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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.
Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians
Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General
- Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General
- Applied Engineering Technologies/Technicians
Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians
- Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians
Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians
- Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians
- Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology/Technician
- Laser and Optical Technology/Technician
- Telecommunications Technology/Technician
- Integrated Circuit Design Technology/Technician
- Audio Engineering Technology/Technician
- Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Other
Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians
- Biomedical Technology/Technician
- Electromechanical/Electromechanical Engineering Technology/Technician
- Instrumentation Technology/Technician
- Robotics Technology/Technician
- Automation Engineer Technology/Technician
- Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering Technology/Technician
- Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians, Other
Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians
- Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering Technology/Technician
- Water Quality and Wastewater Treatment Management and Recycling Technology/Technician
- Environmental/Environmental Engineering Technology/Technician
- Hazardous Materials Management and Waste Technology/Technician
- Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians, Other
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians
- Plastics and Polymer Engineering Technology/Technician
- Metallurgical Technology/Technician
- Industrial Technology/Technician
- Manufacturing Engineering Technology/Technician
- Welding Engineering Technology/Technician
- Chemical Engineering Technology/Technician
- Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology/Technician
- Composite Materials Technology/Technician
- Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians, Other
Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians
- Occupational Safety and Health Technology/Technician
- Quality Control Technology/Technician
- Industrial Safety Technology/Technician
- Hazardous Materials Information Systems Technology/Technician
- Process Safety Technology/Technician
- Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians, Other
Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians
- Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineering Technology/Technician
- Automotive Engineering Technology/Technician
- Mechanical/Mechanical Engineering Technology/Technician
- Marine Engineering Technology/Technician
- Motorsports Engineering Technology/Technician
- Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians, Other
Mining and Petroleum Technologies/Technicians
- Mining Technology/Technician
- Petroleum Technology/Technician
- Mining and Petroleum Technologies/Technicians, Other
Construction Engineering Technology/Technician
- Construction Engineering Technology/Technician
Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians
- Surveying Technology/Surveying
- Hydraulics and Fluid Power Technology/Technician
- Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, Other
Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians
- Computer Engineering Technology/Technician
- Computer/Computer Systems Technology/Technician
- Computer Hardware Technology/Technician
- Computer Software Technology/Technician
- Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Other
Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians
- Drafting and Design Technology/Technician, General
- CAD/CADD Drafting and/or Design Technology/Technician
- Architectural Drafting and Architectural CAD/CADD
- Civil Drafting and Civil Engineering CAD/CADD
- Electrical/Electronics Drafting and Electrical/Electronics CAD/CADD
- Mechanical Drafting and Mechanical Drafting CAD/CADD
- 3-D Modeling and Design Technology/Technician
- Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Other
Nuclear Engineering Technology/Technician
- Nuclear Engineering Technology/Technician
Engineering-Related Fields
- Engineering/Industrial Management
- Engineering Design
- Packaging Science
- Engineering-Related Fields, Other
Nanotechnology
- Nanotechnology
Energy Systems Technologies/Technicians
- Energy Systems Technology/Technician
- Power Plant Technology/Technician
- Solar Energy Technology/Technician
- Wind Energy Technology/Technician
- Hydroelectric Energy Technology/Technician
- Geothermal Energy Technology/Technician
- Energy Systems Technologies/Technicians, Other
Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, Other
- Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, 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)