Pre-Law Minor
The Pre-law minor provides students with an interdisciplinary foundation in the skills required for law school and many legal professions: critical thinking, problem solving, persuasive communication, and perspectives on justice and legal history. Students can pair this minor with any major, since law schools enroll students from nearly every academic discipline. Often, law school applicants have traditional humanities/social sciences majors such as history or psychology, but law programs are also interested in applicants with diverse specialties such as nursing, math, and biology. The American Bar Association encourages students “to pursue an area of study that interests and challenges you, while taking advantage of opportunities to develop your research and writing skills.” The Pre-law minor helps students build these fundamental skills and provides a more focused path toward admittance to law school.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the pre-law minor, students will:
- Demonstrate communication and writing skills that enable persuasive and effective communication and advocacy.
- Demonstrate the ability to critically analyze legal and/or social issues.
- Understand ways in which legal systems and the larger society influence one another.
Minor Requirements
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
Choose one course from the list below (3 credits):
Writing
Select one course from the list below (3 credits)
| ENG 204 | Introduction to Professional Writing | 3.00 |
| ENG 401A | Advanced Composition | 3.00 |
| ENG 411B | Principles of Modern Grammar | 3.00 |
Persuasive Communication and Group Dynamics
Select one course from the list below (3 credits):
| COM 329 | Business and Professional Speaking | 3.00 |
| COM 335 | Communication in the Public Interest | 3.00 |
| COM 404 | Principles of Persuasion | 3.00 |
| COM 412 | Intercultural Communication | 3.00 |
| COM 434 | Communication and Conflict Resolution | 3.00 |
| COM 464 | Leadership: A Communication Perspective | 3.00 |
| PSY 460 | Social Psychology | 3.00 |
Society and Justice
Select two courses from the list below (6 credits):
| CRJ 321 | Immigration and Justice | 3.00 |
| CRJ 411 | Comparative Criminal Justice Systems | 3.00 |
| CRJ 419 | Law and Society | 3.00 |
| CRJ 438 | Social Inequality and Crime | 3.00 |
| PSY 468 | Psychology of Inequality | 3.00 |
| PSY 469 | Psychology and the Legal System | 3.00 |
| SOC 441 | Social Inequality | 3.00 |
Legal Environment
Select one course from the list below (3 credits):
| BLW 302 | Legal Environment | 3.00 |
| CRJ 222 | Criminal Law & Procedures | 3.00 |
| ENV 345 | Environmental Regulations: History, Law, and Methods | 3.00 |
| HIST 401 | US Constitutional & Legal History | 3.00 |
| PSC 210 | American Public Policy | 3.00 |
Summary of credit requirements for the Minor in Pre-Law
| Critical Thinking and Problem Solving |
3 |
| Writing |
3 |
| Persuasive Communication & Group Dynamics |
3 |
| Society & Justice |
6
|
| Legal Environment |
3 |
| Total |
18 |