<p>I'm looking at developing a comprehensive undergraduate Major/Minor plan that would be best for law school.</p>
<p>Right now, I'm a History major and an Economics and International Relations minor. I'm thinking about the following plan:</p>
<p>Legal Studies major
History, Economics, and either: Philosophy, Women's Studies, Religious Studies, or International Relations minors. </p>
<p>I can easily fit a major and three minors in my schedule, so that's not a problem. I would like to complete a dual degree with a J.D. and either an M.A. in Philosophy (and go on to get a PhD and become a law professor) or a J.D. and an M.S.W (social work) and work in public service and social justice law.</p>
<p>Unless you attend one of the rare schools like UChicago or Berkeley that has a well regarded Legal Studies major, avoid majoring in Legal Studies. It will hurt your admissions chances. Double/triple majors do not help at all in getting into law schools. If you want to do it for other reasons, that’s fine. I’m not trying to discourage you. I’m just letting you know that a 3.9 with one major is going to do better in the admissions process than a 3.8 with 3 majors, given the same LSAT score.</p>
<p>Second, forget about the MA/MS. Well…the social work one might make a bit of sense. I can’t claim to know much about the opportunities available for that combo. Being a law professor though usually requires going to a top law school and getting great grades. Some profs do have dual degrees, but, based on my admittedly limited experience, those with both degrees are more often poli sci/gov’t etc. profs rather than law school profs. In any event, you don’t need to have a MA or a Ph.D to get a job teaching law school and having one won’t get you the job if you weren’t top of the class in law school.</p>
<p>Plus, reality is that the plan you are proposing will require about 9 years post college education. A law degree takes 3 years. Last time I looked, the average time to earn a Ph.D. in philosophy was 7 years. It will be longer–and probably more expensive-- if you go the MA first route. (Ph.D. programs are often funded. Terminal MA programs rarely are.)</p>
<p>I agree with Jonri on the count that you should focus on your GPA. Major in something that you’ll enjoy so that you can get good grades. Law schools don’t care what your major is - with rare exception, it’s basically 50% LSAT, 50% GPA.</p>
<p>I’d try to sort out your plans, too, before law school. If you’re interested in being a law professor, you supposedly don’t need a JD - just go for the PhD. I’d do some research on it.</p>
<p>In summary, if you can get a 4.0 with one major vs a 3.9 with three majors, pick the 4.0. (It also wouldn’t hurt to have your major be useful, so that you can have a backup plan for law school.)</p>
<p>“If you’re interested in being a law professor, you supposedly don’t need a JD - just go for the PhD.”</p>
<p>This is just wrong. Almost all law professors have J.D.s (although an increasing number also have Ph.Ds). In any event, no one should go to law school with the idea of becoming a law professor; the possibility is almost vanishingly small.</p>
<p>EMM1 has the correct response. There are “law” professors who only have a Ph.D, and no J.D., who teach law-related courses in undergrad and graduate programs, but these courses have nothing to do with the ABA and the practice of law. </p>
<p>If you don’t care about practicing law, and just want to write for scholarly journals and teach constitutional law to undergrads, then by all means, just get a Ph.D and forget about law school. </p>
<p>BTW, I am very skeptical about this J.D./M.S.W. combo. If you get good grades from your law school, and your law school is top-ranked or at least has a strong regional presence, there is no reason why you could not find public interest work, and do very well. </p>
<p>Of course, NYU thinks otherwise. “Students who participate in this program will have exceptional preparation for practice in either field. As a social worker with legal skills, graduates will be prepared to advocate more effectively for clients within the complex legal system. As an attorney with clinical social work skills, graduates will be better prepared to discover and understand the special needs of people who are disadvantaged.”</p>
<p>Of course, NYU also offers no evidence whatsoever to support this claim. I know many people who somehow managed to become successful public interest lawyers with a mere J.D. Doesn’t seem to me like the combo is worth the additional year of schooling. </p>
<p>I must say, you do need to have a JD to become a law professor. Additionally, the idea that one cannot enter law school with ideas or goals of one day becoming a law professor is just blatantly false and pessimistic. Yes, it is difficult and requires lots of publication and academic scholarship, but I think that just saying “forget it” is quite a stretch and limits the educational goals and ideals that many students are lacking today.</p>
<p>Prelaw726 - I don’t think anyone is tell you to not to have goals. It’s just that the professionals on this forum know that an undergrad saying he or she wants to work towards becoming a law professor is the equivalent of a small child saying he or she wants to work towards being a movie star or a U.S. Congressman. Sure, those jobs are available and someone will earn them. And if you get into a top law school, earn top grades in a competitive class, get a judicial clerkship, get published, have work experience and are an authority in an area of law, have reasonably good social skills, and are able to take a job that pays less than being a partner in a law firm…then becoming a law professor might be for you. You’re just being advised to have backup plans.</p>