Academics
Take the next step in your educational journey by earning your degree from the Legal Studies Program at UC Santa Cruz.
Why study legal studies at UC Santa Cruz?
There are many reasons why the Legal Studies Program major and minor are popular among undergraduates at UC Santa Cruz. Our bachelor’s degree allows students the flexibility to double major and to chart their own learning paths within the major, while taking advantage of many experiential learning opportunities. And our curriculum provides a solid foundation for future careers leading change in government, nonprofits, and the private sector.
While our program is housed in the Politics Department, students in our major and minor can take courses with faculty across campus from a range of backgrounds and disciplines in the social sciences, humanities, and the arts, including anthropology, art, economics, environmental studies, feminist studies, history, Latin American and Latino studies, literature, music, philosophy, politics, psychology, and sociology. This approach allows our students to develop a deep understanding of law and its impacts through different approaches and analytical frameworks.
Overall, our curriculum helps students build knowledge in three major thematic areas:
Theory
This focus area helps students understand the history of political thought and ethics, from ancient times to the modern era, and explores how religion, gender, biases, culture, art, and more work to shape political perspectives.
Public law and institutions
We offer a deep dive into legal systems, focusing on the United States and international issues. Our courses cover the legal foundations of the U.S. government and historical public policy approaches.
Law and society
In this area of study, we examine the social impacts of laws and policies on everything from immigration and citizenship to business and industry to inequality and discrimination.
Discover our degree options and learning opportunities:
Student experiences
Matt Sioson: Recognized for work with families affected by incarceration
During his time at UCSC, legal studies major Matt Sioson served as director of the Walls to Bridges Book Project, leading a team of 15 student volunteers that sent more than 1,000 books to 400 system-impacted children. Sioson is now in law school at UC Berkeley.
2021 legal studies alumna Karen Stout says her professors regularly went “above and beyond” to help her succeed. She is now a legislative advocate focused on reproductive rights, health and human services, water, affordable homeownership, and affordable housing policy.
Legal studies honors graduate Cassandra Mar participated in the Building Belonging program, working with UCSC lecturer and Santa Cruz County Supervisor Ryan Coonerty to study the lasting effects of hate speech on democracy and learn the inner workings of local politics.