Is criminal justice a good major if I want to go to law school or does your major matter ?

[taillefer]

I want to go to law school to become a defense attorney and I want to major in criminal justice so basically want I'm asking is does your major matter if your going into law school.

[iker]

In a nutshell... no. What matters is acing the LSAT, and getting good undergrad GPA.

My friend majored in Chemistry, but she decided not to pursue a career in that, and was eventually accepted to law school at the U of Oregon.

Most take economics, political science to prepare for law school, but if you want to take criminal justice - go for it.

[said99]

People will tell you that your major isn't important as long as your have the pre-reqs, but that is only true about actually getting accepted into a law school. The LSAT is one of the hardest tests in the world, encompassing huge amounts of critical thinking.

Most criminal justice programs are heavy on sociology and basic laws. Not much critical thinking goes on in a criminal justice program. Most people try to major in history, philosophy, or legal studies. These are all good majors for critical thinking skills.

However, law schools are very competitive. Getting into a really good law school is really hard. What I am saying is that, no matter how hard you work, you may not make it. If you do not make it, you want a degree that will provide you job opportunities in the future. There aren't many jobs in history or philosophy, and law enforcement agencies are tired of criminal justice majors. Legal studies degrees usually allow you to become a paralegal. In some states, paralegals can make up to $80,000 a year.

Getting a degree in legal studies would allow you to become a paralegal, working directly with attorneys. After you get this degree, you could get an internship or a job at a legal firm, giving you a lot of experience in this field. After this, you should then apply to law school.