3+3 Pre-Law Program
In Fall 2017, the Manship School of Mass Communication and the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law School launched the 3+3 Pre-Law Program for undergraduate mass communication students interested in attending law school. This six-year program allows Manship students to complete both a bachelor’s and a law degree with three years of full-time study at LSU and three years of full-time study at the LSU Law Center.
In order to complete the coursework required for a bachelor’s degree, students follow an accelerated, set curriculum for three years. Students still choose a concentration of Digital Advertising, Journalism, Public Relations or Political Communication. When students reach their junior year, however, those who meet entrance requirements may submit applications to the LSU Law Center. If accepted, students are eligible to begin study at the LSU Law Center during their fourth year at LSU, during which completed coursework will count toward the final year of the undergraduate degree as well as the first year of the law degree.
The Manship School is one of only three colleges that offer a pre-law program on LSU's campus. Because so many of our graduates continue their education with law school and because so many mass communication skills are easily transferrable to the law field, this new program seemed the perfect fit for our curriculum.
We encourage our students to gain real world experience through a variety of ways:
Internships
The aim of Manship's internship database is to assist our students in finding professional positions in their desired fields of study. Currently, we list internships for all four concentrations and plan to roll out a list of law internships soon.
- Student groups: work related (Student Media, working with professional clients, etc.)
- Student Groups (clubs, professional networking)
- Competition
- Special events at Manship that cater to this concentration
Curriculum
The 3+3 Pre-Law Program is open to all mass communication students, no matter their chosen concentration. Students are, however, still required to complete coursework for one of the Manship School's four concentrations: digital advertising, journalism, political communication or public relations. Contact masscomm@lsu.edu if you have any questions.
FAQs about 3+3 Pre-Law Program
What are the requirements to participate in Manship School’s 3+3 Pre-Law Program?
- Complete an application for admission into the 3+3 Pre-Law Program provided by a MCOM academic counselor. Please note, the 3+3 application is separate from the Manship School’s application.
- Meet the critical requirements as detailed in your CATS recommended path.
- Admission into the Manship School no later than the spring semester of sophomore year. Acceptance into the 3+3 program does not guarantee acceptances to the LSU Manship School of Mass Communication or the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center.
- Maintain a minimum LSU/CUM GPA of 3.4 by the junior year to apply for admission to LSU Law one year early. The student will also be taking the LSAT and completing all other application requirements one year early.
- The 3 + 3 Pre-Law Program is associated with the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center only.
- If a student meets the 3 + 3 application requirements at the end of the junior year, she/he will be applying to LSU Law Center one year early.
Am I guaranteed admission to the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center by being in this program?
- No, this is an early admission program, not a guaranteed admission program.
- Students still have to go through the admission review process like any other law school applicant.
- If the student does not have the required GPAs at the end of the fall or spring semester of the junior year and is not making academic progress, or is not admitted to the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center for the senior year, the student’s concentration will be converted to the corresponding, regular (non-pre-law) MCOM concentration. The student is expected to complete all degree requirements for the regular concentration, including completion of a university approved minor.
- If a student in the 3+3 program is not accepted, the student can reapply for admission to the LSU Law Center for the year following the completion of the bachelor’s degree.
What’s the procedure for graduating with my bachelor’s degree?
- All undergraduate degree requirements must be completed before a student begins law school. Students cannot take any undergrad courses during their first year of law school.
- Spring semester of junior year, the student will need to submit an application for degree with the Manship School of Mass Communication. This paperwork is required to graduate.
- Because LSU Law runs on a different academic calendar than the LSU undergraduate campus, your bachelor’s degree will not be awarded during the spring semester. Pending successful completion of your first year coursework and the posting on a student’s record, students will graduate in the August Commencement Ceremony in the summer term after their first year of law school.
What if I change my mind?
- At any time, a student may remove their name from the 3+3 Pre-Law Program. By doing so, they must select a non-pre-law concentration/major and meet all degree requirements as stated in the LSU general catalog.
- If a student decides LSU Law is not for them before they enter 1L, they would revert back to their undergraduate major and work to meet remaining degree requirements, including a university-approved minor.
Additional Information
- LSU Law calculates GPA using all grades earned. Therefore, any grade changed through grade exclusion policy will still be calculated in the GPA considered by the LSU Law Center.
- Acceptance into the 3+3 Pre-Law Program does not guarantee acceptance to the LSU Manship School of Mass Communication or the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center.
- TOPS and LSU Financial Aid will be determined through the LSU Office of Student Aid and Scholarships. It is the student’s responsibility to determine their eligibility to use any scholarship or financial aid toward LSU Law tuition.
- Students are responsible for knowing and complying with the university and Manship School rules, regulations, and deadlines.
- Manship School admittance requirements include a 3.0 GPA on 30 college hours, a B or better in MC 2010, an essay and a resume.
- Transfer students interested in 3+3 will be handled on a case-by-case basis.