PRE-LAW ACADEMIC COURSEWORK
The ABA does not recommend any undergraduate majors or group of courses to prepare for a legal education. Students are admitted to law school from almost every academic discipline. CSU encourages Pre-Law students to choose coursework that will challenge them and help develop critical thinking and writing skillsets.
That said, Cleveland State does offer specific majors and programs for those interested in subjects that are considered to be traditional preparation for law school:
3+3 Program. The CSU College of Law 3+3 program permits a student who has completed the equivalent of three years of undergraduate study to be admitted to the College of Law to begin J.D. studies. The undergraduate degree will be awarded upon successful completion of the first full year of the J.D. curriculum, thus permitting the student to graduate with both an undergraduate and law degrees in six rather than seven years of full-time study (or its equivalent). In effect, the first year of law school completes the fourth year of the undergraduate degree (serving, in effect, as undergraduate elective courses) and serves as the first year of law school. This arrangement saves both time and money for the student. If you are possibly interested in the 3+3 program, you should contact the CSU College of Law Office of Admissions to let them know of your interest. Here are documents related to the CSU 3+3 program:
To help you in planning to apply to CSU College of Law through our 3+3 partnership, you can refer to these degree maps:
Career Development and Exploration has compiled a list of course suggestions that Pre-Law students may wish to take as electives to continue developing skillsets for their professional education. While none of these courses are required to apply to law school, they add context and preparation for more advanced research and analytical and writing skills essential for law school.
​
CLEVELAND STATE UNDERGRAD COURSES FOR PRE-LAW​
Communication
-
COM 101 - Principals of Communication (may be needed for upper-level COM courses)
-
COM 240 - Professional Speaking
-
COM 242 - Public & Professional Speaking
-
COM 332 - Interracial Communication
-
COM 347 - Political Communication
-
COM 348 - Intercultural Communication
-
COM 350 - Persuasive Communication
-
COM 358 - Media Law, Economics and Ethics
-
COM 366 - Conflict and Communication
​​
Criminology
-
CRM 250 - Intro to Crim and the Criminal Justice System
-
CRM 342 - Law & Society
-
Additional criminology classes based on interest
​​
History
-
HIS 111 - United States History to 1877
-
HIS 112 - United States History since 1877
-
HIS 220 - Debates in African American History (honors only course)
Philosophy
-
PHIL 101 - Introduction to Philosophy
-
PHIL 121 - Critical Thinking (Fall Only)
-
PHIL 341 - Philosophy of Law (Spring Only)
-
PHL 332 - Symbolic Logic (A course in logic (not just critical thinking) is generally recommended by law schools, and even the Cleveland Law School specifically mentions it on its website.) (Spring only)
-
PHL 264 - Introduction to Political Philosophy (Fall only)
-
PHL 364 - Classic & Medieval Political Philosophy (Fall only)
-
PHL 365 - Modern Political Philosophy (Spring only)
-
PHL 451 - Social & Political Philosophy (Spring only)
​​
Political Science
-
PSC 310 - Constitutional Law
-
PSC 311 - Civil Rights & Civil Liberties
-
PSC 423 - Sem. in Law & Pol. Theory
​​
Statistics
-
STA 147 - Statistical Methods and Concepts
​
​
For detailed descriptions of these and other courses, refer to the Cleveland State University
​
​
​