Criminal Justice & Public Policy Bldg
Criminal Justice & Public Policy Bldg is located
at
1616 12th Ave N across from lot TA
(Campus Map)
Pre-Law Program
TNorth Dakota State University offers students a special program of pre-law advisement. The Department of Criminal Justice and Political Science provides an extensive program for all interested students regardless of academic major. Emphasis is placed on the development of scholarly skills and insights rather than the mastery of a prescribed subject. Thus, the pre-law student may elect the B. S. or B. A. degree, selecting a major or minor of special personal interest. A pre-law emphasis is offered for political science majors.
The Program
No particular course of study serves as a prerequisite for admission to
law school. Present-day law students have undergraduate degrees in political
science, English, business, natural science, history, linguistics and
a host of other disciplines. However, some broad general recommendations
about college preparation for law school may be useful.
The main guide to undergraduate study should be your own interests
and talents. Successful study and practice of law can be based on any
of a large number of college backgrounds; therefore, the pre-law student
should feel free to study in depth what interests him or her most and
to enjoy the stimulation of undergraduate education. Political science
is one of the fields of concentration most frequently chosen by those
who plan to enter law school, and the department offers a pre-law emphasis
for those who major in the discipline.
Goals of the Pre-Law Program
As undergraduate courses are chosen, certain goals should be kept in
mind. First, a lawyer must be able to communicate effectively in oral
and written expression. In a real sense, words are the tools of the
lawyer's trade. Training for communication skills obviously must include
mastery of the English language. But, above all, a lawyer must be able
to write well. Any course in a discipline in which a student knows that
he or she will be required to commit ideas or research to writing, submit
the writing to rigorous criticism by a faculty member who will take
the time to criticize and then rewrite to meet the criticism, is a course
which will help prepare one for law school.
Second, the prospective law student needs a fair range of critical
understanding of human institutions and values. Here, political science,
economics, philosophy, sociology and history are useful. It also should
be noted that undergraduate law courses should not be taken for the
purpose of learning the law, and certainly are not essential for law
school admission. Such courses may be helpful, however, in providing
you with an understanding of the place of law in society and in providing
a better basis by which to estimate your interest in law school.
Third, the prospective law student must develop creative critical thinking.
A lawyer must be able to reason closely from given premises and propositions
to tenable conclusions. The analysis of a legal problem almost always
involves more than a persuasive policy-oriented essay. The ability to
do this type of close reasoning may be sought in courses in mathematics,
physical sciences, logic and advanced political and economic theory,
among others.
Political science graduates have attended law schools including: University
of Minnesota, University of North Dakota, University of Nebraska, Duke,
Northwestern, Baylor, Cornell and George Washington University.
Pre-Law Club
The Department of Criminal Justice and Political Science works closely with the Pre-Law Club, which is designed to provide students with information about law schools, entrance examinations and career opportunities in the field of law. The Pre-Law Club maintains a library of law school catalogs and materials to help students prepare for the Law School Admission Test.
The Faculty
Thomas Ambrosio
Assistant Professor, Ph.D., 2000,
University of Virginia
Nicholas Bauroth
Assistant Professor, Ph.D., 2003,
Loyola University
Manjusha Gupte
Assistant Professor, Ph.D., 2003,
Purdue University
Robert A. Wood
Associate Professor, Ph.D., 1983,
University of Missouri
Curriculum
No particular course of study serves as a prerequisite for admission to law school and many different majors provide a good background. A traditional major for some pre-law students has been political science. At NDSU the Department of Criminal Justice and Political Science offers a pre-law emphasis for its majors.
- Comm. 110 - Fundamentals of Public Speaking - 3
- Engl. 110, 120 - College Composition I, II 3 3
- Univ. 189 - Skills for Academic Success 1 -
- Humanities and Fine Arts Electives 3 3
- Political Science Lower Division Electives 6 3
- Quantitative Reasoning Elective - 3
- Social and Behavioral Sciences Elective 3 -
- Total 16 15
- PolS. 230 - Judicial Process - 3
- Humanities and Fine Arts Electives 3 3
- Political Science Electives 3 3
- Pre-Law Electives 3 -
- Science and Technology Electives and Lab 3 4
- Social and Behavioral Sciences Elective 3 -
- Electives 2
- Total 15 15
- Political Science Upper Division Requirement 3 6
- Science and Technology Elective 3 -
- Wellness - 2
- Electives 9 8
- Total 15 16
- Political Science Upper Division Electives 3 6
- Electives, including pre-law emphasis courses 12 9
- Total 15 15
- Curriculum Total 122
Note: Students must have a qualifying minor
or meet the foreign language requirement.
Suggested Electives for pre-law emphasis:
Busn. 431 - Business Law I and Busn. 432 - Business Law II
Comm. 214 - Persuasive Speaking or Comm. 308 - Business and Professional
Speaking
Engl. 320 - Business and Professional Writing or Engl. 358 - Intermediate Composition
For more details on the pre-law emphasis for political science majors
contact an adviser in the department.
This sample curriculum is not intended to serve as a curriculum guide
for current students, but rather an example of course offerings for
prospective students. For the curriculum requirements in effect at the
time of entrance into a program, consult with an academic adviser or
with the Office of Registration and Records
Contact Information
Dr. Robert Wood
Department of Criminal Justice and Political Science
North Dakota State University
Criminal Justice and Public Policy Bldg. 106
Fargo, ND 58105-5101
Tel: (701) 231-8938
Fax: (701) 231-5877
Email: Robert.Wood@ndsu.edu
Office of Admission
North Dakota State University
124 Ceres Hall
Fargo, ND 58105
Tel: (701) 231-8643
Fax: (701) 231-8802
Email: NDSU.Admission@ndsu.edu
Web: http://www.ndsu.edu/prospective/students/
(6/07)