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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.
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Biology, General
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Biomedical Sciences, General
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology
- Biochemistry
- Biophysics
- Molecular Biology
- Molecular Biochemistry
- Molecular Biophysics
- Structural Biology
- Photobiology
- Radiation Biology/Radiobiology
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Other
Botany/Plant Biology
- Botany/Plant Biology
- Plant Pathology/Phytopathology
- Plant Physiology
- Plant Molecular Biology
- Botany/Plant Biology, Other
Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences
- Cell/Cellular Biology and Histology
- Anatomy
- Developmental Biology and Embryology
- Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology and Anatomy
- Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences, Other
Microbiological Sciences and Immunology
- Microbiology, General
- Medical Microbiology and Bacteriology
- Virology
- Parasitology
- Mycology
- Immunology
- Microbiology and Immunology
- Infectious Disease and Global Health
- Microbiological Sciences and Immunology, Other
Zoology/Animal Biology
- Zoology/Animal Biology
- Entomology
- Animal Physiology
- Animal Behavior and Ethology
- Wildlife Biology
- Zoology/Animal Biology, Other
Genetics
- Genetics, General
- Molecular Genetics
- Microbial and Eukaryotic Genetics
- Animal Genetics
- Plant Genetics
- Human/Medical Genetics
- Genome Sciences/Genomics
- Genetics, Other
Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences
- Physiology, General
- Molecular Physiology
- Cell Physiology
- Endocrinology
- Reproductive Biology
- Cardiovascular Science
- Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology
- Vision Science/Physiological Optics
- Pathology/Experimental Pathology
- Oncology and Cancer Biology
- Aerospace Physiology and Medicine
- Biomechanics
- Physiology, Pathology, and Related Sciences, Other
Pharmacology and Toxicology
- Pharmacology
- Molecular Pharmacology
- Neuropharmacology
- Toxicology
- Molecular Toxicology
- Environmental Toxicology
- Pharmacology and Toxicology
- Pharmacology and Toxicology, Other
Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology
- Biometry/Biometrics
- Biostatistics
- Bioinformatics
- Computational Biology
- Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Other
Biotechnology
- Biotechnology
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology
- Ecology
- Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography
- Evolutionary Biology
- Aquatic Biology/Limnology
- Environmental Biology
- Population Biology
- Conservation Biology
- Systematic Biology/Biological Systematics
- Epidemiology
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
- Epidemiology and Biostatistics
- Ecology, Evolution, Systematics and Population Biology, Other
Molecular Medicine
- Molecular Medicine
Neurobiology and Neurosciences
- Neuroscience
- Neuroanatomy
- Neurobiology and Anatomy
- Neurobiology and Behavior
- Neurobiology and Neurosciences, Other
Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other
- Biological and Biomedical Sciences, 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)