Bachelor of Arts [B.A] [English - Prelaw] From Ohio University

A rigorous survey of Anglo-American literary history gives students familiarity with the historical culture and linguistic environment in which our laws were formed; the study of rhetoric offers students ways to understand how language changes our perceptions and makes things happen; and the analytic demands and extensive writing practice of the English Department’s small-enrollment courses sharpen essential intellectual tools.

The major is also flexible enough to match students’ other interests. Students can fulfill up to 9 of the required hours in the major with creative writing workshops, courses in rhetoric or visual texts, or apprenticeship or internship experiences. Like all majors in the English Department, the English – Prelaw major includes the English Core to provide a solid foundation in literary genres and research.

Careers and Graduate School

Graduates of English – Pre-Law usually go to law school, both in-state and around the nation. Opportunities are not, however, limited to law school. With strong skills in critical analysis as well as writing and solid training in literary history, English – Pre-Law graduates also have the same variety of potential employment or graduate school tracks that other English program graduates enjoy. These include graduate school in English Literature & Language, master’s programs in Information Science or Education, and law or business school, as well as careers in publishing, web content development, corporate communications, grant-writing and community organizing, advertising, or personnel management.

Preparation for Law: Students who plan to enter law school should choose an undergraduate major that reflects their true academic interests as well as provides intellectual foundations for legal training. The practice of law draws on a number of different disciplinary strengths, which means that students should view the whole of their liberal arts coursework as part of their preparation.

English is, however, one of the most common undergraduate majors for law students, both because many people who are drawn to law are drawn to the analogous kinds of thinking and writing required in English, and because it develops skills that every lawyer needs.