Political Science - Pre-Law
Major Requirements
Major: Political Science - Pre-Law Option
Degree Type: B.A. or B.S.
Required Degree Credits to Graduate: 122
General Education Requirements for Baccalaureate Degree
- A dynamic list of approved general education courses offered by term is available on the NDSU General Education Requirements website.
- General education courses may be used to satisfy requirements for both general education and the major, minor, and program emphases, where applicable. Students should carefully review the major, minor, and program emphases requirements for minimum grade restrictions, if applicable.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| First Year Experience (F) | 1 | |
| Skills For Academic Success (Also offered with the following prefixes: ABEN, AGRI, BUSN, HD&E, ME, NURS, PHRM) | ||
| Communication (C) | 12 | |
| College Composition I | ||
| College Composition II | ||
| Fundamentals of Public Speaking | ||
Upper Division Writing † | ||
| Quantitative Reasoning (R) † | 3 | |
| Science and Technology (S) † | 10 | |
| Humanities and Fine Arts (A) † | 6 | |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences (B) † | 6 | |
| Wellness (W) † | 2 | |
| Cultural Diversity (D) *† | ||
| Global Perspectives (G) *† | ||
| Total Credits | 40 | |
| * | May be satisfied by completing courses in another General Education category. |
| † | May be satisfied with courses required in the major. Review major requirements to determine if a specific upper division writing course is required. |
Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
Degree Requirements
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Degree – The completion of a minor program of study, a second major, or a second degree is required.
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Degree – Second year language proficiency at college level required.
Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences College Requirements
An additional 9 credits are required by the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences for all Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degree programs of study, except the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, the Bachelor of Music degree, Bachelor of Landscape Architecture degree, and the Bachelor of Science in Architecture degree:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AH&SS College Requirements | ||
Courses used to satisfy any general education requirement cannot be used to also count toward the AH&SS College Requirements. A minimum of three credits is required in each of the 3 following areas for a total of 9 credits. Choose only those courses with the prefixes listed for each area. A course with the WGS prefix can only be used in one area. | ||
| Area One: Humanities | 3 | |
ARB, ENGL, FREN, GERM, HIST, HUM, PHIL, RELS, SPAN, or WGS | ||
| Area Two: Social Sciences | 3 | |
ANTH, CJ, COMM, EMGT, POLS, SOC, or WGS | ||
| Area Three: Fine Arts | 3 | |
ARCH, ART, ENVD, LA, MUSC, or THEA | ||
| Total Credits | 9 | |
Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| POLS 110 | Introduction to Political Science (May satisfy general education category B) | 3 |
| or POLS 115 | American Government | |
| POLS 220 | International Politics | 3 |
| or POLS 225 | Comparative Politics | |
| POLS 240 | Political Ideologies | 3 |
| POLS 325 | Applied Research Methods | 4 |
| or CJ 325 | Applied Research Methods | |
| POLS 489 | Senior Seminar | 3 |
| STAT 330 | Introductory Statistics (May satisfy general education category R) | 3 |
| Pre-Law Emphasis Requirements: | ||
| A single International Law course satisfies either a core requirement or an Area 2 requirement, but not both. | ||
| POLS | 100 or 200 level | 3 |
| POLS 230 | Judicial Process | 3 |
| POLS 430 | Constitutional Law-Civil Liberties | 3 |
| POLS 431 | Constitutional Law-Criminal Justice | 3 |
| POLS 444 | International Law | 3 |
| or POLS 446 | International Criminal Law | |
| Additional Program Requirements: Complete requirements as indicated from each of the three professional areas listed below for the Pre-Law Option (I, II, & III) | ||
| Professional Area I: One course from each of the following three areas. | 9 | |
Area One: | ||
| Political Behavior-Executive-Legislative Process | ||
| Political Behavior-Political Parties | ||
| State and Local Politics | ||
| Public Policy Analysis | ||
Area Two: | ||
| Global Policy Issues | ||
| Ethnic Conflicts | ||
| Environmental Policy and Politics | ||
| International Law | ||
or POLS 446 | International Criminal Law | |
Area Three: | ||
| Global Policy Issues | ||
| Politics of the Developing Countries | ||
| Politics of the Industrialized Countries | ||
| Comparative Political Economy | ||
| Environmental Policy and Politics | ||
| Professional Area II: Communciation Component - Select 2 courses from the following: | 6 | |
| Persuasive Speaking | ||
or COMM 308 | Business and Professional Speaking | |
| Intercultural Communication | ||
| Argumentation and Advocacy | ||
or COMM 383 | Organizational Communication I | |
| Writing in the Humanities and Social Sciences | ||
| Professional Area III: Law Related Courses - Select 2 courses from the following: | 5-6 | |
| Fraud Examination | ||
| Legal and Social Environment of Business | ||
| Business Law I-Contracts, Property and Torts | ||
| Business Law II-Business Organization and Commercial Transactions | ||
| Introduction to Criminal Justice | ||
| Criminology | ||
| Criminal Law and Procedure | ||
| Legal Communication | ||
| Communication Law | ||
| Total Credits | 54-55 | |
Degree Requirements and Notes
- Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 required in courses with the POLS prefix.
