Pre-Law Minor
There is no “preferred major” to prepare you for law school. Most law schools, as well as the American Bar Association, recommend that you choose a major on the basis of interest. That makes sense because you will probably do better studying something you are interested in. Most law schools are even reluctant to prescribe a list of courses you should take.
Although we agree in general with these opinions, we feel that it is possible to provide some structure to the Pre-Law experience. We have two goals in this. The first is to help you to maximize your chances of being accepted into law school. The second is to help you to succeed once you get there.
With these goals in mind, we have developed the program described below. It consists of a composite of classroom and other experiences. Successful completion of this program will result in a Minor in Pre-Law, a designation that will be included on your transcript. More importantly, it will help put you on the road to a successful law career.
Internship
Each student will be expected to complete an internship with an attorney. The purpose of this internship will be to expose the student to legal practice as it is performed on a daily basis. The internship will be governed by a “learning contract” that will specify the expectations and obligations of each party. The contract will also specify the conditions for the student to successfully complete the requirement. Internships will be coordinated through the Career Center.
Mentoring Program
Whenever possible, students in the Pre-Law Minor will be paired with a practicing attorney who will serve as a mentor to the student. This experience will augment the more formal learning that occurs in classes and internships and will orient the student to the formal, but important, aspects of the culture of legal practice.
Students preparing for law school should strive to develop a broad base of knowledge by taking courses across a variety of disciplines. There is no preferred major for students seeking to study law, but these students should develop their skills in reading, writing, speech communication and critical thinking, while seeking out classes that will offer insight into a variety of areas of human knowledge. This broad preparation will equip students for the intense reading, interaction and application of concepts required to complete a law degree.
Students in the Pre-Law Minor are required to complete a minimum of 18 semester hours of coursework. A minimum of 12 of these hours must be at the 300-level or above. Students must take two courses from Group 1 and two courses from Group 2. POL 280 Constitutional Law and PLS 450 Topics in Legal Studies are required of all students.
Requirements
Pre-Law Minor Requirements
Six hours from each group. Nine total hours at the 300-level or above.
Group One Courses (select two):
Group Two Courses (select two):
| COM 150 | Introduction to Communication Studies | 3 |
| COM 290 | Communication, Culture & Identity | 3 |
| COM 363 | Media & Politics | 3 |
| ENG 340 | Management & Leadership Skills in Litera | 3 |
| ENG 363 | Seminar in Tutoring & Writing | 3 |
| HIST 390 | Making of the Contemporary World | 3 |
| HIST 236 | American Women in History | 3 |
| HIST 311 | The Contemporary United States | 3 |
| PHI 205 | Survey of Western Philosophy | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 6 |
Total Credit Hours: 18