College of Arts & Sciences

Need more information?

Bruce McClure is the faculty advisor for this minor. His office phone number is 859-572-5830. 

Pre-Law minor

The pre-law minor offered by the Political Science and Criminal Justice Department is open to students majoring in any program. It provides a coherent grouping of courses in the foundations and applications of the law to acquaint students with:

  • Different approaches to the study of law, including philosophical, sociological, political and historical thought;
  • Elements of legal reasoning;
  • Functions and effects of law in American society.
  • Skills necessary to succeed in a law school program including logic, research, writing, reading and analytical thought.

Students majoring in subjects such as English, history, business administration, criminal justice, economics, political science and sociology may take legal studies as a supplement to their major field.

The pre-law minor provides students who major in fields not related to law and want to apply to law school with some exposure to legal courses before pursuing their professional education. The minor does not guarantee successful admission into law school, nor is it a prerequisite for law school.

In preparation for the pre-law minor, students should have a firm understanding of basic logic, legal research, ethics, writing, macroeconomics, courts and evidence.

To that end, it is recommended that students take all of the following courses as part of their general education requirements and/or as electives prior to completing the pre-law minor. Only two of these courses serve as prerequisites for the minor: 

  • ECO 201 - Principles of Microeconomics
  • ENG 291 - Advanced College Writing
  • JUS 203 - The Criminal Court System
  • JUS 205 - Criminal Evidence
  • JUS 210 - Legal Research (minor prerequisite)
  • JUS 231 - Race Gender and Crime
  • PHI 155 - Intro to Ethics
  • PHI 165 - Intro to Logic (minor prerequisite)

Students are required to take at least eight courses (24 hours) from the following list to complete the pre-law minor:

  • ECO 301 Intermediate Microeconomics
  • ENG 331 Persuasive Writing or ENG 340 Business Writing
  • ENG 301 American Novel or ENG 306 Multicultural American Literature or ENG 315 Bible as Literature
  • HIS 311 The War for Independence and the Constitution, 1763-1789 or HIS 312 Federalist United States, 1789-1828 or HIS 589 Anglo-American Legal History
  • JUS 302 Criminal Law
  • JUS 303 Criminal Procedure or JUS 313 Rights of the Convicted or JUS 318 African American Law & Courts
  • PHI 320 Social and Political Philosophy or PHI 330 Philosophy and the Law
  • PSC 304 Introduction to the Law
  • PSC 305 The Judicial Process
  • PSC 307 Constitutional Law or PSC 308 Civil Liberties
  • PSC 480 International Law or PSC 309 Law of Mass Communication or SOC 455 Comparative Criminal Justice or PSC 394 Special Topics (with Coordinator pre-approval)
  • PSY 340/SOC 303 Social Psychology
  • SOC 305 Criminology or SOC 381 Deviance and Social Control