Although the main focus of our program is to educate soon-to-be-practicing engineers of the various legal forces that will shape their careers, it is not unexpected that many technologically inclined students may be interested in pursuing a law career. The question that normally arises is: Does engineering prepare me for law school? Consider the following excerpt from the the Law School Admissions Council:
All LSAC-member schools require a bachelor’s degree for admission. Beyond that, law schools want students who can think critically and write well, and who have some understanding of the forces that have shaped the human experience. These attributes can be acquired in any number of college courses, whether in the arts and humanities, the social sciences, or the natural sciences.
An undergraduate career that is narrowly based or vocationally oriented may not be the best preparation for law school. As long as you receive an education including critical analysis, logical reasoning, and written and oral expression, the range of acceptable college majors is very broad. What counts is the intensity and depth of your undergraduate program and your capacity to perform well at an academically rigorous level. See How do I prepare for a law school education at the LSAC Web Site; also see the American Bar Association web site for a very in depth discussion.
All of our Engineering courses in our curricula most definitely emphasize critical analysis, logical reasoning, and written or oral expression. An engineering major combined with appropriate courses outside of the college, which are already built into the program through elective requirements, provides a very sound foundation for a successful law school career.
It is not accurate that a "liberal arts" program is the best preparation for law school, and this is reflected in the statement above from the LSAC. However, it is important for scientists and engineers to emphasis preparation in written and oral communication and the "understanding of the forces that have shaped the human experience." Mathematics and engineering majors have been shown to score significantly higher on the analytical reasoning portion of the LSAT. "Law students with mathematics, engineering, and philosophy majors had, to a statistically significant extent, more correct answers than economics, English/literature, history, and political science majors on these general deductive reasoning tasks. "1 Furthermore, a technical background is a prerequisite to enter into some legal fields such as patent prosecution.
Students who have taken our Legal Studies program courses have gone onto Duke, George Washington, and University of Oklahoma law schools.
1Mark Graham, Bryan Adamson, Law Students' Undergraduate Major: Implications For Law School Academic Support Program (ASPS), 69 UMKC Law Rev. 533 ( 2001).