Pre-Law
Certificate
About this program
The Certificate in Pre-Law helps you get ready for law school with focused courses in political science, legal reasoning, and public policy. You’ll build skills in writing, analysis, and argument while learning how law connects to government and society. This program supports students from any major who are thinking about law school. It gives you a clear path toward a legal career by strengthening your preparation and your applications.
Program Curriculum and Requirements
Program Scope
This interdisciplinary certificate is housed in the Department of Political Science. Courses taken prior to fall 2022 may be applied towards the certificate.
For questions and advising, please email pre-law certificate advisor, Prof. Mark Leinauer at markleinauer@sfsu.edu.
A certificate program is a coherent set of academic courses that does not lead to a degree, but is focused on a substantial area of study that may be practically oriented toward skills and/or occupations. The Pre-law Certificate, in combination with a baccalaureate degree in any major, provides valuable preparation for law school. Students completing the certificate acquire knowledge about major court cases and the laws surrounding them, and they enhance their skills related to oral and written communication, critical thinking, analytical analysis, and problem solving. The certificate concludes with a capstone experience in which students apply this knowledge and these skills to other legal challenges. The certificate is available for both undergraduate and graduate students.
Program Learning Outcomes
- Students will be able to identify and explain powers and limits of American courts, problems of access to judicial power, and basic examples of instruments of judicial power.
- Students will be able to describe major court cases and cite those cases in analyzing other cases with references to appropriate legal precedents.
- Students will be able to write cogent analyses of legal issues and legal memoranda using statues, court cases, legal publications, and government documents.
- Students will be able to demonstrate analytical legal reasoning and formulate persuasive legal arguments.