prelaw.jpg

Pre-Law

Prepare for Law School

Is a career in law in your futureDakota Wesleyan recommends pairing your pre-law major with a minor in history, communication, economics or political science

What jobs can you do with
pre-law? 
 

After attending law school, you may find passion working as an individual practitioner or as an employee of a public interest group.  

Private law firms
Government or politics
Finance or investment banking sectors
Nonprofit firms
Higher Education  

A pre-law major does not outline certain courses or co-curricular activities for students because of the wide range of relevant pre-law preparation. Dakota Wesleyan will help you gain critical and collaborative thinking skills, effective expression, cultural and global awareness, civic values and personal growth and maturity to prepare for your journey ahead.  

Pre-Law Courses

Law schools will look for your ability to understand, to think critically, and to communicate with clarity and force.

BUS 363 Business Law II
3 Hours
This is a continuation of Business Law I, with special emphasis on the uniform commercial code. Prerequisite: BUS 263.
ENG 215 Business and Technical Writing
3 Hours
Students will be introduced to professional expectations for written communication in the workplace and on the Web. Students will develop an understanding of purpose and audience while writing and revising a variety of goal-oriented projects. In preparation for a research project, students will develop a variety of texts, including memos, letters, analytical reports, presentation and proposals. Prerequisite: Successful completion of ENG 111.
ECO 232 Principles of Microeconomics
3 Hours
This course introduces students to economic analysis of the individual firm and market. It includes study of basic supply and demand model, the role of government in the economy, cost analysis of the form and application of principles to various markets and social problems.
ECO 231 Principles of Macroeconomics
3 Hours
This course introduces students to analysis of the macro-economy. It includes study of aggregate supply and demand model, Keynesian multiplier model, banking and monetary policy and applications to current macroeconomic problems.
BUS 484 Business Analysis and Strategy
3 Hours
This is the senior capstone course for majors in business. The three main components of the course include (1) in-class instruction covering the primary topics of formulating corporate strategy; building corporate vision, mission and performance objectives; and, analyzing a corporation’s internal and external environments; (2) a business simulation which challenges students to run an international business enterprise in competition with peers from all over the world; (3) and preparation and delivery of the culminating capstone presentation that will be delivered to a campus wide audience, discussing the results of the student’s simulation experience. Prerequisites: Senior status, all business core courses, or consent of instructor.
BUS 371 Principles of Marketing
3 Hours
Students will study the marketing function in national and international business. The course includes discussion of market definition, marketing environment, marketing information and decision making about product, pricing, promotion and placement. Prerequisite: Sophomore status.
BUS 356 Operations/Information Management
3 Hours
The focus of the course is on how organizations identify, generate and use planning and control information. Topics relating to operations management include forecasting, work design and measurement, quality management, scheduling of operations and personnel, inventory management/production planning, resource allocation, project management, and supply chain management. Topics relating to information management include needs assessment, analysis and description of information flow, decision support processes and tools, system design and management principles (including security and social/ethical issues), and project implementation (including technology acquisition). Prerequisites: MTH200 or BUS 252
BUS 101 Introduction to Business
3 Hours
This course is an introduction to the business environment. This course includes an overview of the major areas of study in the business curriculum. Students will be exposed to professional business practices and communication skills in preparation for the business core curriculum.
BUS 381 Business Ethics and Social Policy
3 Hours
This course is an introduction to ethical decision making as related to business management and public policy relating to business. It includes both theory and application to current issues.
BUS 263 Business Law I
3 Hours
Students will discuss the general principles of contracts, torts and property as applied to business relationships. Prerequisites: Sophomore status.
BUS 220 Principles of Management
Hours
MTH 200 Statistical Methods I
3 Hours
This course is an introduction to descriptive statistics, including graphs, sampling distributions, measures of central tendency, probability theory, hypothesis testing through nonparametric tests, confidence intervals, correlation and regression. Statistical applications, hypothesis testing and the use of statistical software for graphing are emphasized. Prerequisite: MTH 125 or consent of instructor.
BUS 458 Auditing
3 Hours
Students will study methods of examining and adjusting financial records. Prerequisite: BUS 354 with B- or better.
BUS 457 Advanced Accounting
3 Hours
This course reviews special topics of financial reporting and analysis and provides a detailed study of the conceptual framework of accounting, the preparation of the statement of cash flows, special reporting topics, accounting for foreign operations and international standards, and partnerships. Prerequisite: BUS 354 with B- or better.
BUS 456 Governmental and Not-for-profit Accounting
3 Hours
This course is the study of applications of accounting principles to nonprofit and government organizations. Prerequisite: BUS 252 with B- or better.
BUS 355 Cost Accounting
3 Hours
Students will study principles of cost accounting, planning, control and analysis. This course includes job order and process costing. Prerequisite: BUS 252.
BUS 354 Intermediate Accounting II
3 Hours
This course continues intermediate analysis of financial transactions and financial statements with advanced use of computers. Prerequisite: BUS 353 with B- or better.
BUS 353 Intermediate Accounting I
3 Hours
This course is an intensive analysis of financial transactions and financial statements with advanced use of computers. Prerequisite: BUS 252 with B- or better.
BUS 350 Taxation II
3 Hours
This course is an intensive analysis of principles of taxation as applied to business, to include corporations, partnerships and nonprofit organization filings. Prerequisite: BUS 349.
BUS 349 Taxation I
3 Hours
This course is an intensive analysis of principles of taxation as applied to individual income. Prerequisite: BUS 252.
BUS 305 Accounting Systems
3 Hours
This course provides a review of the use of several spreadsheet and accounting programs in solving a variety of business problems. Prerequisite: BUS 251.
BUS 252 Principles of Managerial Accounting
3 Hours
Students will learn about the operations of managerial accounting to include analysis, interpretation and application of financial data to managerial decision-making. Prerequisite: BUS 251.
BUS 251 Principles of Financial Accounting
3 Hours
This course introduces students to the analysis of financial transactions, preparation of basic financial statements and use of computers in accounting analysis. Prerequisite: BUS 150 with B- or better or consent of instructor.

