Pre-Law

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Pre-legal education cannot be cast from a single mold. The knowledge needed to be a lawyer is as broad and varied as the human activities on which legal problems are based. For this reason, no specific course of study is required for admission to law school. Instead, pre-law students are advised to obtain as diversified an educational background as possible, while meeting the requirements of their majors.

Because the ability to communicate effectively is so important, students must acquire an effective command of the written and spoken word. Recommended areas of study are English, Communication, Criminal Justice, History, Political Science, Economics, Psychology, Sociology, Philosophy, Mathematical Sciences, Business, including Accounting, and foreign languages. At least one course in Accounting is strongly recommended.

In preparing to apply to law school, students are advised that there are moral character, fitness, and other qualifications for admission to a state’s bar. The applicant, prior to matriculation, should determine what those requirements are in the state in which the applicant intends to practice. Contact information for state bar examinations is found at http://ncbex.org.

Students desiring additional information about preparation for law school, admission to the USD School of Law, and careers in law are encouraged to visit the School of Law’s website at http://www.usd.edu/law and to contact Admissions and Enrollment Coordinator Nick McInerney at 605-677-6358 or Law School room 243.

Law School 3+3 Program (by application)

The 3+3 Program allows qualified University of South Dakota students who complete three years (minimum 90 credits) of their undergraduate degree in the College of Arts & Sciences, to apply and be admitted to the School of Law, and use the first year of law school courses toward the completion of the remaining undergraduate credits.

After completing three years of an undergraduate program in the College of Arts & Sciences and gaining admission to the law school through the outlined process, the 3+3 participant will become a full-time, first-year law student, a “1L”, at the School of Law. 3+3 participants will follow the usual course of study for full-time, first-year law students.

Upon successful completion of the first-year course of law study, the credits earned will be counted toward the Juris Doctor degree and as elective credits sufficient to complete the University’s requirements for the bachelor’s degree. The first-year law grades will not be included as part of the student’s undergraduate grade point average.

A participating student who withdraws from the law program or who fails to complete successfully the first year of law school may return without reapplication to the College of Arts and Sciences for completion of the bachelor’s degree.

For more information regarding the specific requirements for participation in this program, please visit the School of Law website at http://www.usd.edu/law (See Law Admissions then select 3+3 Program).