Legal Studies, Business Law Concentration, M.S.

Admission Requirements

Admission to the M.S. in Legal Studies Business Law Concentration requires one of the following:

1. a graduate or professional degree from an accredited institution of higher education. If the applicant was enrolled in another graduate program but did not earn a degree from that program, they must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 on all graduate work from an accredited institution of higher education and a minimum of 2.75 on all undergraduate work from an accredited institution of higher education.
2. a bachelor’s degree earned from an accredited institution of higher education with GPA of 3.00 or higher;
3. an earned bachelor’s degree with a GPA of 2.75 from an accredited institution of higher education or higher and five (5) or more years of professional/managerial or military experience.

NOTE: These are minimum requirements. All steps in the Application Procedures below and the supportive materials described in those steps are required and must be received by the College of Graduate Studies before the applicant will be considered for admission.

Application Procedures

All application materials are to be submitted to the College of Graduate Studies.

Applications are accepted for students to begin the Business Law concentration during any semester (fall, spring, or summer). Completed applications must be submitted by the priority admission deadlines to receive priority admission consideration. Priority admission deadlines are as follows: March 1 for the summer semester, June 1 for the fall semester, and October 1 for the spring semester. Applicants are encouraged to apply early as space for the Nashville School of Law courses may be limited and to facilitate early registration for classes. Applications will be accepted after the priority dates, but admission consideration is not guaranteed. Applicants must submit the following:

1. an application with the appropriate application fee (online at www.mtsu.edu/graduate/apply.php). Once this initial application has been accepted, the applicant will receive directions on how to enter the graduate portal to be able to submit other materials.
2. official transcripts from all previously attended colleges or universities;
3. a resume or curriculum vitae that includes

• Full name, address, and phone number;
• Post-secondary institutions attended, including GPA, major, minor and degrees earned;
• Employment history, including employer names, job titles, dates of employment, and brief description of responsibilities.

4. a professional statement and in two to three double-spaced pages describe:

• Why you are interested in this specific program
• Your professional and academic goals
• Why you feel you will be successful in this program.

5. a signed Consent/FERPA Release Form (available in the application portal) authorizing the exchange of academic information with the Nashville School of Law.

Degree Requirements

The Master of Science in Legal Studies with a concentration in Business Law requires completion of 30 semester hours.

Candidate must

1. complete a minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate coursework, which includes the required courses, with a minimum GPA of 3.0.
2. complete all courses within six (6) years from the time of admission.
3. have no more than six (6) credit hours of C grade coursework applied toward the master’s degree.
4. have no grade below a C- applied toward the degree; however, all grades are included in the calculation of the cumulative GPA.
5. reapply for admission if one or more semesters is missed, excluding summers, regardless of the reason. If admission requirements have changed since their initial admission, students applying for readmission will have to meet the new requirements.
6. take no more than 30 percent of the total degree hours dual listed as undergraduate/graduate hours (5000-level courses).
7. not apply any undergraduate courses toward the graduate program requirements.

Curriculum: Legal Studies, Business Law Concentration

The following illustrates the minimum coursework requirements.

NOTE for NSL courses: The program is designed with two core courses to be taken as an enrolled student at the Nashville School of Law (NSL). Students will pay NSL tuition and fees directly to NSL for these two courses (1054L Contracts and 1064L Legal Skills and Values). Students admitted to this concentration must be admitted to and granted permission by NSL to register for the NSL courses. NSL courses start in the fall and end in the spring based on NSL’s academic calendar.

Transfer credits: MTSU will transfer each NSL course grade on a pass/fail basis. Students must request and submit their NSL transcript to the College of Graduate Studies at MTSU for transfer credit processing. NSL credit hour calculations differ from MTSU calculations. Each 3 credit-hour NSL course transfers to MTSU as 4 credit-hours. An NSL course grade that is equal to or above the NSL standard to remain in good academic standing according to NSL policy will transfer as a passing grade. A grade that is below the NSL standard to remain in good academic standing transfers to MTSU as a failing grade and will not count for credit towards the degree.

Program Notes

Students planning to graduate in the minimum amount of time, including summer attendance, should plan their courses carefully to meet course sequencing and scheduling constraints. Students need to contact the program director each semester and seek scheduling guidance with the program director (or other person designated by the Department of Accounting) in advance of priority registration.