PRE-LAW OPTION

Students who plan to become attorneys must overcome a series of challenges. They need to excel in college and score high on the LSAT (Law School Admission Test). They need to gain admittance to law school and master their legal studies. Finally, they need to pass the bar examination.

Law schools seek able, motivated students regardless of their undergraduate major. Students have graduated in a wide variety of majors from Waynesburg and have gone on to law school. What matters most in a student's undergraduate studies is enrolling in challenging courses to develop intellectual skills. Students should learn to read carefully and precisely, to reason logically, and to write and speak clearly.

To aid the student, the University provides a Pre-Law Advisor. The Pre-Law Advisor does not substitute for the major advisor but aims to complement the work of the major advisor. The Pre-Law Advisor advises students regarding course selection with an eye to developing the skills law schools seek. She helps the student prepare for the LSAT and guides the student through the process of deciding which law schools to apply to for admission, and which, once admitted would be best to attend. Students considering attending law school should register with the Pre-Law Advisor as early in their college careers as possible.

See more information on the agreement between Duquesne University and Waynesburg University (3/3)

The Pre-Law Major follows the recommendation of the American Bar Association in developing a wide range of skills that have been recognized as necessary for the successful completion of law school and a career in the law. Through specific learning objectives embedded in each course, pre-law majors should be able to:

• demonstrate a wide range of analytic and problem solving skills;
• show the mastery of critical reading skills in a variety of genres and disciplines;
  
• apply effective writing skills in different formats;
  
• utilize effective oral communication and listening abilities;
  
• demonstrate general research skills in the social sciences, humanities, and the natural sciences; and
  
• apply effective time management and task organization in a demanding academic environment.
  

These skills are developed through specific courses in political science, business, advanced expository writing, history, philosophy, criminal justice administration,economics, geography, and sociology and through the variety of disciplines represented in the General Education requirements.