What Undergraduate Degree Is Best for Law School Students?

By Dr. James Barney  |  07/23/2024

For the past decade, I have served as American Military University’s (AMU’s) pre-law school advisor, guiding and supporting numerous future law students in their journey through the law school admissions process. Of my numerous mentees that have attended law school over the years, only some were legal studies majors.

The vast majority graduated with various other degrees. But the first question aspiring law students typically ask me is if law schools prefer a particular undergraduate degree.

Many of them, who never took a law class during their undergraduate studies, believe that they may have selected the “wrong” major or missed the chance to declare themselves pre-law.

It's a common misconception that law schools prefer students from a specific major. In reality, law schools value a diverse range of academic backgrounds amongst their cohorts, and any major could be an excellent pre-law major.

Here’s the bottom line: If you want to go to law school, don’t worry too much about your undergrad major.

Instead, I encourage aspiring law students to focus on obtaining the knowledge, skills, and experience to become law students and future attorneys. I also encourage students to prepare themselves inside and outside of the classroom to submit the strongest possible application for law schools; this preparation is possible regardless of your undergraduate major.

What Are the Most Popular Majors for Applicants?

So what are the most popular majors at AMU? In my time as the school's pre-law school advisor, it seems the majority of my students primarily come from two groups.

The first group includes:  

• Political science
• History
• Criminal justice
• Business
• Arts and humanities majors like English and philosophy
• Nursing

The second group involves:

• Legal studies
• International relations
• Various science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors

This wide array of majors is not atypical and reflects nationwide trends.

What Is the Best Undergraduate Degree Before Law School?

As an undergraduate in the 1990s, I studied history and political science. At the time, most people studying those topics wanted to go to law schools.

I followed what many people would consider the traditional pathway at the time. However, times have changed since I was an undergraduate nearly three decades ago.

Now, there seems to be no single "best pre-law major" for aspiring lawyers. Unlike other countries, where students have to complete an undergraduate degree in law or declare themselves "pre-law majors" as undergraduates, there is no fixed academic preparation for law schools in the United States.

This freedom to choose is great for both students and the profession as a whole, as the law is becoming increasingly specialized. For example, various business majors – including business administration and accounting – may help a student to prepare to seek job opportunities in tax law or corporate law.

In fact, there is a need for law students who have an interest in almost every undergraduate major. For instance, students with a background in human resources may find that their undergraduate major helps them with labor and employment law matters.

Similarly, the music and entertainment industries need lawyers who have a background in the arts, science, and technology. Even STEM majors may find a niche working in intellectual property law, which often requires a high degree of scientific or technical knowledge.

In recent years, I have noticed an increase in the number of nursing students who apply for law school, reflecting the intersection between law and medicine. This change is not surprising as there is a significant need for lawyers with knowledge of medical practices and procedures in fields like personal injury and disability law.

STEM Degrees May Be Especially Useful for Aspiring Lawyers

In recent years, I’ve seen that law schools have sought to attract students with STEM backgrounds. Rapid technological changes have required lawyers to possess at least a basic working knowledge and understanding of technical matters. For example, the recent advances in artificial intelligence, robotics, biotechnology, and computing requires attorneys with legal training and the ability to deal with highly complex, non-legal subject matter.

Patent law, which deals with intellectual property, is another great example. Patent law increasingly requires lawyers to possess a high degree of scientific knowledge, making a STEM background desirable for aspiring law school applicants.

Moreover, other traditional legal subjects like tax law and environmental law require students to possess a strong math and science background. As a result, undergraduate law students who come from STEM degree programs are well-positioned during the application process; they can bring a much-needed skill set and knowledge base that distinguishes their application from the crowd.

Preparing for Law School in Any Undergraduate Major

Rather than focusing on their undergraduate degree major, students should focus on obtaining the types of skills that will prepare them for the rigors of law schools, which are:

• Logical reasoning
• Critical thinking, reading, and analysis
• Oral communication
• Writing
• Research

Aligning Course Selection with Skill Acquisition

Typically, I recommend that students take one or more courses to improve the skills they need to become law school applicants, law students, and lawyers. When my students select their courses, I tell them to consider how the course would aid their future knowledge. For example, taking an introductory course on logic or a philosophy course focusing on ethics may help these students hone their logical reasoning skills.

Similarly, taking writing and research courses – especially ones with a legal focus – is a great way to obtain experience with the type of research and writing that law students may encounter.

As for oral communication skills, classes that require formal presentations with an oral component enable students to obtain such skills.

Students should also seek out courses that force them to do a great deal of reading and writing. The ability to read extensively and write critically, both objectively and persuasively, is a skill any attorney must possess.

Most importantly, all aspiring law students need to work on their critical thinking skills. For example, I teach a class on homeland security law that asks students to engage in role-playing and debates that force them to advocate for positions that they may not personally endorse.

I deliberately assign my students these tasks. I want my students to develop the ability to see the world from another person's perspective, which is an essential element in moving one's analysis beyond mere personal opinion to objective analysis.

Taking At Least One Law Class Can Provide Students with Some Knowledge of the Law

I also recommend that aspiring law students take at least one law-related course as an undergraduate. Taking at least one course makes sense because it allows students to get a feel for legal concepts and the U.S. legal system.

Constitutional law, business law, litigation, or criminal law (just to name a few) are some of the many legal studies courses that undergraduates can take to obtain some legal knowledge. In constitutional law, students obtain an overview of the legal and judicial systems, including a discussion of the U.S. Constitution.

In business law, students focus on the types of legal issues that corporations face. I teach a litigation course that focuses on the judicial system and the role of the paralegal during various stages of the trial process.

Another option is to take a criminal law course, which provides students a broader understanding of the criminal justice system.

