Pre-Law
Minor
Gain a critical perspective of US institutions.
Through the pre-law minor, you will receive academic preparation for careers in law, policy and government. This program focuses on helping you gain an understanding of the policymaking process, legal analysis, and political institutions within a US context. You’ll also develop critical thinking skills to interpret the role and function of our institutions, laws, and policies — and the impacts they have on individuals and society.
This minor differs from our legal studies minor in two key ways:
- Pre-law is based in political science courses as a foundation, whereas legal studies incorporates a combination of social sciences, humanities, and business courses
- Pre-law offers a critical perspective of US institutions, whereas legal studies offers a broad understanding of the elements of the legal system and processes
Separate from the pre-law minor, we also offer a pre-law advising program that connects you to a dedicated advisor and resources for law school preparation.
Requirements
20 credits minimum of which 12 credits must be upper division.
Required courses (8 credits):
- POLS 102 American Government and Politics (4 credits)
- POLS 427 American Political Institutions (4 credits)
Select 3 of the following:
- POLS 207 Introduction to Public Policy
- POLS 418 Women and Politics
- POLS 303 Parties, Interest Groups and Public Opinion
- POLS 401 American Constitutional Law
- POLS 414 Environmental Law and Policy
- POLS 481 Law and Society
- POLS 323 Jurisprudence
- POLS/CRIM 445 Legal Reasoning
- POLS/COMM 405 Freedom of Communication
- With approval by pre-law adviser, other courses may be substituted for elective