Program Description
Several majors at Washington State University offer pre-law as a curriculum option.
The term "pre-law" does not refer to any specific academic major. Law schools do not prescribe particular undergraduate courses, nor do they favor certain majors in admission decisions. Any major students choose can serve as pre-law preparation.
Pre-law prepares students for law school and opens doors to advanced degrees and a wide variety of careers.
While any major that develops strong critical thinking and communication skills can serve as pre-law preparation, Washington State University offers a curriculum specially tailored to pre-law study in the following majors:
- History
- Natural Resource Sciences
- Philosophy
- Political Science
Students can further specialize their pre-law studies by taking courses in business and environmental resource economics and management, among other possibilities.
PHILOSOPHY
This option emphasizes reasoning, ethics, and political philosophy. In particular, it focuses on logic and ethics for developing the skills one needs to handle problems such as those found in the study and practice of law. The Law School Admission Test largely evaluates a student’s reasoning abilities, not factual knowledge, and philosophy majors on the whole tend to outperform students from other majors. Philosophy in general and the pre-law option, in particular, are outstanding preparation for law school.
