Pre-Law
Prepare for Law School
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
What major should you choose with
pre-law?
A pre-law education is not a one-size fits all. Choosing a major depends on your personal and career interests. Your DWU academic adviser will help you make the best choice by offering recommendations that will strengthen your readiness for law school.
Effective reading, writing and speaking skills are highly valued by law school admission offices. DWU graduates have found success with majors as diverse as accounting, business, communication, criminal justice, English, history and psychology.
"My professors were some of the most influential people I met at DWU. They made it a priority to connect with me, and all students, on more than a superficial level. If it weren't for them, I would not have figured out major parts of my future."
- Alexis, from Martin, SD
DWU Class of 2024
University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law
Majored in History
Minored in Psychology, Criminal Justice
Pre-Law Courses
The pre-law program at Dakota Wesleyan University reflects and celebrates the many and varied pathways that you may take on your undergraduate journey toward law school. Courses will depend on your major, career goals, and essential skills needed to prepare. Law schools will look for your ability to understand, to think critically, and to communicate with clarity and force. Your DWU academic adviser will help you with recommended classes and a pathway that fits your goals. Your adviser will also emphasize the importance of maintaining high grades, preparing thoughtfully for the required Law School Admission Test (LSAT), and seeking references who will comment on your academic and character strengths.
Law School Admission Test (LSAT)
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.”
Get to Know Your Professors
Let's help you prepare for the rigors of law school. Our low student-to-teacher ratio offers valuable one-on-one interaction with professors and academic advisers.
Joel Reinesch, M.A.
Sean Flynn, Ph.D.
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.
Political Science
Fascinated by policy and government? With coursework that covers U.S. government, international relations, political thought, and more, you'll prepare for careers in law, education, government or public service.
History
Understand the past to better shape the future. Through engaging coursework and close faculty mentorship, you'll gain research, writing and analytical skills to prepare for careers in education, law, public service and beyond.
Communication
Excellent communication skills are sought by every employer, and it’s a true professional who elevates the skill of communicating to an art.
Psychology
Our psychology major will take you on an exploration of human behavior from biological, behavioral, cognitive, social and cultural viewpoints.
