Law and Public Policy 2008-2009
Overview
Through a cooperative program with Union College and Albany Law School, selected graduating high school students can complete B.A. and J.D. degree requirements in six years. Each year the Union College Admissions Committee, in consultation with the Dean of the Albany Law School, selects up to ten entering students for participation in the “Law and Public Policy” major. Students with promising records during their freshman year at Union will be allowed to petition to enter this program during their sophomore year. At the time of admission to the program, the Law and Public Policy major will be assured admission to Albany Law School after three years at the College, on the condition that the student has earned a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.3 during the three years of undergraduate study. Students in the program must also achieve a one-time or average score on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) that is no lower than the median LSAT score for the prior year’s entering class at Albany Law School.
Law and Public Policy majors can fulfill the undergraduate major course requirements in either of two ways:
1. They can prepare their programs from courses listed below. Fourteen courses are required and majors can choose to emphasize either the political or economic aspects of public policy.
Political Science: Introduction to U.S. Politics; Politics of Poverty and Welfare; Law and Public Policy; International Law; Policy Making and American Society; Supreme Court and Judicial Politics; Congressional Politics; Racial and Ethnic Politics; Electoral Politics; Constitutional Law; Civil Liberties; The Environment, Energy, and American Politics; Women and Politics; Health Politics
Economics: Introduction to Economics; Microeconomic Analysis; Labor and Industrial Relations; Introduction to Financial Analysis; Public Finance; Macroeconomic Theory and Policy; Environmental Economics; Gender Issues in Economics; International Economics; Managerial Economics; Economics of Urban Problems; Seminar in Economic Development; Seminar in Finance; Seminar in Public Policy
In addition, majors are urged to take a course in accounting. Introduction to Statistics or Social Data Analysis and a fundamental course in computer science are also recommended.
2. Students who choose to pursue the first three years of any conventional undergraduate major can also qualify for this program, subject to the approval of the College. The courses should be those that develop powers of analysis and expression.
UNION COLLEGE
Union is a coeducational college of 2,100 full-time undergraduate students. Founded in 1795, the College has a long history of accomplishment and innovation in higher education. Union was the first liberal arts college to offer engineering as part of its curriculum, and the current mix of programs in the humanities, arts, social sciences, physical and natural sciences, and engineering and computer sciences makes Union distinctive among small colleges. The flexible three-term curriculum gives students the opportunity to create individualized programs under the “organizing theme major.” The 196 full and part-time faculty members are selected not only for excellence in classroom teaching but also for their ability to counsel and encourage individual students.
ALBANY LAW SCHOOL
Founded in 1851, Albany Law School is the oldest independent law school in North America. Its alumni include former President William B. McKinley and two justices of the United States Supreme Court. The campus is located in Albany, the capital of New York. The course of study at Albany Law School is designed to acquaint the student with the sources of law and to provide a knowledge and understanding of the rules and principles of law, both in their historical context and as they are applied to today’s society. The student is trained to develop powers of reasoning, analysis, and expression and is taught the techniques and methods used by judges and lawyers in solving legal problems. The student is thus equipped for the general practice of law, for graduate study, and for legal work in governmental service. Albany Law School is fully approved by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools.
For further information and a viewbook and application, please contact:
Office of Admissions
Grant Hall
Union College
Schenectady, N.Y. 12308
Phone:(518)388-6112