University Studies Major (UNCJ)

The University Studies degree is designed primarily for students with 56 or more credit hours who want to finish their bachelor’s degree. Students design their own curriculum and work closely with an academic advisor to integrate prior coursework and map out a specific plan to degree completion according to Western Michigan University requirements. The program is offered face-to-face or online and is composed of academic emphasis areas, 15 credit hours of core competencies focused on leadership communication, global citizenship, health and science, and a capstone course. Either a bachelor of science or a bachelor of arts is awarded, based on the topical areas applied.

University Studies is a degree-completion program. As such, students will not be able to declare University Studies as a second major. Likewise, students who have completed an undergraduate degree will not be able to enroll in University Studies as a second bachelor’s degree.

WMU University Studies Program - Accelerated Degree Program with WMU Thomas Cooley Law School

Students with a declared major in University Studies who are accepted into the WMU Thomas Cooley Law School may enroll in an accelerated degree program, allowing them to count credits earned from their first-year law school courses toward both their law degree and their bachelor’s degree.

Application for this program is required. Students should apply through their university studies academic advisor. Minimum requirements include acceptance into the WMU Thomas Cooley Law School, junior or senior standing, and a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or better. In collaboration with a parallel program in the College of Arts and Sciences, applications will be reviewed by a joint admissions committee consisting of CAS and university studies advising staff, CAS faculty, associate deans from CAS and WMUx, and representatives from Cooley Law School.

Students accepted into this program will enroll in 18 credits of A-S 5100 at WMU: Topics in Legal Studies, which will be scheduled in partnership with the following first-year courses at the Cooley Law School:

CIVP 105 LECT - Civil Procedure I Credits: 3 hours
CONL 404 LECT - Constitutional Law I   Credits: 3 hours
CONL 503 LECT - Constitutional Law II   Credits: 3 hours
CONT 108 LECT - Contracts I   Credits: 3 hours
CONT 213 LECT - Contracts II   Credits: 3 hours
CRLP 107 LECT - Criminal Law   Credits: 3 hours
PRSE 109 LECT - Property Law I   Credits: 3 hours
PRSE 207 LECT - Property Law II   Credits: 3 hours
TOEQ 106 LECT - Torts I   Credits: 3 hours
TOEQ 304 LECT - Torts II   Credits: 3 hours

Students in this program will receive WMU credit for 18 of the 24 credits successfully completed (with a grade of “C” or better) during their first year at Cooley. Successful completion (with a grade of “C” or better) of 18 credits of A-S 5100 will also constitute the successful completion of a university studies concentration in legal studies. Students should be aware that these credits are applicable to university studies and arts and sciences, but may not be accepted by other WMU programs.

Students in this program still need to complete all of their university studies requirements, and their WMU Essential Studies requirements, and still need a minimum of 122 credits to receive their bachelor’s degree. Students interested in pursuing this option should contact their university studies academic advisor to learn more.