Overview
Electrical Engineering undergraduate students planning to attend law school may elect the "pre-law" designation as a second major. The pre-law designation simply indicates that the student intends to seek admission to one of the 200 US law schools approved by the American Bar Association; there is no set pre-law curriculum. Students pursuing this path generally use their electrical engineering degree to satisfy their patent bar technical education requirement.
Students with the pre-law designation are advised by a both an electrical engineering advisor in the ECE Department and a pre-law advisor in the Academic Advising Center. Additional information can be obtained from the Academic Advising Center. See also the Where to Begin, and PreLaw FAQ links, which note that, with respect to law, "Having a degree in a unique area may make you more marketable in the job market. For example, people with hard science or engineering degrees and law degrees are rare but there is a large demand for patent lawyers with both technical and legal expertise."
Students interested in the pre-law elective focus area are encouraged to consider the interest and FA course selection suggestions listed below when completing their plan of study form.
| FA Requirements | Suggested Options |
|---|---|
| Track | Computer |
| Breadth Elective (select one) |
ECE:3410 Electronic Circuits ECE:3400 Linear Systems II ECE:3600 Control Systems ECE:3540 Communication Networks |
| Depth Elective (select one) |
Any qualifying interest depth elective course in your area of interest. (For ideas, review other FAs, and/or consult with your advisor.) |
| 5000-Level ECE Electives (select two) |
All depth electives considered above and Any qualifying 5000-level ECE course related to your area of interest. (For ideas, review other FAs, and/or consult with your advisor.) |
| ECE Elective (select one) |
All breadth, depth and 100-level ECE electives considered above, and Any qualifying technical elective course related to your area of interest. (For ideas, review other FAs, and/or consult with your advisor.) |
| Technical Elective (select two) |
All breadth, depth and 100-level ECE electives considered above, and Any qualifying technical elective course related to your area of interest. (For ideas, review other FAs, and/or consult with your advisor.) |
| Additional Electives (Select one 3 s.h. & one ≥2 s.h.) |
All electives considered above and Any two pre-law courses of interest listed on the pre-law advising page. (For ideas, consult with your pre-law advisor.) |
Related Links
- Pre-Law: Where to begin
- Law and Order: Engineers make a case for entering the legal profession
- United States Patent and Trademark Office