3 + 3 Law School Program
The 3 + 3 Program gives students interested in law school at the University of Idaho the ability to complete their undergraduate degree in political science or philosophy and their Juris Doctor in six years. The 3 + 3 Program is established in the College of Law and requires students to comply with a number of admission requirements, such as maintenance of a 3.3 GPA, delivery of an LSAT score at or above Law’s median, and most importantly, certification from the undergraduate program that all baccalaureate requirements will be met with completion of the first year Law curriculum.
The American Bar Association does not recommend a particular undergraduate field of study before admission into a law program. But they do recommend development of research and writing skills that philosophy and political science courses are particularly adept at providing. LawyerEdu.org lists philosophy, political science, history, economics, business and English as the best majors for pre-law preparation. And no matter who does the study, philosophy comes up as the second best, always behind physics, as the best major for LSAT preparation. The study of government and international relations are also among the top fields for LSAT preparation.
Our 3 + 3 Program is designed to serve students in the state of Idaho by providing them with a top tier undergraduate education and needed economic relief in pursuit of a legal career. Our program begins with sound general education and disciplinary advising — that is, we help students make the most of their general education and their disciplinary curriculum's. Next, we provide a path that allows us to double count disciplinary and law school credit in their senior year. This is relatively easy for political science and philosophy because both fields contain footings for the study of law that are based in inquiry: public law for political science and philosophy of law for philosophy.
Political science and philosophy students who change their minds about law school, or fail to maintain the academic standards for the 3 + 3 Program set forth by the College of Law, will be able to complete the baccalaureate in their fourth year of study. These students will be well prepared to take a traditional route to law school, pursue a number of other graduate education opportunities or enter a number of professions that are ideal for graduates in political science or philosophy.