By Richard LeComte 

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Two recently added bachelor’s degree programs in the University of Kentucky’s College of Arts and Sciences have drawn students with passions for the law and statistics. 

UK’s Law and Justice major began taking students in 2024. The program, developed by the College’s Department of Political Science, explores the relationships among law, politics and society in the United States and abroad.  

“The new Law and Justice major gives students the opportunity to focus on topics relevant to law and justice in a way that is broad and engaging,” said Bridgett A. King, Ph.D., director of the program and associate professor. “Because the program is interdisciplinary, students are exposed to relevant topics from a variety of different perspectives. Although many of our students do want to go to law school, the Law and Justice major is also a good option for students who are interested in careers or graduate education where law and justice will play a significant role.” 

Brady Steele, who’s majoring in Law and Justice as well as political science, is following a pre-law track toward graduation in May 2026. He enrolled in the first Law and Justice class in the fall of 2024.  

“Political science is awesome,” said Steele, who’s from western Kentucky. “It teaches you a lot about, the way policy works and the foundations of politics. But what I've discovered through Law and Justice is how the law is implemented and how it affects everyday lives. That’s something that’s important to me.” 

So far, he’s taken the introductory Law and Justice class and Rights and Equality, which was taught by Michael Zillis, Ph.D., professor of political science. He’s also taking a senior capstone class that emphasizes understanding and practicing legal writing. 

"Learning about the rights and liberties of every American citizen is foundational for me,” Steele said. "I personally want to work in politics and policy after I earn a law degree. Having a good foundation in law and justice as an undergrad will definitely pay off, hopefully, in my future, and I think it definitely has already.” 

Meanwhile, the Dr. Bing Zhang Department of Statistics has started offering an undergraduate major in statistics and data science; the first core class is being offered this year. This major is designed to equip undergrads with sufficient data literacy to prepare them for careers and to allow them gather information and ask relevant questions.  

“The new undergraduate major in Statistics and Data Science aims to equip students with the quantitative, computational and analytical skills needed to collect, analyze and interpret data in real-world contexts," said Melissa Q. Pittard, Ph.D, senior lecturer and director of the program. “The program emphasizes both theoretical foundations and applied problem-solving, preparing graduates to work across diverse fields such as business, healthcare, technology and public policy. Students also develop communication and collaboration skills through interacting with real data and experienced faculty to effectively translate data-driven insights into informed decisions.” 

Yasmin Affini, who’s majoring in statistics along with a major in marketing and a minor in business analytics in the Gatton College of Business and Economics, found the major appealing because of her strong interest in mathematics. She’s taking Introduction to Data Science and a data visualization class. 

"I was talking to, a career adviser, and they said,’ We have this new major, statistics and data science,’ and I said that’s right up my alley,” said Affini, who’s from Miamisburg, Ohio. "I've always loved working with numbers, and I've always wanted to see the different ways that numbers can explain things. I was so excited when I found out it was a new major.” 

She’s pursuing a track that will see her graduate in May 2027; at the same time, she’ll be starting to take graduate classes next year along with her undergrad program with the aim of earning a master’s in statistics and data science.  

“I'm hoping that this summer I can do research after I’ve taken these introductory classes,” she said.