Northern Illinois University
Department of History
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

A history degree has long been a way to prepare for a career as a lawyer. As you study history, you develop the same skills that you would need to study and practice law: research, reading, analysis, organization, argumentation, written and oral presentation. We realize that law school can seem daunting, both for the time commitment and the cost. Luckily, NIU is here to help. Along with other programs at Northern, we have partnered with the College of Law to offer an accelerated path to a law degree that is more efficient in both time and money. In this program, your last year of undergraduate studies will be your first year of law school. As a result, you will finish both your bachelor's degree and your J.D. degree in six years, instead of the usual seven. Even better, you will pay undergraduate tuition for that fourth year, saving you thousands of dollars. 

The Department of History's Accelerated Law program will enter the undergraduate catalog in Fall 2018, but you can begin your journey now. Contact our undergraduate advising staff or our pre-law advisor for more information.