Prelaw

Spradling Center for Law and Politics

Law schools agree that a variety of majors prepare students for law school; there is no single preferred course of study for prelaw students. There are a variety of majors they advise students to pursue in order to prepare for law school. The U.S. Department of Labor recommends that students who wish to attend law school should become proficient in writing and speaking, reading, researching, analyzing and thinking critically. They recommend “Courses in English, foreign languages, public speaking, government, philosophy, history, economics, mathematics and computer science, among others.” Students may also find useful any courses that acquaint students with legal vocabulary and “hypothetical” exam questions, a staple of law school exams. Some of the MSSU majors that help prepare a student for law school include: Accounting, Criminal Justice, English, History, International Studies, Mathematics, Political Science and Sociology. There is also a Legal Studies minor open to any student regardless of major. There are a variety of courses which would be helpful to any student desiring to enter law school no matter what major he or she chooses.

Missouri Southern also offers a variety of activities to prepare students for the law school experience. These activities include Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) training sessions, field trips to law schools and on-campus visits by law school recruiters to help students prepare for and select a law school.

The curriculum for prelaw students should be jointly planned by the student and one of the prelaw advisors below. The student may major in almost any discipline emphasizing development of the academic skills necessary to prepare the student for performing well on the LSAT and for the rigorous study required in law school. The major may be determined by the student’s general area of academic interest and by the type of law the student plans to practice, such as government service, private practice, corporate law, criminal prosecution or criminal defense.

For additional information contact:

Brett Meeker • meeker-b@mssu.edu