Contrary to popular belief, there is not a single “best” pre-law major out there. The legal field is a profession that requires a wide range of perspectives.
The Scoop sat down with Dr. Richard Schur, a professor and student academic advisor at Drury University, to get his take on the different undergraduate majors that could lend a hand in preparing students for a possible future in the legal field. Dr. Schur received a law degree from the University of Wisconsin and a Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Kansas.
Dr. Schur constructed a list, not based on “best to worst” pre-law majors, but instead based on the top five categories of majors for pre-law students, and further, what people pursuing those degrees can bring to the legal world. Dr. Schur states, “When law schools look to admit people, they want a class that will cover the full range of human experience.”
Dr. Richard Schur, Photo provided by Drury University
5. Psychology, Criminology, Sociology
“In the behavioral sciences, you gain skills and learn social science and statistics. I think that law increasingly deals with criminal psychology and those kinds of things. So that’s a good path to go – there won’t be as many of those people in law school. Yet I think you get some decent training that will be useful there,” Schur states.
4. History, English, Political Science
Dr. Schur recommends that individuals that do not have any interest in law or are unsure of what they are going to do should major in history, English, or political science. These degrees, according to Dr. Schur, are some of the most common degrees one will find among students in law school.
Schur states, “Those degrees are general degrees that learn how to read and write, and you learn a little bit of critical thinking.” Schur majored in history himself in college and found that knowing American history is highly beneficial in a law class. He stated, “when you start studying cases, you really need to understand the context of these cases.”
3. Art, Foreign Language, Music
One may be wondering why in the world a fine art or music major would make it on this list. It turns out that these are great majors for law school. Dr. Schur is adamant that an individual chooses a discipline that they are “really deeply passionate about.”
Dr. Schur explains that roughly half of law school applicants will be history, political science, and English majors. Another fourth is made up of those with a degree in business. “There is not a lot of people that do foreign language or the arts. Yet, there are all sorts of jobs. For example, we had a student who majored in Spanish and is now an immigration attorney.”
2. Physics, Chemistry, Engineering
“A lot of people don’t think of those being good careers for law school. But there is a lot of work being done in patent law, and other science-related areas. And again, there are very few people who go to law school who have those degrees,” Dr. Schur states.
Maybe you are interested in the environment and sustainability. Dr. Schur firmly believes having a strong understanding of chemistry, biology or even physics can significantly help someone get a job in environmental law.
1. Accounting and Business
Accounting and business degrees are Dr. Schur’s top pick for being the most beneficial degree for law school. He states, “Most of the law actually involves the business world. When law firms are looking to hire people, they want people who have some business experience.”
This advice applies to all of the majors mentioned as Dr. Schur concluded, “It’s even better, in all these areas, if not only you majored in these things but if you have two to five years of experience working.”
