Criminology and Criminal Justice, B.A. to Law, J.D. Accelerated Program

Want to go to law school upon completion of your bachelor’s degree in criminology and criminal justice? Why wait? Saint Louis University's 3+3 accelerated Criminology and Criminal Justice, B.A., to Law J.D. program allows highly qualified undergraduate students to apply to SLU Law School in their third year. If admitted, students begin the L1 curriculum in their fourth year at SLU.

Up to 29 credits of law school credit taken in the fourth year will count toward the bachelor's degree, allowing students to earn their B.A. after successfully completing their first year of law school with the potential to earn both a J.D. and B.A. in only six years. The first year of law school coursework will count toward 20 general elective credits and nine criminology and criminal justice elective credits.  

See Requirements for additional information. 

For additional information, see the catalog entries for the following programs:

Criminology and Criminal Justice, B.A.

Law, J.D.

Admission Requirements

Students may apply to the program anytime in their undergraduate career after having completed a minimum of 15 credits at SLU. Criminology and Criminal Justice must be the student's primary major at the time of application and they must have completed at least one 3-credit CCJ course.

Students must have and maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.20 to participate in the accelerated program. This is a minimum for program participation and does not guarantee admission to the program or SLU Law School.

After having completed 75 credits, students will submit applications to SLU Law. If admitted to SLU Law, these students will begin their JD program in their 4th year.

Timeline: CCJ B.A./J.D. Accelerated Program

• Freshman-Sophomore year: enroll as a CCJ major and apply to the accelerated program.
• Early Junior year: Register for and submit all necessary documents to complete LSAC Credential Assembly Service files (includes taking the LSAT).
• Junior year: Apply to SLU Law between September 1 and January 1 (e.g., apply on September 2, 2023, to begin law school in August of 2024).

Complete SLU Law application and meet all other admission requirements (including, but not limited to, satisfactory character and fitness screening) in the semester in which 75 credit hours are/will be achieved.

Interview with SLU Law admissions representatives (usually fall of junior year; interview should include evidence of candidate's ability to succeed in law school).

Students will be required to complete at least 75% of the credits necessary to earn their undergraduate degree (i.e., a minimum of 91 credits) before entering their first year of law school. These credits must include all College/University core requirements as well as all Criminology and Criminal Justice major requirements not earned by successfully completing their first year of law school. No undergraduate courses may be taken during the first year of law school.

Students will be awarded their bachelor's degrees after the successful completion of their first year of law school. Students not admitted to SLU Law will need to complete the standard requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice during their 4th year.

SLU Law School retains unfettered discretion to accept or reject any applicant applying to the law school through this program. Students will go through the normal acceptance process used by SLU Law to evaluate candidates to its law school. 

Program Requirements

Up to twenty-nine (29) credits of law school credit taken in the fourth year will count toward the bachelor's degree, allowing students to earn their B.A. after successfully completing their first year of law school with the potential to earn both a J.D. and B.A. in six years.

The first year of law school coursework will count toward twenty (20) general elective credits and nine (9) criminology and criminal justice elective credits. 

Students must maintain a 3.20 cumulative GPA to remain in the accelerated program, but no additional GPA requirements will be set.

This roadmap is just one example of a semester-by-semester plan of study for this program. There are other plans students can and do take. The plan of study for each particular student is established in consultation with each student’s academic advisor; this roadmap does not replace academic advising appointments.

Roadmap notes:

• This Roadmap assumes full-time enrollment unless otherwise noted.
• Courses/Milestones marked with an “!” are critical and must be completed in the semester listed in the Roadmap to ensure a timely graduation.
• Course availability and sequencing are subject to change.

Please note, most CCJ classes are offered only once per academic year and need to be taken when offered. 

Students should finish all University Undergraduate Core requirements and all major requirements by the end of the third year, with the exception of the nine credits of CCJ electives and 21 credits of general electives, which will be fulfilled by law coursework in the fourth year. 

Apply for Admission

For admission questions contact:

Social Work School Graduate Admissions Office
sswadmissions@slu.edu
314-977-2752

For program questions contact:

Dyan McGuire, Ph.D., J.D.
Director of criminology and criminal justice programs
Associate professor of criminology and criminal justice
dyan.mcguire@slu.edu
314-977-2191