Most of the nation's law schools reject the idea of a rigid pre-law curriculum as a means of preparing students for entrance into law school. The undergraduate pre-law student is actually working toward two different objectives: admission to law school and an undergraduate education which will complement the law degree once obtained.

The type of undergraduate degree pursued may depend on the type of law a student is interested in practicing. For example, to prepare to become a tax attorney, a student might emphasize accounting and economics. An art or music undergraduate degree would help a student prepare for a career in copyright law. Students interested in government service or politics may pursue a degree in political science.

Many students do not have a particular field of law identified prior to entering college. For these students a broad liberal arts education, including particularly those subjects which deal with people, such as political science and the other social sciences, is important. Murray State University's commitment to a liberal arts education through its University Studies requirements is appropriate to this objective. All pre-law students should be aware that communications skills are very important, and for this reason, courses in English, speech and foreign languages should be considered.