Certificates

Pre-Law Certificate

The Pre-Law Certificate offers UM students interested in pursuing a legal career the opportunity to become well-prepared applicants for law school. The certificate includes a Freshman Seminar that sets students up for success by helping take their education and personal development into their own hands. In their sophomore year, students are required to engage in an internship, study abroad, research, or any other real-life educational experience. In their third year, students take the pre-law seminar in which they become familiar with the application process and the expectations of the legal profession as well as a for-credit (3) course fostering their analytical thinking skills to prepare for the LSAT. Finally, Seniors complete a capstone project.

We support you throughout the law school application process and help with law school selection, resumes and personal statements! 

Philosophy, Politics, and Law Certificate

Description

The Philosophy, Politics, and Law (PPL, pronounced "People") certificate provides students with the opportunity to learn about the philosophical foundations, history, and social practice of human rights and liberties in modern democracies. Students are expected to gain a deep understanding of how our legal and political institutions have functioned in the past, how they currently function, and how they ought to function, as well as how citizens might play a meaningful role in them.

While philosophical analysis focuses on what constitutes legitimate political authority and its exercise over individual behavior, one also needs to understand how human social and political life actually works. Conversely, one's grasp of political, legal, and social behavior is greatly enriched by a conceptual and foundational perspective on the norms of behavior. Political science, philosophy, and other disciplines such as history, sociology, or economics are thus perfectly complementary when it comes to advancing one's understanding of our legal and political institutions.

Students who successfully complete the PPL certificate will gain substantial knowledge of democratic political ideas, practices, and institutions from multiple disciplines as well as solid skills in reading, writing, oral communication, and analytic thinking.This is a useful background for students planning to pursue graduate degrees in law, philosophy, political science, or history. It is also a good springboard for careers in business, public service, international affairs, journalism, and teaching.

Requirements

The PPL certificate requires students to take a total of 27 credits (9 courses), including:

  1. 9 credits (3 courses) in Philosophy (at least 3 upper-division credits - 1 course),
  2. 9 credits (3 courses) in Political Science (at least 3 upper-division credits - 1 course)
  3. 9 credits (3 courses) in either History, Sociology, or Economics.

The certificate will be easy to complete for students who decide to major or minor in either Philosophy or Political Science, or both. Courses taken to fulfil the PPL certificate also satisfy a wide range of general education requirements, including E, H, S, X and Y. Students can review the UM Course Catalog for updated course options. 

To stay in the program, students must maintain an overall G.P.A. of 3.0. All courses chosen for the certificate must be completed with a grade of C or better.

Students interested in pursuing the PPL certificate must receive formal approval from one of the primary contacts listed below.

Contacts

Primary contacts for the PPL certificate are: