Give your current degree a law & society flavour. In this program, you will explore different approaches to law, acquire critical skills for socio-legal study and research and understand how law operates in our daily lives. You may earn a General Certificate in Law & Society concurrent with fulfilling the requirements for a BA in any area. This certificate is not, however, open to students who are pursuing, or who already hold, a degree in Law & Society.

To qualify for the General Certificate in Law & Society, students must complete 24 credits from a list of approved Law & Society courses, with a cumulative grade point average in these 24 credits of 5.0 (C+) or higher.

Course requirements for the general certificate are as follows:

• AP/SOSC 2350 6.0 (pre-requisite SOSC 1375 3.0 as of September 2009)
• 18 credits from either the CORE or EXTENDED* list of approved Law & Society courses. At least six credits must be taken at the 4000 level.

A maximum of 12 credits may be taken through the Department of Political Science and may not be used to fulfill both the Public Policy and Administration degree and the General Certificate in Law & Society. Further information about the General Certificate in Law & Society is available through the Program office.

Application for Admission

This certificate is open to current York students in a degree program other than Law & Society and who do not already hold a university degree in a law and society-related discipline. 

Certificates allow you to complete a specific group of university courses (for credit) as either part of your degree studies or separately. Additional details on certificates are available here.

Please note: Certificate in Law & Society is not a pre-law preparatory program.

If you are a current York student in a degree program other than Law & Society, contact the Law & Society program to find out about admissibility requirements and the application process.