Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy - Specialization in Law

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Students are admitted to law school from a wide variety of academic disciplines, and no specific major is required for entrance. The American Bar Association (ABA) recommends pursuing an area of study that interests you and helps you develop a strong skill set in problem solving, critical reading, writing, oral communication and research. Law schools judge applicants based on their diversity of experiences, GPA and LSAT scores. The philosophy major offers excellent preparation for law school because it excels at teaching the skills needed for law school and in legal professions. On average, philosophy majors tend to excel on the LSAT, and philosophy majors have a high law school admission rate. The Department of Philosophy offers a BA in philosophy with a specialization in law that specifies 15 hours of 33 required credit hours to complete the philosophy major. By including this coursework, the BA in philosophy with a law specialization is designed to guide students toward curricular decisions that will facilitate their future success in law school and in subsequent legal professions. Students aspiring to law school may also wish to complete the pre-law minor. Students completing the BA in philosophy with a specialization in law will need to complete five additional courses outside of philosophy for the pre-law minor. Other programs of study correlated with high law school acceptance rates and high LSAT scores include economics, English, history and political science. These may be combined with the philosophy major as either a second major or a minor.

College of Arts and Sciences