Legal Studies MA at UIS

[colonelcamp]

I’m considering applying for the online Legal Studies MA program at the University of Illinois Springfield. I recently completed the BAS program at UMPI and a Legal Studies masters program has piqued my interest as it’s very relevant for my current job and my overall professional experience. Has anyone done this program at this particular school? If not at this particular school, what should I look out for with this type of program at any school? I’m also looking at Purdue Global for their MLS program, but something doesn’t sit well with me about this school’s reputation. I know it’s part of Purdue university system, but only since recently. I feel like maybe the degree wouldn’t be respected. Maybe that concern is unfounded. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thx!

UIS is just down the road from me...

Thoughts on the program (as seen by a local)

UIS is part of the U of I system and is the cheapest of the three campuses. The alumni association makes no distinctions though, so the perks are there.

The MLS degree will NOT prepare you for the bar, but you know that by know. Most of the folks i have ever spoke with that did the MLS program tended to be paralegals or state government employees who would be dealing with contracts or union issues. (unions are BIG in state government here, like it or not)

As far as reputation in the legal world, i have no idea... I can say that the MLS is NOT taught by the usual U of I  School of Law faculty, as the law school is located at UIUC... UIS relies HEAVILY on adjunct professors, so the faculty might be employees of the state supreme court or the federal district court... which might be an improvement over the School of Law tenured faculty.

UIS as a general rule caters to state government employees, and this influences most of the programs they offer.

Thanks for this insight! The more I learnabout UIS program the more I feel it might not be the right one for me.

On the other hand, I'm beginning to really like what I see with the UoL Master of Laws program. The cost is right in the ballpark of what I'm willing to spend and the specialization choices look really interesting. I'd have to spend some time considering which courses I'd take. I see that they have 3 different levels of study (PGCert, PGDip and LLM). As I understand it, based on my BAS and not having any legal experience, I would most likely be placed in the PGDip Laws level speeding things up a bit. One doubt I have is about my BAS. I did most of it on Sophia, TEEX and Coursera with just the required 10 residency courses completed at UMPI. Would this be a problem?

I don't think it would be a problem. Since you were awarded a regionally accredited degree, it shouldn't matter how you earned the credits for your bachelor's.

I'm just being paranoid. Thanks!

[colonelcamp]

So, I applied to UoL's LLM program and was accepted at the PGDip Level. It was a quick and smooth process. They wanted my transcript along with a resume with my full work history. Easy enough. The degree is made up of 4 courses with 4 modules for a total of 16 modules and 192 credits. To specialize in a specific area, you have to take at least 3 courses from that area. I plan to specialize in Computer and Communication Law as it's most relevant to my field. I'll also do another course on Advanced Contract Law that lies in another specialization. I feel good about this.

While I feel good about UoL, I am still a little stuck on UIS. Looking at the course list of all the 400 and 500 level courses, they're mostly all ones in which I have a deep interest. However, the only one that has any professional relevance is the Business Law course and that one seems light, as someone else pointed out in an earlier comment.

I'm most likely going to go with UoL.

[newdegree]

Go for an LLM next; it's 24 credits after the LLB, and it will allow you to sit the bar exam if you wish. I would honestly scratch out UIS, as this might work out better.

[colonelcamp]

Go for an LLM next; it's 24 credits after the LLB, and it will allow you to sit the bar exam if you wish. I would honestly scratch out UIS, as this might work out better.

I'm with you.