STEUBENVILLE, OHIO—Responding to the need for lawyers who are educated with a Catholic worldview, Franciscan University of Steubenville has entered into partnerships with the Columbus School of Law of The Catholic University of America and with Ave Maria School of Law for an accelerated juris doctor program.

Instead of the traditional seven-year route to a law degree, qualified students will spend three years at Franciscan and three years in law school, saving on a full year of tuition costs.

To qualify, a student must maintain a 3.7 GPA while at Franciscan (Franciscan’s magna cum laude requirement) and meet the law school’s LSAT minimum. The 10 courses taken in the first year of law school will apply as electives at Franciscan University, enabling the student to obtain a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degree from Franciscan and, after two more years of law study, a JD.

Eligible Franciscan undergraduate programs with 10 elective courses that can double as first-year law courses are

• political science,
• history,
• philosophy,
• theology,
• mathematics,
• anthropology,
• modern languages (French, German, or Spanish), and
• the British and American literature concentration in English.

Other Franciscan academic programs may also be eligible for the 3-3- partnership program in some circumstances.

Additionally, students who complete four years at Franciscan with a 3.6 GPA and meet the other requirements will also be offered direct admission to both law schools.

“As society continues on a trajectory that ignores the Catholic understanding of natural law, there is a pressing need for lawyers who can integrate faith and reason into their professional life,” said Franciscan University President, Father Sean O. Sheridan, TOR, JD, JCD. “Our core curriculum teaches students how to understand the human person from a Catholic perspective, giving an excellent foundation for any student seeking a career in the legal profession.”

Within the last two years, Franciscan University has also entered into similar fast-track partnership agreements with universities that offer professional degrees in pharmacy and engineering.

For more information about Franciscan University’s law school partnership program, contact Dr. Stephen M. Krason, chairman of the Department of Political Science, at [email protected].