Creighton University and the College of Saint Mary are partnering on an accelerated law degree program.
A law degree program usually takes seven years---four for a Bachelor’s Degree, and then three years of law school. The accelerated program is six years. After three years of undergraduate work, College of Saint Mary students accepted in to the program complete their Bachelor’s Degree during the first year of law school at Creighton.
Sally Bisson-Best, an attorney and director of College of Saint Mary’s Legal Studies Program, hopes the accelerated program will mean more young women pursue a law degree.
"Historically, enrollment of women in law school has hovered between 40 and 50 percent. Occasionally, it’s tipped over to be a little bit more than the 50 percent, but recently it’s slipped down again. And so I think it is important for young women to know that that’s still a very good career field for them to consider."
Bisson-Best says Creighton University contacted College of Saint Mary last spring about the accelerated law degree program. She says there are currently five CSM graduates in law school at Creighton.
More information on the program is available at www.csm.edu.