Undergraduate Certificate in Law and Society

The Law and Society certificate allows students who have an academic or pre-professional interest in legal education, socio-legal studies, criminology, and law enforcement to explore legal phenomena from different disciplinary perspectives. Instructors are drawn from political science, American studies, anthropology, business, communications, economics, ethnic studies, Hawaiian studies, history, law, philosophy, sociology, and women's studies. The certificate program is designed to provide a multidisciplinary framework to enhance studies of law within cultural and social science perspectives.

Entry Requirements

To enter the certificate program, students should have:

  • An interest in the study of legal phenomena, and
  • a GPA of at least 2.5

Coursework Requirements

Students are required to take a total of 5 classes (15 credits). Students must achieve at least a 2.5 GPA in the five certificate courses. Students may not count certificate courses towards their major or minor requirements.

1. Core Course (students may enroll through either department)

  • POLS 374: Law, Politics and Society (3), or
  • SOC 374: Law, Politics and Society (3)

2. Electives

Students must complete four additional courses (12 credits) from the following list of eligible elective courses. See UH Catalog for course descriptions.

Next Steps

Students should reach out to certificate faculty advisors to discuss course selections and explore intellectual interests and plans. Faculty advisors include:

The semester before graduation, students should submit a Certificate Requirement Form available from the Department of Political Science for verification and signatures from certificate faculty advisors.

Undergraduate Certificate in Law and Society

For inquiries on undergraduate study, see Undergraduate Advising.