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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.
Mechanic and Repair Technologies/Technicians
Mechanics and Repairers, General
- Mechanics and Repairers, General
Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians
- Electrical/Electronics Equipment Installation and Repair Technology/Technician, General
- Business Machine Repair
- Communications Systems Installation and Repair Technology/Technician
- Computer Installation and Repair Technology/Technician
- Industrial Electronics Technology/Technician
- Appliance Installation and Repair Technology/Technician
- Security System Installation, Repair, and Inspection Technology/Technician
- Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians, Other
Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR)
- Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician
Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians
- Heavy Equipment Maintenance Technology/Technician
- Industrial Mechanics and Maintenance Technology/Technician
- Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians, Other
Precision Systems Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians
- Gunsmithing/Gunsmith
- Locksmithing and Safe Repair
- Musical Instrument Fabrication and Repair
- Watchmaking and Jewelrymaking
- Parts and Warehousing Operations and Maintenance Technology/Technician
- Precision Systems Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians, Other
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians
- Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technology/Technician, General
- Autobody/Collision and Repair Technology/Technician
- Automobile/Automotive Mechanics Technology/Technician
- Diesel Mechanics Technology/Technician
- Small Engine Mechanics and Repair Technology/Technician
- Airframe Mechanics and Aircraft Maintenance Technology/Technician
- Aircraft Powerplant Technology/Technician
- Avionics Maintenance Technology/Technician
- Bicycle Mechanics and Repair Technology/Technician
- Motorcycle Maintenance and Repair Technology/Technician
- Vehicle Emissions Inspection and Maintenance Technology/Technician
- Medium/Heavy Vehicle and Truck Technology/Technician
- Alternative Fuel Vehicle Technology/Technician
- Engine Machinist
- Marine Maintenance/Fitter and Ship Repair Technology/Technician
- High Performance and Custom Engine Technician/Mechanic
- Recreation Vehicle (RV) Service Technician
- Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians, Other
Energy Systems Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians
- Energy Systems Installation and Repair Technology/Technician
- Solar Energy System Installation and Repair Technology/Technician
- Wind Energy System Installation and Repair Technology/Technician
- Hydroelectric Energy System Installation and Repair Technology/Technician
- Geothermal Energy System Installation and Repair Technology/Technician
- Energy Systems Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians, Other
Mechanic and Repair Technologies/Technicians, Other
- Mechanic and Repair 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)