Philosophy & Law
Philosophy provides an excellent preparation for law school. Why? Because the skills law students and lawyers need are the exact same skills that the study of philosophy develops and nurtures. Plus, philosophy is challenging, extremely interesting, and fun!
| LAW REQUIRES | PHILOSOPHY PROVIDES |
| Ability to analyze arguments | Ability to analyze arguments |
| Ability to evaluate evidence | Ability to evaluate evidence |
| Logical reasoning | Logical reasoning |
| Persuasive argumentation skills | Persuasive argumentation skills |
| Ability to read complex texts | Ability to read complex texts |
| Comfort with difficult problems | Comfort with difficult problems |
| Comfort with disagreement | Comfort with disagreement |
| Comfort in situations with no easy answer | Comfort in situations with no easy answer |
| Analytical writing | Analytical writing |
| Appreciation for social, ethical dilemmas | Appreciation for social, ethical dilemmas |
| Creativity | Creativity |
Many of our recent students have used philosophy as a gateway to law school. Recent graduates have gained admission to some of the most prestigious law schools in the country, including Harvard, Yale, and UC Berkeley.
The following information from the Law School Admissions Council demonstrates that philosophy majors outperform all other popular pre-law majors on the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT).
| MAJOR | SCORE | VS. AVG | POPULARITY | # STUDENTS |
| Philosophy | 157.0 | + 4.7 pts. | 11 | 1,447 |
| Economics | 156.2 | + 3.9 pts. | 6 | 2,575 |
| History | 154.5 | + 2.2 pts. | 2 | 5,107 |
| English | 153.5 | + 1.2 pts. | 3 | 4,968 |
| Psychology | 151.7 | - 0.6 pts. | 4 | 3,758 |
| Political Science | 151.5 | - 0.8 pts. | 1 | 13,229 |
| Accounting | 151.5 | - 0.8 pts. | 7 | 2,098 |
| Sociology | 149.4 | - 2.9 pts. | 8 | 1,888 |
| Communications | 149.4 | - 2.9 pts. | 9 | 1,780 |
| Business Adm. | 148.2 | - 4.1 pts. | 10 | 1,758 |
| Criminal Justice | 145.4 | - 6.9 pts. | 5 | 3,185 |
(This data is not surprising given the rigorous logical training one gets as a philosophy major. Philosophy majors excel in law school, and in the practice of law, because philosophy students are continually required to build logical and well-argued cases for their ideas. By the time a student graduates with a degree in philosophy, they have developed an expertise for distinguishing good arguments from poor arguments. This skill is essential to the practice of law.
Requirements for the Pre-Law Track
The study of philosophy provides an exceptionally strong preparation for law school. The critical thinking skills, logic skills, and argumentation skills are unmatched by any other pre-law major. The Philosophy Pre-Law Concentration includes all requirements for the major as well as PHIL 130 (Current Moral Problems), 323 (Social and Political Philosophy), and 325 (Philosophy of Law).
Check the advising checklist (.pdf) for more information.
