This is an archived copy of the 2016-17 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://bulletin.ndsu.edu.

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.
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 Credits40

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:

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: Humanities3
ARB, ENGL, FREN, GERM, HIST, HUM, PHIL, RELS, SPAN, or WGS
Area Two: Social Sciences3
ANTH, CJ, COMM, EMGT, POLS, SOC, or WGS
Area Three: Fine Arts3
ARCH, ART, ENVD, LA, MUSC, or THEA
Total Credits9

Major Requirements

Core Requirements
POLS 110Introduction to Political Science (May satisfy general education category B)3
or POLS 115 American Government
POLS 220International Politics3
or POLS 225 Comparative Politics
POLS 240Political Ideologies3
POLS 325Applied Research Methods4
or CJ 325 Applied Research Methods
POLS 489Senior Seminar3
STAT 330Introductory 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 level3
POLS 230Judicial Process3
POLS 430Constitutional Law-Civil Liberties3
POLS 431Constitutional Law-Criminal Justice3
POLS 444International Law3
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
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
Business and Professional Speaking
Intercultural Communication
Argumentation and Advocacy
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 Credits54-55

Degree Requirements and Notes

  • Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 required in courses with the POLS prefix.