Bengaluru’s NLSIU expands horizons with new three-year BA program starting in 2025

As part of its transition to a multidisciplinary university and diversifying its academic offerings, NLSIU will begin offering a three-year BA (Hons) program from 2025.

The initiative is part of NLSIU's expansion strategies to broaden its scope beyond its legal foundation. Both BA and BA LLB students will be able to enroll in basic courses in the new BA program.

Along with practical classes spanning from AI and Machine learning to creative writing and policy advocacy, students will also have the chance to study Indian languages.

Although the goal of the expansion is to broaden NLSIU's academic offerings, others are concerned that the school is going too far and compromising its innovative position in legal education.

NLSIU's five-year BA.LLB program, which was initiated by N.R. Madhava Menon and which combines law with the humanities and social sciences, has been the benchmark for legal education in India since its founding in 1988.

NLSIU's goal to increase both its academic and physical footprint is further supported by the Karnataka government's agreement to lease an extra seven acres of land at the Jnanabharati campus for the school's usage.

However, there are also concerns about upholding NLSIU's fundamental character as a preeminent legal institution while it looks to expand.

Although the university has attempted to alter and reform the curriculum over the years, NLSIU Vice-Chancellor Sudhir Krishnaswamy said that the modifications have not been all-encompassing.

“The BA program in India has traditionally been seen as a generalist degree. Unfortunately, this has often led to weaker academic and graduate outcomes in some universities. While there are some notable successes—such as strong honors programs at Central universities and a few private universities offering innovative, specialized BA programs—the overall model has struggled,” Krishnaswamy said.

“At NLS, we aim to reposition the BA as a highly aspirational degree, accessible through a public institution. We are not replicating existing models like those of Delhi University or private universities. Instead we are designing a program that is responsive to contemporary needs and skill sets and professionally oriented with the demands of the 21st century,” he said.

According to former National Judicial Academy Director Dr Mohan Gopal, changing legal education with a hint of a multidisciplinary approach shouldn't come at the price of endangering the legal system's ability to function.

“I personally feel the study of law has to be interdisciplinary and intersectional. However, it has to be done within the objectives of the NLSIU Act and the founding purpose. The introduction of multidisciplinary programs must be done within the framework of Article 39A of the Indian Constitution. The Article requires the state to ensure that the legal system operates to promote justice based on equal opportunity. Therefore, any academic program, legal and non-legal, should be guided by the provisions of Article 39,” Gopal said.

“Introduction of a BA (Hons) programme should not be for the purpose of revenue generation or a profit-making enterprise. Instead it should focus on strengthening the operations of the legal system to ensure justice. Additionally, the multidisciplinary programmes should also focus on considering political, social and historical dimensions to ensure justice. At a time when democracy is silenced and the Constitution under threat, it is the role of NLS to prioritize protecting democracy and the law through the business of justice and not the business of education,” he added.

“To address this, let us return to the founding principles of the university in 1988. The university’s success was built on its ability to integrate multidisciplinary education into the study of law. This is evident in the core BA.LLB program, which combines a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws, excelling in both components rather than focusing on one at the expense of the other. The MPP program, introduced in 2014, reflects this foundational ethos. As for the new BA program, it has been designed to complement the BA.LLB program. From the outset, both programs have been conceptualized to run in parallel, creating an interconnected academic ecosystem. A strong BA program enhances the intellectual environment of the university and supports the continued strength of the BA.LLB program,” Krishnaswamy said.

“The introduction of non-legal programs like the MPP and BA Honors is not a departure from NLS’s core mission but rather an expansion of its multidisciplinary vision. Far from diminishing the integrated BA.LLB program, these additions are likely to enhance its relevance and impact by fostering a more dynamic and diverse academic culture,” he added.