Get to Know Your Professors

Be prepared for the rigors of law school. Our low student-to-teacher ratio offers valuable one-on-one interaction with professors.

Sean Flynn, Ph.D.

Professor in the Department of History

Be Ready for the LSAT

Most law schools require applicants to take a standardized the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). This test is administered on several specific dates each year. If you’re interested in law as a profession, you should contact your adviser for advice on which major will best suit you and how to prepare for the LSAT. 

The American Association of Law Schools has included the following comments regarding comprehensive preparation for success in law school and in a law career.  

Communication, English, speech and languages – “The lawyer must be able to communicate effectively in oral and written expression. The formal role of the lawyer – in court, legislature and administrative agency – and the informal roles of counselor and negotiator demand the highest skills of expression.” 

History – “History study allows the thoughtful organization of human experience so as to assist understanding … Law students often encounter concepts that are intelligible only in terms of their historical roots.”  

Philosophy – “A sensitivity to the enduring questions of personal and public morality forms an appropriate backdrop for the consideration of legal issues. Perhaps of even greater importance is the training in understanding transactions.”  

Logic, mathematics and legal decisions – “These disciplines emphasize the power of inference. They do not, however, supply the plasticity and ambiguity of fact and theory that make legal inference a different experience. For this, only the richness of verbal symbols, found in every corner of the curriculum, provides analogies.”  

Economics – “Significant numbers of legal questions ultimately involve economic issues ... The use of symbols and systems in economics can be especially valuable to prospective lawyers.” Social sciences: political science, sociology, psychology, anthropology, economics – “The interaction of law and social science is something with which the law student will want more than passing familiarity ... Law is a social science.”  

Accounting – “Prospective law students would be wise to learn basic accounting in college and certainly should be required to master at least its rudiments in law school.”  

Computer science – “One can do very well in law school with no knowledge of computers, but this knowledge will affect legal work and research increasingly. The law student who has some understanding of this technology will be better equipped for legal work in the future.” 

Related Majors & Minors

Criminal Justice

Discover ways to use your talents for law, law enforcement, juvenile support, corrections, court reporting or many other ways that are a part of the United States legal system.

    Forensic Science and Investigation

    Interested in crime investigation and forensic science? Take classes focusing on chemistry and the methods of criminal investigation.

      History

      Pursue the intricacies of history at DWU.

        Communication

        Excellent communication skills are sought by every employer, and it’s a true professional who elevates the skill of communicating to an art.

          Political Science

          Fascinated by policy and government?

            footer-banner-biology.jpg

            I'm a

            Please mail information about Dakota Wesleyan University.

            Name of High School *:
            High School Graduation Year *:
            Academic Interests *:
            Extracurricular Interests:
            Comments/Questions: