satisfy one requirement. It may not be used to satisfy both requirements.

Flight Plan

The Flight Plan outlined above is intended to demonstrate one possible path to completing the degree within four years.  Course selection and placement within the program may vary depending on course offerings and schedule, elective preferences, and other factors (study abroad, internship availability, etc.). Please consult your advisor for additional information about building a flight plan that works for you.

Degree Audit Report
Degree Audit reports illustrate how your completed courses fulfill the requirements of your academic plan, and which requirements are still outstanding. Degree audits also take transfer credits and test credits into account. "What-if" reports allow you to compare the courses you have completed in your current academic plan to the courses required in another academic plan.  Should you have questions about either report, please consult with your academic advisor.

Flight Planner
The Flight Planner tool is available for you to create a personalized Flight Plan to graduation.  Advisors have access to review your Flight Planner and can help you adjust it to ensure you remain on track to graduate in a timely manner.

To create these reports:

1. Log into your ULink account.
2. Click on the Academic Progress tile.
3. Select the appropriate report.
   1. To run a Degree Audit report, click on "View my Degree Audit."
   2. To create a What-if report, click on "Create a What-if Advisement Report."
   3. To run a Flight Planner report, click on "Use My Flight Planner."

Click here to run a Degree Audit report, create a What-if report, or run a Flight Planner report.