Pre-Law, B.A.

General Education Requirements - 43 Credit Hours

Pre-Law majors must meet the Baccalaureate Degree Requirements  as set out in the General Education Program .

Additional Natural Science Requirements - 5 Credit Hours

Students in the School of Arts and Sciences must take five additional hours of natural science: 1 lab to accompany the course taken for general education [BIO 1043 , BIO 1023 , ESC 1043 , OCY 1043 , PHY 1033  or PHY 1063 ], and one additional natural science course and accompanying lab. The two natural sciences must be in different areas (both cannot be in biological sciences). In sum, students are required to take a minimum of 8 hours of natural science courses: two natural science courses (in two different areas) along with the labs associated with each.

Foreign Modern Language Requirement - 3-6 Credit Hours

Pre-Law majors are required to successfully complete (with a final grade of C- or higher):

• one intermediate foreign modern language course (3 credit Hours), OR
• two elementary foreign modern language courses (6 credit Hours), OR
• one elementary and one intermediate foreign modern language course (6 credit Hours).

Pre-Law majors who choose another major or minor with its own language requirements may elect to use the language requirement of that major or minor as a substitute for their Pre-Law foreign language requirement.

Note: No CLEP, AP, IB, or transient study credit may be used to fulfill this requirement. These credits must be fulfilled at PBA.

Required Courses for Pre-Law Program - 36 Credit Hours

Minor Requirement

Pre-Law majors are required to complete a minor in a discipline of their choice. In recognition of the interdisciplinary nature of the Pre-Law degree and the varying future directions of students in the major, Pre-Law majors have several options in their choice of a minor.

• If the student selects one of the four fields that are part of the core of the Pre-Law major (English, History, Philosophy or Political Science), the student must either
  • complete the total number of hours required for the minor (including taking additional courses in place of the required courses in that discipline in the Pre-Law core),
    or
  • complete four electives in the minor discipline chosen, at the course level the minor discipline requires. These four courses must include any required courses for the minor discipline that are not already core requirements in the Pre-law program. Students must also take two additional upper-level electives in English, History, Philosophy or Political Science. This is a total of 18 credit hours.
• A student may, of course, choose an entirely different area of study for a minor, depending upon the student’s interest and future plans in the field of law.
• A student who wishes to provide more breadth into the pre-law curriculum may choose the Interdisciplinary Minor. But, please note that this minor requires advanced planning. It is important that students contemplating this minor consult the University Catalog and their advisor very early in the academic career.

Additional Requirements

*28-30 additional credit hours are required to meet the 120-credit hour requirement and the 42-upper-level requirement.

All students majoring in Pre-Law must attain a “C” grade or higher in all pre-law program required courses and a “C-“ or higher in the following courses:

• HUM 1013 - Humanities I: Prehistory through 1000 A.D.
• HUM 1023 - Humanities II: The World from 1000 to 1700
• HUM 1033 - Humanities III: The World from 1700 to Present
• COM 1113 - Public Speaking
• PLS 3003 - Freedom in American Society

Sample Degree Plan

Pre-Law Degree Plan