While the rest of the world is handing out Bachelor of Arts in Law degrees, the University of Arizona will finally catch the United States up to speed. The James E. Rogers College of Law at the UA will be the first university to offer a Bachelor of Arts, according UA News. This is a step up considering Arizona leads the nation in increased tuition costs and education funding cuts.

“A Juris Doctor is a highly valuable degree and there are roles that only lawyers can serve,” said Marc Miller, dean of the James E. Rogers College of Law at the UA. “But training a broader range of students will serve society, open careers in areas of substantial regulation, respond to changes in technology and the forces of globalization, and invite opportunities for the delivery of new and more accessible legal services.”

Here’s what the program will have to offer:

Students will receive core legal training, including instruction in key substantive areas of the law, such as property, contracts, torts, constitutional law, administrative law, and criminal and civil procedure. Students will acquire critical skills such as the ability to “think like a lawyer” and the ability to make clearly written and organized legal arguments. On graduation, students will be well-equipped for direct employment in an increasing number of jobs where legal training is an advantage, or to pursue further legal education in law school.

Students are required to take four core law courses, totaling 12 units. After completing these core classes, students may specialize in upper-level courses in areas as wide-ranging as employment law, family law, business law, international law, trade law, Native American law, and environmental law.
Possible careers open to graduates of the program include, as illustrative examples, positions in corporate compliance, tax advising, business management, trade, banking and finance, conflict resolution, contracts administration, city planning, health administration, resource management, human resources, policy analysis, and legal technology consulting.

As part of the new undergraduate program, a 3+3 program will be available. This program will provide academically talented University of Arizona undergraduates with the ability to complete their Bachelor of Arts in Law—and the Juris Doctor—in only 6 years of study.