There are few business decisions of any consequence that are without legal risks. Businesses must operate within domestic and international legal frameworks. Therefore, knowledge of business law is a vital, inherent part of business. The study of law also develops students' critical thinking, analytical, and negotiation skills---all of which are essential to being a successful businessperson. The Department of Law offers a business law minor that includes cutting-edge courses related to the legal regulation of e-commerce, employment relationships, the environment, the entertainment business, entrepreneurial ventures, the health care sector, international trade, intellectual property, real estate, and securities markets. In addition, the department supervises real estate law offerings and administers the Tier III concentration in law and policy.
The Department of Law at the Zicklin School of Business and the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences offer a joint interdisciplinary program in law and policy that satisfies Baruch College's liberal arts minor requirement. The law and policy concentration is suitable for both liberal arts and business students who have an interest in developing a critical, multidisciplinary understanding of the U.S. legal system. This program focuses on analyzing the legal system from various liberal arts and jurisprudential perspectives and thus draws heavily on philosophical, historical, sociological, and political insights about law and individual rights.
To satisfy the liberal arts minor concentration in law and policy, students must first take two of the courses listed below from the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences and then take one of the capstone courses offered by Department of Law.
Arts and Sciences Courses
| Civil Rights Legislation and Litigation | 3 credits | |||
| Economic and Legal Aspects of Ecology | 3 credits | |||
| Social Welfare Policy
| 3 credits | |||
| Religion and Politics in the United States
| 3 credits | |||
| African American History ( | 3 credits | |||
| Women in America | 3 credits | |||
| Media Ethics | 3 credits | ||||
| Law and the Environment* | 3 credits | |||
| Law, Business and Sustainability* | 3 credits | |||
| Philosophy of Law | 3 credits | |||
| Crime and Punishment | 3 credits | |||
| Constitutional Law | 3 credits | |||
| Civil Liberties | 3 credits | |||
| Urban Public Policy | 3 credits | |||
| Psychology and Law | 3 credits | |||
| Crime and Justice in Sociological Perspective | 3 credits |
Capstone Courses
There are presently three capstone courses for the interdisciplinary law and policy liberal arts minor concentration. Students in this program must take one of these three courses after taking two of the Arts and Sciences courses listed above.
| Law, Public Policy and Legal Theory | 3 credits | |
| U.S. Immigration Law and Policy | 3 credits | |
| Women, Law and Policy | 3 credits |
*For the purposes of this program, this course counts as an Arts and Sciences course.
The Department of Law also offers a minor in business law for students in the Zicklin School of Business, which is oriented toward the legal regulation of business, rather than liberal arts. Unlike the interdisciplinary law and policy liberal arts minor concentration, the Zicklin business law minor does not satisfy Baruch College's liberal arts minor requirement. Students with an interest in business law are encouraged to take the business law minor in addition to the liberal arts concentration used to satisfy the liberal arts minor requirement. To satisfy the business law minor, students may choose any three courses (9 credits) from the 3000-level courses offered by the Law Department offerings (subject to satisfaction of prerequisites).
**Optional second minor open only to students pursuing a major within the Zicklin School of Business.
Students in the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences or in the School of Public Affairs who wish to take business courses may do so by declaring a minor in law and business. Before declaring the minor, they must complete either BUS 1001 (1 credit) or have previously completed BUS 1000 (3 credits). To be awarded the minor, students must have a GPA of 2.0 or more in the courses included in the minor. Eligibility to declare such a minor is restricted to students who have an overall GPA of 2.0 or more at the time they declare the minor. Courses that apply to the minor may not be used for any other requirement. This minor does not fulfill the requirement to complete a liberal arts minor. Students may choose any three courses (9 credits) from the 3000-level courses offered by the Law Department offerings (subject to satisfaction of prerequisites).