Explore
There is no pre-law major
Law schools do not require a specific undergraduate major, and they do not prefer one. Applicants are admitted from the sciences, the humanities, the social sciences, business, engineering and the arts.
How undergraduate study fits in
What law schools look for can be built in any field: careful reading, clear writing, reasoning from evidence, and the habit of finishing difficult work. A major you are interested in is the one you are most likely to do well in, and your record in it is what an admissions committee reads.
Some colleges offer a program called pre-law or legal studies. It is one option among many and carries no special weight in admissions. Pre-law advising is a different thing: a service most colleges offer to students in every major.
PreLaw Advisor does not rank majors and does not use your major to assess or predict anything. On your profile it is simply a record of what you studied.
One special case
Patent practice before the USPTO
Representing inventors before the United States Patent and Trademark Office in patent matters requires separate registration with that office. To register, a person must show scientific and technical qualifications and pass a registration examination. The Office accepts certain bachelor’s degrees in technical subjects and also sets out other ways to qualify.
This is a rule about one kind of practice, not about admission to law school. It does not apply to trademark or copyright work, and lawyers without the registration work on patent disputes in court. If patent prosecution interests you, read the Office’s current requirements directly, because they change.
USPTO: becoming a patent practitioner (opens in a new tab) · About patent law
Fields of study
Find your field
The list below is the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, the standard vocabulary colleges use to report their programs. It has 2,143 programs. If yours is not there, your profile accepts your own wording.
Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields
Agriculture, General
- Agriculture, General
Agricultural Business and Management
- Agricultural Business and Management, General
- Agribusiness/Agricultural Business Operations
- Agricultural Economics
- Farm/Farm and Ranch Management
- Agricultural/Farm Supplies Retailing and Wholesaling
- Agricultural Business Technology/Technician
- Agricultural Business and Management, Other
Agricultural Mechanization
- Agricultural Mechanization, General
- Agricultural Power Machinery Operation
- Agricultural Mechanics and Equipment/Machine Technology/Technician
- Irrigation Management Technology/Technician
- Agricultural Mechanization, Other
Agricultural Production Operations
- Agricultural Production Operations, General
- Animal/Livestock Husbandry and Production
- Aquaculture
- Crop Production
- Dairy Husbandry and Production
- Horse Husbandry/Equine Science and Management
- Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture
- Apiculture
- Agricultural Production Operations, Other
Agricultural and Food Products Processing
- Agricultural and Food Products Processing
Agricultural and Domestic Animal Services
- Dog/Pet/Animal Grooming
- Animal Training
- Equestrian/Equine Studies
- Taxidermy/Taxidermist
- Farrier Science
- Agricultural and Domestic Animal Services, Other
Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services
- Applied Horticulture/Horticulture Operations, General
- Ornamental Horticulture
- Greenhouse Operations and Management
- Landscaping and Groundskeeping
- Plant Nursery Operations and Management
- Turf and Turfgrass Management
- Floriculture/Floristry Operations and Management
- Public Horticulture
- Urban and Community Horticulture
- Applied Horticulture/Horticultural Business Services, Other
International Agriculture
- International Agriculture
Agricultural Public Services
- Agricultural and Extension Education Services
- Agricultural Communication/Journalism
- Agricultural Public Services, Other
Animal Sciences
- Animal Sciences, General
- Agricultural Animal Breeding
- Animal Health
- Animal Nutrition
- Dairy Science
- Livestock Management
- Poultry Science
- Animal Sciences, Other
Food Science and Technology
- Food Science
- Food Technology and Processing
- Brewing Science
- Viticulture and Enology
- Zymology/Fermentation Science
- Food Science and Technology, Other
Plant Sciences
- Plant Sciences, General
- Agronomy and Crop Science
- Horticultural Science
- Agricultural and Horticultural Plant Breeding
- Plant Protection and Integrated Pest Management
- Range Science and Management
- Plant Sciences, Other
Soil Sciences
- Soil Science and Agronomy, General
- Soil Chemistry and Physics
- Soil Microbiology
- Soil Sciences, Other
Agriculture/Veterinary Preparatory Programs
- Pre-Veterinary Studies
- Agriculture/Veterinary Preparatory Programs, Other
Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Medicine
Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences
- Veterinary Sciences/Veterinary Clinical Sciences, General
- Comparative and Laboratory Animal Medicine
- Large Animal/Food Animal and Equine Surgery and Medicine
- Small/Companion Animal Surgery and Medicine
- Veterinary Anatomy
- Veterinary Infectious Diseases
- Veterinary Microbiology and Immunobiology
- Veterinary Pathology and Pathobiology
- Veterinary Physiology
- Veterinary Preventive Medicine, Epidemiology, and Public Health
- Veterinary Toxicology and Pharmacology
- Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Other
Veterinary Administrative Services
- Veterinary Administrative Services, General
- Veterinary Office Management/Administration
- Veterinary Reception/Receptionist
- Veterinary Administrative/Executive Assistant and Veterinary Secretary
- Veterinary Administrative Services, Other
Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians
- Veterinary/Animal Health Technology/Technician and Veterinary Assistant
- Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians, Other
Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields, Other
- Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields, Other
Browse by group
- Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields
- Architecture and Related Services
- Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender, and Group Studies
- Biological and Biomedical Sciences
- Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services
- Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs
- Communications Technologies/Technicians and Support Services
- Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services
- Construction Trades
- Culinary, Entertainment, and Personal Services
- Education
- Engineering
- Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians
- English Language and Literature/Letters
- Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
- Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
- Health Professions and Related Programs
- History
- Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services
- Legal Professions and Studies
- Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
- Library Science
- Mathematics and Statistics
- Mechanic and Repair Technologies/Technicians
- Military Science, Leadership and Operational Art
- Military Technologies and Applied Sciences
- Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
- Natural Resources and Conservation
- Parks, Recreation, Leisure, Fitness, and Kinesiology
- Philosophy and Religious Studies
- Physical Sciences
- Precision Production
- Psychology
- Public Administration and Social Service Professions
- Science Technologies/Technicians
- Social Sciences
- Theology and Religious Vocations
- Transportation and Materials Moving
- Visual and Performing Arts
Sources
- 1.National Center for Education Statistics. Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP 2020) (opens in a new tab) Codes and titles. Program definitions are published by NCES.
- 2.United States Patent and Trademark Office. Becoming a patent practitioner (opens in a new tab)