LSJ Major Requirements

On this page:

  • LSJ Major Requirements Overview
  • How to Apply to Graduate
  • Graduation Ceremonies
  • Degree Posting and Receiving Your Diploma

LSJ Major Requirements Overview

While LSJ continues to be a capacity-constrained major, the admissions requirements and overall curriculum are now more open allowing students more ease in completing the major. These decisions were largely made due to our smaller faculty size and creating less of a bottleneck.  

Moving forward, the Department will be using the following language to distinguish between the two curricula: 

PURPLE Curriculum 

  • The curriculum that current students are familiar with and is prior to Autumn 2024 

GOLD Curriculum 

  • The new curriculum beginning Autumn 2024 onwards 

To review the curriculum specifics for either curriculum, please visit the Purple Major Requirements page and the Gold Major Requirements page.

We will continue to run our admissions cycles during autumn, winter, and spring.  

A few changes to highlight:  

  • The major credit requirements have increased from 55 to 60
  • The core requirements have opened, while still requiring 20 credits, we no longer have the rigid categories and instead have broken it down as follows:
    • LSJ 200
    • Two courses in either Rights or Law courses
    • One 400-level capstone seminar
  • We removed the subfield section and 25 credit requirement and shifted to a 300-level section and 20 credit requirement
  • There is no longer an internship requirement
  • Lastly, we removed the two 400-level seminar requirement and in its place created an Upper-Division Electives section where at least one of those courses must be at the 400-level.    

 

How to Apply to Graduate

When to Apply

  • Quarterly Graduation Application Deadline: Third Friday of the quarter you intend to graduate.
  • Graduating Senior Priority: Up to 2 quarters before your graduation quarter (for example, apply in autumn to graduate in spring). Quarterly deadlines are posted on UW's Academic Calendar.

To apply for graduation with LSJ:

  • Submit the LSJ Graduation Application Form with the following information:
    • UW Student ID #
    • UW Email
    • First Name
    • Last Name
    • Quarter you plan to graduate
    • Year you plan to graduate
    • Other majors/degrees that you are completing. You must apply for graduation with each program.
    • Minors that you are completing, including if you need to add or drop a minor
    • Honors Programs: Departments Honors and/or College/Interdisciplinary Honors
    • If you would like me to submit right away or if you would prefer to meet first.
  • If you selected to meet first prior to submitting, an LSJ Adviser will reach out.

Minors

If you are already declared in your minor(s), you are all set. If you are not already declared in your minor(s), your LSJ adviser will submit that form when you apply to graduate. If you are completing an interdisciplinary minor (Global Health, Diversity, Human Rights, etc.), you will need to see the adviser for that minor to complete your graduation application. 

If you declared a minor that you do not intend to complete, your adviser will need to submit a form to drop you from the minor. Your degree will not be granted if minor requirements are not fulfilled. 

Double Majors and Double Degrees

If you are pursuing a double major or double degree, apply to graduate with each department. 

Changing Your Graduation Date

If you would like to change your graduation quarter, contact lsjadv@uw.edu. 

 

Graduation Ceremonies

LSJ Convocation

The LSJ Convocation Ceremony takes place during final exam week and celebrates students who graduated in summer, autumn, and winter and who applied to graduate in the upcoming spring and summer. For information about the upcoming convocation, see the LSJ Convocation page. 

UW Commencement

Students who graduated in summer, autumn, winter or applied to graduate in spring may participate in the UW Commencement. Students who graduate in the upcoming summer may participate if they apply for graduation by the third Friday of spring quarter. See the Commencement website for information. 

NOTE: Participating in graduation ceremonies does not mean that you have graduated. Degrees are conferred only when all graduation requirements have been fulfilled 

 

Degree Posting and Receiving Your Diploma

Your transcript is the official document that confirms you earned your degree. Your degree will be posted to your transcript within four weeks of the end of your final quarter. If you did not restrict release of directory information, employers can use the UW Degree Verification website to verify conferral of your degree. 

Your diploma will be mailed approximately three months after your final quarter at UW. For more informaiton, see the Graduation, Commencement and Diplomas website. 

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