Pre-Law

Advisors:听Matthew Harrigan (Director of Pre-Law Advising), Mike Dana, Melissa Donegan, Meg Eppel Gudgeirsson, Diana Morlang, Lawrence Nelson

杏吧视频 offers undergraduates and recent alumni a team of advisors to provide guidance related to (1) vocational discernment and legal career paths, (2) developing an undergraduate plan in preparation for studying law, (3) identifying target law schools and navigating the application timeline, (4) preparing and revising application materials, and (5) laying an early foundation that will lead to a rewarding legal career.听To schedule a meeting听with a pre-law advisor, students can either make a pre-law advising appointment in the Drahmann Center system or reach out to an advisor directly.

There is no specific major or curriculum required to qualify for law school admission. Successful law school applicants come from a diverse range听of majors, across the social and behavioral sciences, humanities, business, and STEM fields. However, to successfully prepare for the LSAT and the rigors of law school classes, students are advised to select courses that deepen reading comprehension, promote logical reasoning, demand discipline,听and help develop听analytical abilities, research skills, intellectual creativity, 听and precision in written and oral communication. For students seeking a structured course plan, the departments of philosophy and political science offer pre-law emphases within their majors (in philosophy, it is also available within the minor). Several departments around the university also offer relevant courses on an elective basis, regardless of enrollment in an emphasis. The following is a non-exhaustive list of courses that may be of interest to pre-law students:

Ethics and the Law

CLAS 188. Greek Justice and Democratic Juries

PHIL 30. Ethics and the Law

PHIL 43. Religion and American Law

PHIL 44. Free Speech, Hate Speech, and Civil Discourse

PHIL 45. Civility and Democracy

PHIL 117. Bioethics and the Law

PHIL 118. Ethics and Constitutional Law

PHIL 119. Ethics and Criminal Law

PHIL 121. Political Philosophy and Ethics

PHIL 123. Philosophy of Law

Skills for Legal Careers

COMM 2. Public Speaking

COMM 129. Advanced Public Speaking

COMM 153. Dialogue and Deliberation

ENGL 100. Writing in the Public Interest

ENGL 115. Argumentation

PHIL 17. Informal Logic

PHIL 18. Introduction to Formal Logic

THTR 8. Acting for Non-Majors

THTR 21. Voice, Speech, and Presentation Skills

Institutions and Policy

ACTG 150. Financial Fraud: Detection and Investigation

BUSN 85. Business Law

COMM 167. Communication Law

ECON 126. Economics and Law

ENVS 120. Introduction to Environmental Law and Regulation in the U.S.

ENVS 122. Environmental Politics and Policy

ENVS 124. Water Law and Policy

FNCE 125. Corporate Financial Policy

FNCE 131. Real Estate Law

MGMT 169. Business and Public Policy

PHSC 156. Health Policy

POLI 45. Criminal Justice System

POLI 124. Law, Security, and Force

POLI 125. International Law

POLI 159. Liberty and the U.S. Constitution

POLI 160. Equality and the U.S. Constitution

POLI 161. Law and Politics in the United States

POLI 163. State & Local Politics

POLI 167. Making Public Policy

POLI 168. U.S. Criminal Legal System: Policy and Reform

POLI 195L. Seminar in U.S. Politics (law-focused)

SOCI 161. Sociology of the Criminal Justice System

Justice and Equality

CHST 106. Urban Education and Multiculturalism

ENVS 170. Environmental Justice

ETHN 120. Immigration in the United States

ETHN 126. Latina/o/x Immigrant Detention and Incorporation in the Age of Terrorism

ETHN 127. Race and Mass Incarceration

ETHN 149. Civil Rights and Anti-Colonial Movements

ETHN 153. Minority Politics in the United States

ETHN 155. Racism in the United States

GNSX 118. Gender and Law in the U.S.

GNSX 188. Gender and Justice

GNSX 189. Sex, Law, and Social Justice

GNSX 193. Gender, Race, Rights, and Resistance

HIST 114. Race, Class, Gender, and Freedom

HIST 138S. Gender and Rights in the Modern Era

HIST 155. African American Pursuit of Freedom

HIST 160. Race and Immigration in the United States

PHSC 187. Structural Racism

POLI 175. Immigration and Citizenship in U.S. Law and Politics

POLI 176. American Indian Affairs in U.S. Law and Politics

SOCI 65. Crime and Delinquency

SOCI 154. Inequality, Poverty, and Social Policy in the United States

SOCI 159. Crime and Punishment

SOCI 160. Law and Society

SOCI 162. Gender and Justice

SOCI 175. Race and Inequality

Internships

The following options exist for students seeking to receive course credit for off-campus internships related to the law. Note that students are responsible for securing their own internships.

ASCI 198. Internship

BUSN 198. Internship

COMM 198. Internship

ELSJ 50. Law and Social Justice

ETHN 198. Internship

GNSX 198. Internship

POLI 198. Public Service Internship

POLI 198A/B/C. Public Sector Study & Internship

SOCI 198. Public Sociology