Bachelor of Arts or Science in Political Science
with a Pre-Law Concentration

The Pre-Law Emphasis under the Political Science major is designed for the student who plans to attend law school or seek a career as a professional legal assistant. The law profession includes lawyers, judges, clerks, and legal research assistants and continues to expand each year in spite of the fact that we have more lawyers than doctors. The complexity of our legal system and the increasing tendency of people to seek legal remedies for their problems assures future growth in this area. Students who are interested in the law and a potential legal career should begin their preparation with a sound undergraduate background in courses that include general social science and humanities subjects. Specialization in the "law" will occur after the undergraduate degree is complete. The background needed for successful legal careers includes knowledge of governmental institutions and practices, development of skills in critical analysis and oral/written communication, and logical reasoning capacity.

What kinds of students are law schools looking for?

Law schools are looking for applicants who have sound undergraduate academic preparation, good score on the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT), evidence of leadership ability, and who are very likely to complete law school once admitted.

What courses should be taken to prepare for admission to law school?

Law schools want to see solid, basic courses covering a broad range of subjects on a student's transcript. They prefer to teach the law courses and therefore want a good foundation on which to build. The Pre-Law program at MTSU draws on the special talents of several departments, which add to a basic program of government study in the Political Science Department. Courses in speech, logic, economics, and Legal Research and Writing have been included in the Pre-Law requirements because of their valuable assistance to students. Pre-Law professors keep in close touch with law schools in order to know when the requirements need to be changed.

These are not the only requirements for the degree. Please refer to the proper Upper-Division Form (79 KB) for the complete requirements.

What is the track record of the Pre-Law program at MTSU?

The program has placed students in the Law Schools of institutions such as:

University of California at Berkeley (Boalt)
Duke University
College of William and Mary
Vanderbilt University
Tulane
Boston University

Many of our Tennessee graduates go to Vanderbilt, the University of Tennessee Law School, University of Memphis, Cumberland Law School, and the Nashville School of Law.

What GPA is needed for law school? What about the LSAT?

A 3.0 ("B") average should be considered the minimum goal for those who wish to go to law school. For top law schools the GPA should be much higher (as close to 4.0 as possible).

The Law School Admissions Test is administered several times per year in Nashville. It is required by virtually every law school. The four hour test is rigorous and demanding. Students should perpare as much as possible beforehand for the LSAT. Scores in the middle to upper 160's are generally needed for admission to more prestigious law schools. U.S. News & World Reports (1998) shows that students enrolling in Yale Law School have the highest median LSAT score at 171.

What opportunities does the Pre-Law major offer to provide a realistic idea of what lawyers do?