However, one of my favorite classes to teach – and one which may be of interest to a number of students – is sports law. This course combines a discussion of the law and the complex legal issues that sports professionals confront with how they mitigate risk using a collection of legal tools.

These types of legal studies classes, which are often constructed with the understanding that students from various majors are taking the courses, allow students to obtain at least some legal knowledge.

History and Political Science Courses Are Solid Choices

Taking a few elective history and political science courses continue to be good choices for those undergraduate students looking to prepare for law school. These courses provide students with some of the skills they will need in law school, such as reading, writing, and critical analysis of information.

For example, students have to do a great deal of reading and writing in law school. It has also been my experience that political science and history courses are comparable to law classes in regard to their reading and writing requirements.

Student Organizations Offer the Opportunity to Supplement In-Class Learning

In addition to course work, students can develop the skills needed to succeed in law school through experiential learning. For example, students interested in law school should participate in a host of extracurricular activities as undergraduates. Joining student organizations is one good way to develop the skills needed to succeed in law school.

Our students at AMU are fortunate that our school has many student organizations that provide rich opportunities to supplement their in-class experiences. In these organizations, students have the opportunity to develop their communication, leadership, team-building, and writing skills.

Don't Forget a Basic Fact: Lawyers Need to Go to Law School

In the United States, there are a handful of rare and alternative pathways to becoming an attorney, like reading the law. But the vast majority of practicing lawyers have attended law school and obtained a Juris Doctorate degree.

While law schools are experimenting with various durations and formats of J.D. degrees, most law students must complete a multi-year program of legal education after completing their undergraduate degree.

The law school pathway enables graduates to sit for a state bar exam. Consequently, almost all students who want to become attorneys must attend law school and get a Juris Doctor (JD) degree

Given this reality, any aspiring attorney must focus on obtaining admission to a law school, which requires assembling a strong application.

Disclaimer: Each applicant should become familiar with the requirements to sit for the bar in their state of choice. While the complex issues regarding the accreditation of law schools are far beyond the scope of this article, aspiring law students need to make sure that graduation from a law school will allow them to sit for the bar exam in their state of choice.

Choose Your Courses Wisely

Even though students often focus on whether or not to be a pre-law major, I often attempt to refocus students on obtaining admission to law school, which often comes down to assembling the strongest possible law school application. While there are many components of such an application, undergraduate academic performance and standardized test scores remain critically important.

A student's undergraduate GPA and law school admission test (LSAT) scores are not the only factors in the law school admissions process. But they are still very important factors that students should not overlook and continue to be more important than one's major.

Given the importance of undergraduate performance, students should carefully choose each of their courses, so that they can maximize their academic performance. In addition, students should not aim to take courses simply to inflate their GPA. Instead, serious students should balance academic rigor with the reality that they need high grades for a competitive law school application.

Similarly, students shouldn't pressure themselves to get a certain LSAT score. Instead, students need to be aware of a law school's criteria without putting undue pressure on themselves.

A student doesn't always have to have a perfect GPA or LSAT score to get into law school. There are many excellent educational options available all over the country, but students should take their course work and LSAT preparation seriously if they intend to attend law school.

Law school admissions representatives often equate first year academic success with one's undergraduate GPA and LSAT scores. Given this reality, students should pick an undergraduate major that allows them the opportunity to thrive and shine. It requires a careful balancing act as selecting what might be perceived as an easy degree may not prepare a student for the rigors of law school and the LSAT exam.

Ideally, the best undergraduate major for an aspiring law student may be the one that is rigorous, but also provides the student with the most flexibility to obtain the skills needed for law school, while aligning with their interests, skills, and passions.

Align Your Major with Your Passions and Skills

Picking a major requires careful, reflective analysis of one's skills and passions and a knowledge of how to maximize one's undergraduate performance.

I often meet aspiring law school students only after they have completed their degree programs, which is often too late to provide students with advice regarding the selection of an undergraduate major. I recommend that new college students take a personality test to ensure that their degree choice aligns with their personality type.

Prepare for the Admissions Exam at Least One Year in Advance

In addition to maximizing their GPA, students should start the preparation for the admissions exam at least one year ahead of time. The exam, while not requiring any substantive legal knowledge, asks students to demonstrate their reading comprehension, logical reasoning, and other skills in a manner that may be foreign to some students.

However, improvement on the exam is possible with practice. As a result, it makes sense for students to become familiar with the types of questions and format by taking as many practice exams as possible over an extended period.

Don't Underestimate the Importance of Experiential Learning

While many students rightly focus on their grades and majors, they often overlook the importance of factors that may play a role in the law school admissions process. For example, admissions representatives are looking to gauge an applicant's motivations for going to law school, and this knowledge of a student’s motivations is often only possible if an applicant demonstrates a clear understanding of the legal profession or legal practice.

Students can demonstrate a genuine interest in practicing law by completing a law-based internship, volunteering at a legal clinic, or working part-time as a paralegal at a local law firm. These experiences not only provide potential law students with the ability to demonstrate their interest in the law, but they also give aspiring attorneys an opportunity to obtain valuable experience and insight into the legal profession.

As you start your law school preparation process, remember that there are many resources available at AMU, including my colleagues and I. We can help you through both the admission process and the process of deciding on your major.

Legal Studies Degrees at AMU

For students interested in topics such as criminal law, paralegal procedures, the types of law, civil and criminal law processes, and legal practices and ethics, AMU offers three legal studies programs:

• An online associate degree in legal studies
• An online bachelor’s degree in legal studies
• An online master’s degree in legal studies

These academic programs are taught by experienced faculty members who possess a deep understanding of various aspects of U.S. and international law. They are designed not only to offer flexibility, but also help students develop skills such as critical thinking, research skills, and analytical skills. For more details about our legal studies programs, visit our program page.