Three Plus Master’s Program

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

After completing three years of undergraduate studies Bard College at Simon’s Rock (Simon’s Rock) students participating in the program receive the Bachelor’s degree from Simon’s Rock following successful completion of their degree requirements and then complete the Master’s degree from Vermont Law School (VLS). Please note if students are interested in our new Master of Arts in Restorative Justice (MARJ) they will need to receive approval from Simon’s Rock.

REQUIREMENTS

At the time of application, students should have completed at least four semesters of full-time credit toward the Bachelor’s degree. Before entering Vermont Law School, Simon’s Rock students must complete all general education and degree requirements of their academic concentration by their junior year. Students must have a GPA of a 3.20 or higher from Simon’s Rock. Students should have no evidence of Character and Fitness concerns that would disqualify the applicant from admission.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Students should contact the Director of Career Services at Simon’s Rock early in the fall semester of their sophomore year to discuss the admissions process. Students should apply to Vermont Law School by February 15th of their junior year.

CONTACTS

Bard College at Simon’s Rock
Manat Wooten
mwooten@simons-rock.edu
More info »

Vermont Law School
Katie Merrill
kmerrill@vermontlaw.edu
More info »

A Student's Perspective

ARIELLE KING

“Being the second student to matriculate into the Vermont Law School 3-1 program through Bard College at Simon’s Rock has truly been a wonderful experience thus far. I’m currently a candidate for the Masters of Environmental Law and Policy (MELP) degree here at VLS, and will graduate in a few short months. There is definitely a large benefit of doing a graduate school program at a law school for individuals interested in pursuing a law degree afterwards, or those looking to go straight into a career. Sitting in law school classes and being surrounded by individuals in pursuit of truth, facts and justice makes for a unique graduate school experience. Plus, the appeal of said program only being a yearlong definitely helps the cold, sometimes seemingly unending, Vermont winter seem a little more bearable. You will leave this school more informed, more concerned, and more motivated to do great work in, and for, the world.

I initially decided to do this MELP program in order to decide whether environmental law was the field that I wanted to study, then practice as an attorney. Instead of finding a true answer to that question, I have thought of new questions to answer. I am now considering questions regarding the methods in which environmental law can be more effective in protecting humans, something that wasn’t seen in the Flint, Michigan Water Crisis, which I wrote about in my senior thesis for Simon’s Rock, and continued studying last semester here at VLS with visiting professor Kathleen Falk. I am using my interdisciplinary studies in writing and thinking from Simon’s Rock and the Bard Network to help reimagine environmental law as a catalyst for change in a more integrated way than just preserving the integrity of the nation’s ecosystems, with the help of VLS’s Center for New Economy, as well as the conversations that are happening both in and out of the classroom.

As a student at Vermont Law School, I have joined the Black Law Student Association and have helped start a new club, the Environmental Justice Law Society; participated in the planning of conferences and movie screenings, both for the campus and beyond; and met incredible people. Due to the community feel, small class sizes, and small town the school is located in—that’s separate from most, but just close enough to get to all—the transition from Simon’s Rock to Vermont Law was quite seamless. To any student considering the Vermont Law School 3-1 program, just apply!”