Students who are interested in studying law at Ohio State have only one option – a three-year, full-time program leading to a juris doctorate degree. But this might soon change.
The Ohio State Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Friday to establish the master’s in the study of law program.
W. Randy Smith, vice provost for curriculum in Academic Affairs, said the idea developed in the Moritz College of Law and approval from the Board of Trustees is just one of the channels it must pass through before it is formally approved.
“After the idea was developed, it was sent to the research in Graduate Council, then the curriculum committee in Academic Affairs and now to the Board of Trustees. After it leaves the board, it will go for final review and action to the Ohio Board of Regents,” Smith said.
There has been tremendous excitement about this program, Smith said.
“I imagine it will probably be worked on all summer, and then it would take effect in fall of 2004. People are constantly asking me about its status,” Smith said.
The master’s in the study of law program will be a non-professional degree that would provide an education in legal principles and methodology for students with no previous training in the study of law. The program is targeted for students who are actively pursuing a post-graduate area of study and would benefit from having a supplemental understanding of the legal system.
According to the program development plan issued by the Moritz College of Law, “completion of the MSL program would not qualify graduates to sit for the bar examination nor prepare them for the practice of law.
Instead the plans state, “the master’s in the study of law program will expose scholars in other disciplines to relevant legal issues, and will expose legal scholars and future practitioners to other disciplines, furthering the knowledge of both groups.”
Only nine law schools in the country offer a program equivalent to the master’s in the study of law Program: Albany Law School, Duke University, George Mason University, University of Nebraska, University of Pittsburgh, Stanford University, Washington University at St. Louis and Yale University.
Gary Wetterich, a first-year law student at OSU, said he understands the benefits to having master’s in the study of law students and juris doctorate students in the same classes.
“I think it could definitely be beneficial to have both types of students in classes, especially in core curriculum classes. For example, if you were in a class with someone from the medical school and studying medical malpractice cases, you could learn form their experience and knowledge,” Wetterich said.
Despite these advantages, Wetterich said he is undecided about his feelings toward the program.
“I have mixed feelings about it,” Wetterich said. “It’s laudable for people to search out the meaning of law, but it could be dangerous if people rely too much on their one-year study rather than the studies of a law student who has studied the law for three years and passed the bar examination.”
Stephen Elliot, a first-year law student, said he would be excited about the program.
“Any time you have diverse perspectives in class it’s beneficial,” Elliott said. “I could see how some people may be opposed to sharing our classes with other people, but personally, I see nothing wrong with people wanting to pursue an abbreviated program.”
According to the program development plan, it is anticipated that once the master’s in the study of law program is fully implemented, no more than 10 to 15 students would be enrolled.
