Utah Law will offer a major in legal studies for University of Utah undergraduate students beginning in fall 2026. The college launched its legal studies minor in fall 2025.
“I am truly delighted to offer both the major and minor in legal studies. We are very excited to welcome undergraduate students into the College of Law and are excited to see all they will accomplish in the future,” says Dean Elizabeth Kronk Warner. “The College of Law welcomes the opportunity to have a broader impact beyond our existing graduate programs and hopefully better serve Utah and the needs of its citizens.”
Kronk Warner notes that it took years to see this vision of an interdisciplinary degree come to fruition.
“I am so thankful for Professor Randy Dryer and Stephanie Peterson’s hard work overseeing this degree to completion. I am also incredibly thankful to our partners across campus who saw the value in this degree and have come together to make it a reality,” she says. “There are far too many people who have supported and nurtured this degree, and I couldn’t be prouder to be part of such a supportive University of Utah community.”
Stephanie Peterson, who serves as director of non-JD programs at Utah Law, notes that she and Associate Dean Louisa Heiny are now stepping in to carry the legal studies major forward and thanked Professor Dryer for his work bringing it to life.
“We’ve formed an ad hoc committee to help identify potential issues as we navigate logistics, administrative needs, and implementation. I’ve already begun outreach by tabling at both the Utah Law Open House and the University of Utah Major Expo in the past month to make sure we get the word out, and I am thrilled with the response so far,” she says. “A leadership member at ASUU told me she has wanted this particular degree to come to fruition for a long time.”
Learn more about the legal studies major and minor.