Vermont Law School: Masters Degree Agreement

Thanks to Dr. Edward Wells, Department Chair and Professor of Environmental Studies, Wilson College established an agreement with Vermont Law School, allowing students to complete a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in four years.

This is the second agreement between Wilson College and Vermont Law School (VLS).  In 2008, Wells set up the first articulation agreement where VLS accepted Wilson graduates without facing competition as long as they met the minimum requirements.

The new agreement allows students to earn a Master’s Degree from VLS starting their sophomore year.  For three years they will study at Wilson and then they will attend VLS for a year to complete both degrees. This degree is an important step toward becoming a lawyer, giving them a degree in law and policy.

“Students with the joint degree would also be well-positioned for admission into a law school for pursuit of a Juris doctorate degree,” Clinton Barkdoll, lawyer and Adjunct Professor of Business and Economics said.

Anyone interested in the program will likely have to take extra courses over summer and possibly J-Term, but the workload is not much more than what most students face.  Classes are offered online while students continue classes at Wilson during the school year and summers.

“This is for people who know what they want to do,” Dr. Wells mentioned “It’s a great opportunity; for environmental studies, history or political science majors.  However, any major can get involved with this.”

As long as students are interested, the program will continue.  This program is offered at the regular tuition cost for a four year degree from Wilson College.

Danniele Fulmer ‘17 is a current freshman  looking into applying to the school.  She plans on majoring in Environmental Science and hopes to obtain a Master’s in Environmental Law.

“By pursuing the 3:1 program, I will get the best of both worlds— a bachelors in environmental science and a masters in environmental law, in a shorter-than-average time span. Sounds like a good deal to me!” Fulmer said.  “If other students have an interest in law, I would definitely suggest that they look into the programs that VLS has to offer.”

For more information on the Vermont Law School Agreement, contact Ed Wells at edward.wells@wilson.edu