Law / Legal Services / Criminology / Forensics

Welcome to the Law / Legal Services / Criminology / Forensics Community

This is not just about being a lawyer, it is about everything that falls under the umbrella of law, justice (criminal, restorative, community, etc.), mediation, investigation, intelligence, and enforcement. It applies to many different communities, organizations, branches, bureaus, and spans a range of opportunities to be involved.

If you are seeking information specifically about applying to law school, please see the UMass Pre-Law Advising website.

For more general information about the broader career fields in law and legal services, explore the resources below.

Sample Classes

Depending on your main area of interest, your academic pathway will shift. To explore this field, you can take courses that will provide you with knowledge and skills in:

• Research – for careers in law firms you will need strong research and writing skills.
• Critical thinking – you will learn to reflect upon and evaluate your own ideas and to analyze problems using evidence-based information.
• Communication skills – you will learn to actively listen to others and to articulate your ideas in writing and verbally in a way that will help you achieve your goals.

In the Relevant Courses section below are a few examples of relevant SBS courses, but we urge you to talk to your major/departmental advisor and explore available courses in SPIRE. Remember not to constrain yourself to classes within your major.  Check SPIRE for full course descriptions and availability. These are abbreviated descriptions, and details may change at the discretion of the instructor.  Courses may not be offered every semester.

Also in this section are some relevant non-academic Linkedin Learning courses that you can take for free, compliments of UMass.