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.
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.
Every semester, we provide this list of the amazing array of law-related and law-adjacent courses that might be of interest to students considering legal careers. Some of these courses are squarely focused on the law. Others are more in the …
As a college senior or new grad, you may think you are totally new to networking. Actually, you’ve been doing it for years: every time you have asked a friend to tell you about a new app they like, every …
College Recruiter believes that every student and recent grad deserves a great career. Each year, we help more than 3 million students and recent grads find part-time, seasonal, internship, and entry-level jobs requiring 0-3 years of experience.
Now more than ever, students might be seeking an opportunity to work on issues of social change. Mounting and intersecting crises are deepening inequality and suffering in the U.S. and across the globe. Thankfully, there are many examples of resistance, …
Your major does not necessarily have to be in direct line with your career! Sociology majors can work in the business sector. Economics majors can work in government. Poli Sci majors can work on Wall Street. Many SBS departments offer courses relevant to various career paths. Here is a very small sampling of courses relevant to this industry from across the majors. Please speak with your academic advisor to explore all available courses, and remember that you need not constrain yourself to courses within your major. Study what is interesting to you!
LEGAL 375 – Human Rights and Wrongs
LEGAL 375 – Human Rights and Wrongs: Introduction to humanitarian law. Topics include theory and history of international human rights law,…
COMM 250 – Interpersonal Communication
COMM 250 – Interpersonal Communication: This course introduces non-majors to a variety of competing theories of interpersonal behavior and everyday social…
LEGAL 465 – Globalization
LEGAL 465 – Globalization: The globalization of law, culture, and politics. Competing arguments about the meaning and effects of globalization.…
SOCIOL 347 – Corporate Crime
SOCIOL 347 – Corporate Crime: The rise of the “corporate actor” in terms of social organization and social policy, and concerning…
POLISCI 228 – Weighing the Evidence
POLISCI 228 – Weighing the Evidence: What are the likely effects of proposed social policies? Should an environmental pollutant be…
ECON 394LI – Law & Economics
ECON 394LI – Law & Economics: The legal system as an economic system, where penalties and damages act as prices for…
LEGAL 252 – Law and Personal Freedom
LEGAL 252 – Law and Personal Freedom: The nature of freedom in the United States, focusing on constitutional guarantees founded in the…
LEGAL 293 – Race, Citizen, and the American Constitution
LEGAL 293 – Race, Citizen, and the American Constitution: The role that law and courts have played in shaping, defining, and constructing…
POLISCI 356 – International Law
POLISCI 356 – International Law: Development of basic rules of public international law. Evidence for law, international legal personality, jurisdiction, treatment…
SOC241 – Criminology
SOC241 – Criminology: Introduction to the study of criminology, definitions of crime, criminals and delinquents, demographics of crime and criminals, the work…
SOC343 – Hate Crime in America
SOC343 – Hate Crime in America: This class places hate crimes within the broader social and political context of intergroup antagonism (e.g. prejudice,…
STPEC 291F S – Prisons, Race & the Social Order
STPEC 291F S – Prisons, Race & the Social Order: This student-led colloquium will explore the racial, economic, and disciplinary roles…
LEGAL 391F – Law & the Family
LEGAL 391F – Law & the Family: Who has traditionally had the right to parent, and what has been the role…
Skill-Building With Linkedin Learning Classes
See below for skill-building classes – visit LinkedIn Learning for more.
