Law schools accept all accredited baccalaureate degrees with any major and minor in specific academic areas. Thus, the pre-law student may choose any major or minor as she/he sees fit. However, the ABA has identified core legal skills that the pre-law student is advised to develop in her/his undergraduate studies in order to be successful in law school. Among these are analytical, writing, critical reading, oral communication and general research skills.
The Department of Government has designed the pre-law minor as a separate course of study within the political science major to help pre-law students develop and master these skills by exposing them to the foundation of legal writing, analysis and research, as well as preparing them to better understand how the law influences politics, social institutions and ethics in America.