This fall the History department is launching a new Law and History Concentration. The concentration is designed to give students practical experience learning how to read and analyze legal documents, as well as the opportunity to study the fascinating history of the law.
This makes the Law and History Concentration excellent preparation for students considering applying to law school. As the American Bar Association explains, students can be admitted to law school from any undergraduate discipline, but it is good to choose a program that “interests and challenges you” and that gives you “opportunities to develop your research and writing skills.” For this reason, a History Major has always been a traditional pathway to law-school – one recent study found that nation-wide, history majors had the highest success rate in applying to law schools! Of course, this sort of training is also excellent preparation for many other jobs in law and policy-related fields, such as advocacy, research, and public service. And it will help students make better sense of the many legal controversies that are regularly debated in modern politics.
Students choosing this concentration will take four designated courses as part of their history major. The first is a core course on Law and History (HIST 382) which provides an introduction to such subjects as the histories of the Supreme Court, social movements, and Constitutional rights. This course will be offered for the first time in Fall 2025, when it will be taught by Professor Sam Lebovic. Students will then take three more electives from a large selection of exciting, law-focused courses offered in the history department and elsewhere at Mason, including in philosophy, criminology, government and other fields. You can find more details, and a list of course options, here: https://historyarthistory.gmu.edu/programs/la-ba-hist-lawh.
In addition to the new Law and History Concentration, History majors can also choose a number of other concentrations in such fields as Public History and Digital History. You can find details about all of the department’s concentrations here:
https://historyarthistory.gmu.edu/undergraduate/history-advising/concentrations
June 02, 2025