If the scales of justice weigh heavily on your mind, consider one of the many majors in justice and law. But be forewarned: none of these majors is a ticket to law school, and many of them are actually poor choices for law school hopefuls. What's a future lawyer to do? Read on and find out.
Career-Oriented Majors
If you see yourself in blue, you can jump-start your career in college. With a major in police science, you'll combine practical and theoretical studies, learning about everything from civil procedure to civil rights.
Do you have strong views on the prison system? Corrections majors also balance theory and practice. They study the philosophies that shed light on the state of prisons today and those that point the way to the future. Of course, they also look at the day-to-day challenges of funding and running correctional facilities and programs.
If you're a fan of crime drama, you've seen them in their lab coats: forensic scientists are becoming increasingly important as science and technology advance. Although some schools offer forensic science to undergrads, most recommend a major in chemistry, biology, or another basic science followed by graduate work in this applied science.
Love the law but want to start a career after only two to four years of post-secondary schooling? Paralegal majors learn the research and writing skills, as well as the legal facts, that make graduates an invaluable part of the legal team.
Liberal Arts Approaches
Not all majors that focus on justice focus on a specific career. Legal studies and criminal justice are both wide-ranging majors that give students a chance to take courses in many different academic subjects and soak up all that the liberal arts have to offer.
What's the difference between them? While there's a great deal of overlap, legal studies is more theoretical, concerned with the law and its social implications. Criminal justice, on the other hand, is more applied, examining the institutions and systems of justice.
A third liberal arts major to consider is criminology. While criminology majors also study the justice system, their main objective is to understand crime itself. They investigate the causes of crime and try to get inside the criminal mind.
The Road to Law School
Liberal arts majors like these make good preparation for law school. Why? Not because they're concerned with the law, but because they help you develop the thinking and communication skills you'll need in law school and in professional practice.
But, you may ask, what about the prelaw major? While there are many prelaw students, there is no prelaw major (at least on all but a handful of campuses). What you will find are academic advising programs. As a prelaw student in one of these programs, you'll meet with an advisor who specializes in helping students get into law school, take challenging courses, choose a major, and prepare for the LSAT (law school entrance exam).
Explore Your Options
Whether you favor an applied, career-oriented major or a liberal arts major, you have a lot to choose from when it comes to justice and law. Start by visiting these profiles:
- Corrections
- Criminal Justice
- Criminology
- Forensic Science
- Law Enforcement Administration
- Legal Studies
- Paralegal Studies
- Police Science
- Prelaw Studies
