While law schools do not expect that students will have substantial undergraduate training in the law, some prospective applicants may want to take courses that help strengthen their relevant skills or bolster their knowledge of issues related to the law. Such students may consider 1) a pre-law emphasis through the Philosophy or Political Science departments and/or 2) taking relevant courses on an elective basis, or along the way to satisfying major or core requirements.
Major or Minor in Philosophy with a Pre-Law Emphasis
Major in Political Science with a Pre-Law Emphasis
Whether or not you major or minor in a discipline that offers a pre-law emphasis, you may be able to take several relevant courses on an elective basis. Some courses can help you strengthen skills that you will use in law school and as a lawyer, while others provide perspectives on legal problems and social issues related to the law. Check with each department to determine when these courses are offered in any given academic year and whether there are any applicable prerequisites. The following is a non-exhaustive list of suggested courses for pre-law students:
| Ethics and the Law |
Skills for Legal Careers |
- 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
|
- 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 (recommended for LSAT prep)
- PHIL 18: Introduction to Formal Logic
- THTR 8: Acting for Non-Majors
- THTR 21: Voice, Speech, and Presentation Skills
|
| Institutions and Policy |
Justice and Equality |
- 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 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: Special Topics in Public Policy
- POLI 195L: Seminar in U.S. Politics (law-focused)
- SOCI 161: Sociology of the Criminal Justice System
|
- 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
- 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
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| Internship Courses |
|
- ASCI 198: Internship (through CAS, for students whose major department does not offer an internship course)
- 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 and 198B: Public Sector Study & Internship
- SOCI 198: Public Sociology
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In considering these options, students should note that taking numerous courses with “law” in the title or acquiring a "Pre-Law Emphasis" notation on a transcript does not by itself improve their chances of gaining admission to law school. While these courses and programs may help students explore their interests and build skills, students should not feel a need to specialize in law at the undergraduate level.