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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.
Education
Education, General
- Education, General
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education
- Bilingual and Multilingual Education
- Multicultural Education
- Indian/Native American Education
- Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education, Other
Curriculum and Instruction
- Curriculum and Instruction
Educational Administration and Supervision
- Educational Leadership and Administration, General
- Administration of Special Education
- Adult and Continuing Education Administration
- Educational, Instructional, and Curriculum Supervision
- Higher Education/Higher Education Administration
- Community College Administration
- Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship
- Secondary School Administration/Principalship
- Urban Education and Leadership
- Superintendency and Educational System Administration
- International School Administration/Leadership
- Education Entrepreneurship
- Early Childhood Program Administration
- Educational Administration and Supervision, Other
Educational/Instructional Media Design
- Educational/Instructional Technology
Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research
- Educational Evaluation and Research
- Educational Statistics and Research Methods
- Educational Assessment, Testing, and Measurement
- Learning Sciences
- Institutional Research
- Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research, Other
International and Comparative Education
- International and Comparative Education
Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education
- Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education
Special Education and Teaching
- Special Education and Teaching, General
- Education/Teaching of Individuals with Hearing Impairments Including Deafness
- Education/Teaching of the Gifted and Talented
- Education/Teaching of Individuals with Emotional Disturbances
- Education/Teaching of Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities
- Education/Teaching of Individuals with Multiple Disabilities
- Education/Teaching of Individuals with Orthopedic and Other Physical Health Impairments
- Education/Teaching of Individuals with Vision Impairments Including Blindness
- Education/Teaching of Individuals with Specific Learning Disabilities
- Education/Teaching of Individuals with Speech or Language Impairments
- Education/Teaching of Individuals with Autism
- Education/Teaching of Individuals Who are Developmentally Delayed
- Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs
- Education/Teaching of Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injuries
- Education/Teaching of Individuals in Elementary Special Education Programs
- Education/Teaching of Individuals in Junior High/Middle School Special Education Programs
- Education/Teaching of Individuals in Secondary Special Education Programs
- Special Education and Teaching, Other
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
- Counselor Education/School Counseling and Guidance Services
- College Student Counseling and Personnel Services
- Student Counseling and Personnel Services, Other
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods
- Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching
- Elementary Education and Teaching
- Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching
- Secondary Education and Teaching
- Teacher Education, Multiple Levels
- Montessori Teacher Education
- Waldorf/Steiner Teacher Education
- Kindergarten/Preschool Education and Teaching
- Early Childhood Education and Teaching
- Online Educator/Online Teaching
- International Teaching and Learning
- Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Educational Methods
- College/Postsecondary/University Teaching
- Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods, Other
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas
- Agricultural Teacher Education
- Art Teacher Education
- Business and Innovation/Entrepreneurship Teacher Education
- Driver and Safety Teacher Education
- English/Language Arts Teacher Education
- Foreign Language Teacher Education
- Health Teacher Education
- Family and Consumer Sciences/Home Economics Teacher Education
- Technology Teacher Education/Industrial Arts Teacher Education
- Sales and Marketing Operations/Marketing and Distribution Teacher Education
- Mathematics Teacher Education
- Music Teacher Education
- Physical Education Teaching and Coaching
- Reading Teacher Education
- Science Teacher Education/General Science Teacher Education
- Social Science Teacher Education
- Social Studies Teacher Education
- Technical Teacher Education
- Trade and Industrial Teacher Education
- Computer Teacher Education
- Biology Teacher Education
- Chemistry Teacher Education
- Drama and Dance Teacher Education
- French Language Teacher Education
- German Language Teacher Education
- Health Occupations Teacher Education
- History Teacher Education
- Physics Teacher Education
- Spanish Language Teacher Education
- Speech Teacher Education
- Geography Teacher Education
- Latin Teacher Education
- School Librarian/School Library Media Specialist
- Psychology Teacher Education
- Earth Science Teacher Education
- Environmental Education
- Communication Arts and Literature Teacher Education
- Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas, Other
Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language
- Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor
- Teaching French as a Second or Foreign Language
- Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language, Other
Teaching Assistants/Aides
- Teacher Assistant/Aide
- Adult Literacy Tutor/Instructor
- Teaching Assistants/Aides, Other
Education, Other
- Education, 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)