The Core Competencies All Employers Seek
Some skills are universally sought by employers and are essential to a well functioning team. Stand out from the crowd…
How to Be More Inclusive
Madecraft
Creating an inclusive workplace, where every employee feels welcomed, valued, respected, and heard, requires both structural change to your company…
The Secrets to Success at Work
Nigel Cumberland
Regardless of your profession or career stage, you can excel and be successful at work. In this course, Nigel Cumberland—a…
ArcGIS Pro Essential Training (2019)
Gordon Luckett
ArcGIS Pro is a popular geographic information system (GIS) that combines the power of 2D and 3D mapping with cloud-based…
Learn Emotional Intelligence, the Key Determiner of Success
Big Think
Explore the four domains of emotional intelligence—self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management—as defined by psychologist and author Daniel Goleman.…
Outlook Quick Tips
Nick Brazzi
Get quick answers to your most urgent Outlook questions. These short tutorials help users work faster and smarter with Outlook,…
Public Speaking Foundations
Laura Bergells
Develop the skills you need to prepare and deliver an outstanding speech or presentation. In this course, Laura Bergells offers…
You Need a Career Development Plan
Macmillan Publishers
You can’t navigate your way to career success without first plotting a course. Having a career development strategy can be…
Explore Outcomes
The SBS Office of Career & Professional Development annually surveys graduating seniors in order to provide a snapshot of their post-graduation plans. The survey begins just prior to graduation, and continues until six months after graduation.  Our data collection process is guided by the industry standard put forth by the National Association of Colleges & Employers, and includes information collected by the SBS Office of Career & Professional Development, the Office of Institutional Research at UMass Amherst, and by various academic departments, as well as from information that is made publicly available by students. The SBS undergraduate outcomes knowledge rate for 2020 was 60%, though knowledge rate varies among departments.
The SBS Office of Career & Professional Development annually surveys graduating seniors in order to provide a snapshot of their post-graduation plans. The survey begins just prior to graduation, and continues until six months after graduation.  Our data collection process is guided by the industry standard put forth by the National Association of Colleges & Employers, and includes information collected by the SBS Office of Career & Professional Development, the Office of Institutional Research at UMass Amherst, and by various academic departments, as well as from information that is made publicly available by students. The SBS undergraduate outcomes knowledge rate for 2021 was just shy of 60%, though knowledge rate varies among departments.
First Destination
Top Employers
Starting Salary
Job Titles
Employment Locations
Top Universities
Degree Types
Fields of Study
First Destination
SBS graduates pursue a range of plans after graduation, including employment, continuing education, and volunteering/service, among others. This graph depicts what recent SBS graduates tell us they are doing within six months after graduation.
Top Employers
Students in the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences at UMass Amherst build the skills employers seek, such as critical and analytical thinking, creative problem solving, communication, cultural awareness, and more. This makes our students highly attractive candidates for a wide variety of roles with an even wider range of employers and industries. The list of employers featured here is based on information reported by students or employers to SBS, or employment data that is made publicly available by students. The list is formulated based on the most-commonly reported hiring employers. Generally, the first ten on the list have hired multiple students, and after that, employers who have hired at least one SBS grad are listed in alphabetical order. Survey data indicated that a minimum of 360+ distinct employers hired UMass students in 2021.
Starting Salary
Starting salary data is self-reported by the new graduates and is not a required field on the survey, so this data is incomplete with regard to salary ranges. Keep in mind that salaries for volunteer/service roles are, by their nature, low, and skew the averages lower. There are also students making significantly more than the average. Both cost of living (based on geographic location), and chosen industry have a significant impact on starting salaries. These data do not include information on benefits such as health insurance, tuition reimbursement, bonuses, and other important factors in a student's employment decision making process.
Job Titles
Employment Locations
A majority of students in the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences, as with the University as a whole, are residents of Massachusetts. While the majority of our graduates choose to stay in Massachusetts for their first post-graduate jobs, many others accept positions all across the country, and around the world. Common first destination locations are Washington, D.C., New York City, California, and the other New England states.
United States
World
Top Universities
The list below provides a look at the most-commonly reported graduate schools in which SBS graduates are enrolled. While many SBS graduates choose to stay at UMass Amherst for their graduate education, many others attend universities across the country and around the world.
Degree Types
Fields of Study
The variety of fields of study selected by SBS graduates is a good indication of their diverse interests, and their desire to both expand and deepen their understanding of their area of interest.
We don’t have enough student data to show you these results.
Civilian DispatcherTown of Dedham
2-Year Paralegal Position for College GradDunnington, Bartholow & Miller LLP
3549 - Trust & Estates ParalegalNixon Peabody
Commercial Real Estate ParalegalReid and Riege, P.C.
Litigation ParalegalMurphy & Riley, P.C.
Structured Products Analyst - Immediate and June start dates - Legal Assistant / ParalegalDavis Polk & Wardwell LLP
Annaly Monteiro-Serena’19, Legal Studies 
Suresha Ramjit’20 – Sociology, Political Science minor Certificate in Criminology and Criminal Justice System Certificate in Social Research Analysis 
Zach Crowley’20, Anthropology & Management 
