南达科他大学

The School of Law offers a joint degree program with Arts and Sciences College of the University of South Dakota leading to the juris doctor degree and a masters degree in history. Historians with legal training are exceedingly rare, and there are an increasing number of career opportunities in public service for those who have this interdisciplinary background. These include employment in national and state government agencies and private industry in such areas as energy, environment, civil rights and Indian law. The Department of History and the School of Law are cooperating to make this unique training available to students. Nine hours of the approved history courses may be used to fulfill the requirements for the juris doctor degree. Under the Master of Arts in History Plan-A degree program, a 30-credit hour program, 12 hours of law credit will be applied toward the Master of Arts degree. Under the Master of Arts in History Plan-B degree program, a 32-credit hour program, 14 hours of law credit will be applied toward the Master of Arts degree. More specifically, the Master of Arts in History, Plan-A, includes nine credit hours of history core (Research Seminar, Reading Seminar, and Historiography), six credit hours of theses, a minimum of three credit hours of history electives, and 12 credit hours of law, for a minimum of 30 credit hours. The Master of Arts in History, Plan-B, includes nine credit hours of history core (Research Seminar, Reading Seminar, and Historiography), a minimum of 11 credit hours of history electives, and 14 credit hours of law. The mission of the University of South Dakota School of Law is to prepare lawyers and judges for the federal, state, and American Indian justice systems in South Dakota and to provide South Dakota residents and other students an affordable legal education imparting the knowledge, skills, and values necessary for the practice of law or other careers in a culturally diverse and global environment. Students at the Law School are a highly selective group that has demonstrated intellectual aptitude and personal characteristics desirable in the legal profession, including a desire to serve others. A primary objective of the Law School curriculum is to develop analytical and other skills that are fundamental for the legal profession. The faculty employs a variety of pedagogical techniques to achieve that objective, including Socratic dialogue, the case method, lecture, and simulation. The curriculum is designed to familiarize students with basic legal doctrines and to instill in them the values of the legal profession and the judicial system. Students also have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of co-curricular and extracurricular activities at local, regional, and national levels.