Letters of Specialization

Sharpen your expertise within the field of legal studies.

A letter of specialization is an academic credential designed to help you explore a particular area of interest within a major. A course list guides you through class selection and creates a clear pathway within the major that is focused on this area of study. As you complete the courses, you develop an expertise in that area. Upon graduation you will receive a formal letter from the director of the program which can be cited as a credential on resumes, personal statements, and in letters of recommendation.

Comparative and International Law

A letter of specialization in Comparative and International Law enables students to build greater expertise in the ways that laws, legal systems, justice, and rights operate internationally and in domestic contexts outside the United States. Students who complete the letter gain an appreciation for diverse international perspectives and approaches, become more engaged global citizens, and build a strong foundation for work in the public, non-profit and private sectors, especially in fields that require cross-cultural collaboration and understanding.

Conflict Resolution

The letter of specialization in Conflict Resolution reflects student achievement in the interdisciplinary study of conflict and conflict resolution. Students gain expertise through exposure to scholarship from a variety of cultures and disputing contexts and acquire analytical skills to effectively apply socio-legal analyses to case studies and real-world applications of dispute resolution. Students completing the letter demonstrate the ability to critically assess sources of complex conflicts and the applicability of legal and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to address them. This broad foundation and set of transferable analytical skills prepare students for careers in the public, private, and non-profit sectors.

Constitutional Law

A letter of specialization in Constitutional Law enables students to build greater expertise in understanding the ways in which the U.S. Constitution is shaped by law, politics, and society. Students who complete the letter gain rich insights into how to read and critique case law, become more engaged in debates about how best to interpret the Constitution, and build a strong foundation for careers in the public, non-profit, and private sectors, especially in fields that require a deep understanding of how the Constitution does and does not serve the people who are governed by it.

Law and Social Justice

The letter of specialization in Law and Social Justice signifies a broad base for understanding economic, social, and political inequality, and the role of law and alternative dispute resolution in perpetuating and alleviating inequality. Courses that qualify for this letter span domestic and international legal studies, and students who earn this letter demonstrate commitment to understanding how law, as part of society, can serve emancipatory and oppressive goals.

Data Analytics for Politics, Policy, and Legal Studies (DAPPLS)

Students who complete the letter will have a strong foundation in the basics of designing social and political research, as well as more extensive training in at least two techniques for collecting and analyzing data. Students will additionally have the opportunity to apply these technical skills in substantive coursework and in a hands-on research setting. Students will be well qualified to serve in positions where they work actively with specialists to design research to answer specific questions and to translate research for practitioners and other non-specialist audiences. Some students may want to combine the letter of specialization with an accelerated master’s program to build greater expertise in data analytic skills that are likely to be highly attractive for positions across the public, nonprofit and private sectors.

School of Public Policy

University of Massachusetts Amherst
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