Prospective UTM students hoping to attend the University of Tennessee College of Law will now have two new options through UTM’s 3+3 legal studies concentrations.
These programs, designed for English and Political Science majors on the Bachelor of Arts degree path, allow qualified UTM students to begin law school as early as their undergraduate senior year and complete the undergraduate and juris doctorate degrees in a total of six years.
This path will have qualified students take three years of general education and upper-division courses before taking the law school admissions test (LSAT) during their junior year.
Students whose LSAT scores meet admissions criteria for the UT College of Law will transfer to UTK their senior year to finish undergraduate work and begin on the juris doctorate degree.
Students who do not qualify for early admission can complete a different concentration and reapply to UT College of Law after completing undergraduate work.
Students who participate in the 3+3 program will still be regarded as UTM alumni upon graduating.
“We look forward to this expansion of our 3+3 program helping us attract really talented students from Martin and paving the way for enhanced educational opportunities for students who live in West Tennessee,” said Melanie Wilson, dean of the UT College of Law.
“Our 3+3 partnership with Martin is the first with another UT campus and reflects our great relationship with UT Martin Chancellor Keith Carver.”
While most law schools do not require a specific undergraduate degree, this process will streamline the law school process for typical law school majors.
Paralegal studies classes (POSC 390-392) and paralegal internship (POSC 393) are still available for students looking to pursue a juris doctorate degree or become a legal assistant.
For more information on legal studies within the English major, contact Dr. David Carithers, chair of the Department of English and Modern Foreign Languages, at 731-881-7300 or dcarithers@utm.edu.
For more information on legal studies within the Political Science major, contact Dr. Chris Baxter, chair of the Department of Accounting, Finance, Economics and Political Science, at 731-881-7367 or cbaxter@utm.edu. (
