Pre-Law Advising

Law-related Courses

According to the American Bar Association (ABA), there is no recommended prelaw curriculum or prerequisites for law school. Law schools seek applicants with strong grades, who are intellectually curious, who have well-developed study habits, and who can write well, reason abstractly and think critically. Most, if not all, Drexel majors develop these skills. In fact, many of Drexel’s most successful law school applicants come from majors that are not typically associated with prelaw.

For these reasons, Drexel does not recommend any specific major(s) or course(s) as providing “ideal” preparation for law school. Students who wish to develop the skills that are important to success in law school should consider taking classes from a variety of majors. When selecting courses, students should keep in mind the following:

• Will the course fulfill a graduation requirement as either a requirement or an elective? Students should meet with their academic advisor regularly to review and update their plan of study.
• Is the course writing intensive?
• Is the course obviously challenging, or does the course name and/or number suggest a lack of academic rigor?
• Will the course expose you to legal concepts and/or the Socratic method? While not important in the admission process, such classes can help confirm (or dispel) your interest in legal study.
• Does the course broaden your academic horizons and make you a more well-rounded student?

Courses that may meet these tests include:

• Most courses in the Legal Studies department (Employment Law, Corporate Governance, Intellectual Property, etc.)
• Upper-level courses in the History and Political Science department, particularly those that focus on the Supreme Court, the Constitution or similar topics
• Upper-level courses in Economics, Finance and Mathematics
• Engineering, Business and Computer Science courses that stress analysis and problem solving
• Any course designated as Writing Intensive (WI)
• Any course designated as Honors
• Small-group seminars that feature a high level of student participation and student-faculty interaction
• Courses in the hard sciences such as Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Astronomy, Zoology
• Foreign languages