Bachelor’s Degree in Pre-Law

Overview

WPU is one of the only institutions in North Carolina to offer Pre-Law as a major, designed for students wishing to attend law school, culminating in The Raleigh Experience – an advantage no other school can offer.

Located just blocks from state and local courts and the North Carolina General Assembly, William Peace University Pre-Law students learn the legal system by working in it every day. Imagine leaving your dorm, grabbing a coffee on campus and walking to the state legislature to conduct policy research. That’s the kind of immersive experience you can expect in your final year as a pre-law major, working for sponsoring organizations in rotations that can include: advocacy/lobbying, governance, law, non-profit administration, politics, policy research, and public administration. One session you might be helping legislators draft bills in the General Assembly; the next, you could assist an attorney with research in preparation for trial. In addition, our interdisciplinary curriculum will provide a strong foundation in the subject matter while developing the critical thinking, analytical writing and public speaking abilities that law schools and employers require.

Read about our dual-degree option with Campbell University to earn a B.A. and J.D. in just six years.

PRE-LAW (BA) – SAMPLE 4-YEAR PLAN

CAMPBELL 3+3 PRELAW (BA) – SAMPLE 4-YEAR PLAN

Take advantage of #OurRaleigh, the state capital of North Carolina, and work with some of the best legal minds in the country

Courses

The courses listed below are for the Academic Catalog and are subject to change. Please reference the Academic Catalog for further information and course descriptions. If you are a current student, please reference the catalog in which you come under.

Bachelor of Arts in Pre-Law

Liberal Education Curriculum	49 credit hours
Pre-Law Core Courses	12 credit hours
Pre-Law Allied Courses	12 credit hours
Pre-Law Elective Courses	12 credit hours
General Electives	35 credit hours
Total credit hours for B.A. in Communication	120 credit hours

Pre-Law Core Courses	12 credit hours
PSC 201: American Government	3
PSC 202: State and Local Government	3
PSC 270: Law and the Legal System	3
PSC 370: American Constitutional Law	3

Pre-Law Allied Courses	12 credit hours
HIS 201: History of the United States I	3
HIS 202: History of the United States II	3
BSA 221: Financial Accounting	3
BSA 222: Managerial Accounting	3

Pre-Law Elective Courses (choose 4)	12 credit hours
PSC 220: Introduction to Public Administration	3
PSC 305: Campaigns and Elections	3
PSC 310: Lobbying and Advocacy	3
PSC 311: Political Leadership	3
PDS 491: Academic Internship II	3
PSC 340: Nonprofit Administration	3
PSC 360: Public Policy Research Methods	3
PSC 315: Women in Politics	3
PSC 491: Political Science Internship II	3

General Electives	35 credit hours
Must complete 35 elective credit hours	35

Faculty

Elizabeth Kusko, D.A.

Associate Professor of Political Science; Program Director of Criminal Justice, Political Science, and Pre-Law
Careers
If you are interested in attending law school and becoming a lawyer or judge, the pre-law major is for you. At William Peace University, pre-law majors do not just study their field-they work in it, connect to it and prepare to lead in it. Several opportunities exist for students who have an interest in understanding the law. More than 400 law firms operate in the Raleigh area.

Internship opportunities include:
- Federal, state and county courthouses, including the North Carolina Supreme Court
- The North Carolina Legislative Building and the Governor’s Mansion
- Wake County District Attorney’s Office
- State Bureau of Investigation
- The Campbell University School of Law
- Duke University School of Law
- North Carolina Central School of Law
- University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Law School