As a beginner lawyer, you will spend your bachelor years preparing you for admission to the excellent postgraduate program. Leading law schools have an acceptance rate well below 20 percent and the average GPA of admitted candidates is close to or above 3.8. Your undergraduate education directly affects your ability to get into law school. Can you get into law school with an online degree?
Online programs accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) are hard to find. The field of law is slowly keeping pace with the constantly growing popularity of distance learning.
How to choose an online law school
Most law schools consider the candidate’s GPA and Law School Admission Test (LSAT) exam results. No specific legal degree is required for admission to law schools, but students can find many online undergraduate programs at various colleges and universities to prepare them with the skills they are looking for. Students must then consider the American Bar Association guidelines and study area. Popular study areas include political science and justice studies.
Structure of online programs
Online law studies usually last four years. The academic year consists of 48 to 52 consecutive weeks. As with traditional law school programs, online law schools have some required courses and other elective courses that vary from institution to institution. Most online law schools meet virtually for classroom discussions, provide lectures and review texts, and have assignments and grades to perform.
Partial list of online state programs
Online Associate of Science Pre-Law Program
This online program is designed for students who plan to move to a 4-year school after graduation. Usually it is a fully online program that can be implemented completely over the Internet. Includes courses in many areas that are required for admission to law school, such as:
- statistical methods
- US federal government
- US history to date
Bachelor of Arts in law and society
The online Bachelor of Arts in Law and Society program is often specifically designed to provide students with the skills and tools they need to access law school. Students usually correspond with professors via email and with classmates via discussion threads in the forum. Online law programs can also make available to students electronic law libraries and other legal resources. The study program focuses on teaching students about the American legal system, including:
- American legal process
- Contemporary Legal Issues
- Employment Relations and Management Law
- Conflict resolution and negotiations
