Law and Policy

Program Overview

The Law and Policy program provides students with a strong liberal arts foundation for the study of law and policy. The interdisciplinary nature of the program invites students to engage with a variety of different perspectives on the social and legal problems facing societies on local, state, national, and global levels. Students in this major develop a deep appreciation for the complex relationships between law, society, culture, and politics.

Law and Policy Degree Requirements

Note: Law and Policy majors cannot minor in Law and Policy or Politics.

Completion Requirements
To be eligible for graduation with the bachelor of arts degree, each student enrolled in the program must meet the UW Tacoma scholastic standards (2.00 UW GPA), credits required (minimum 180) and the final-year residency requirement and complete the following program requirements:

• Complete all general education requirements not met with transfer courses. See advisor for details.
• Must meet a minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA in courses applied to the major.
• Complete a minimum of 45 credits of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences course work. Some majors or concentrations may require more.
• Complete a minimum of 45 credits of upper-division course work, including transfer courses and UW Tacoma courses.
• Complete 5 credits of English composition with a minimum 2.0 grade. This must be completed in a student’s first two quarters at UW Tacoma.
• Complete the requirements for a major or concentration (minors are optional).
• No more than 15 elective credits can be taken for a Satisfactory/Not Satisfactory grade. See advisor for details.
• Complete at least 45 of last 60 credits in residence at the University of Washington Tacoma.
• Meet with an advisor to complete a graduation application no later than the second week of the quarter in which the student plans to graduate.
• Law and Policy requires a total of 65 credits as outlined below:

In addition to the coursework required for the major, students are required to complete general university requirements and electives, and to bring their total number of credits to 180.

Students can earn an Honors in Law and Policy by:

• Graduating with a minimum GPA of 3.50;
• Earning a minimum of 3.0 in TWRT 211; and
• Taking an additional 5 credits of capstone by taking TPOL S 480
• Earning a minimum of 3.5 in both capstones

Law and Policy Honors Declaration Form

Transfer Students

Almost all colleges offer courses that can be applied toward your Law and Policy degree. Below you will see a list of equivalent courses at select community colleges. An advisor at your institution should be able to help you, or you may contact a UW Tacoma SIAS Academic Advisor at siasadv@uw.edu.