Pre-Law Program

Pre-Law Program

Students interested in the study of law can add a Pre-Professional Pre-Law Curriculum program to their course of study. WAU is the only Seventh-day Adventist university that offers a formal curriculum as part of a pre-law emphasis. The program is open to students in any major and consists of a set of courses that are focused on the development of skills in analytical thinking and persuasive discourse, along with the introductory study of the American legal system.

Dr. Nicholas Miller, a practicing attorney (J.D., Columbia University) and faculty member in the WAU Honors College is the Director of the Pre-Law program and the managing coach of the Mock Trial team (see below). Our program also includes an Advisory Board of practicing attorneys who help us with curriculum decisions and are available as mentors for our students. Students who graduate with this program will have the Pre-Law designation listed on their official transcript. That’s not always the case with other such programs!

We’re a small school, but we ‘punch above our weight’ when it comes to admission to some of the best law schools in the country. Our Pre-Law Advisory Board consists of WAU graduates who went on to Harvard, Yale, Duke, Ohio State, William & Mary, Maryland, Catholic University, the University of Baltimore, and more.

Our new curriculum offers tremendous flexibility thanks to our Seminar-style courses that take ‘deep dives’ into current legal and policy issues. Beginning in the Fall 2021 semester, our curriculum requirements will be as follows:

  • Required Courses (15 credits)
    • ENWR 230: Expository Writing (3 credits)
    • PHIL 250: Introduction to Logic (3 credits)
    • PLST 255: The American Judicial System (3 credits)
    • PLST 494: Seminar* (2 credits each, students must take 3 for a total of 6 credits)
  • Elective Courses (6 credits)
    • BUAD 375: Business Law I (3 credits)
    • BUAD 376: Business Law II (3 credits)
    • RELT 385: Christian Ethics in Modern Society (3 credits)
    • PLST 250: American Government (3 credits)
    • ENWR 330: Advanced Expository Writing (3 credits)
    • PLST 494: Seminar (other 2 credit courses, up to 6 credits)
  • Total Required Credits = 21
  • * Seminar Courses will vary and will be announced up to one year in advance (coming soon)

Mock Trial

Mock Trial has been an active club on campus since 2000. It is structured around a course called American Judicial System (PLST 255). The course introduces student to trial law and the American court system. Though the class is open to all students on campus, six are selected to join the Mock Trial team for the spring semester. The team competes in mock trial competitions against some of the most prestigious colleges and universities on the east coast and around the country. In February 2023, WAU competed at Princeton University in a region that included Princeton, Johns Hopkins, MIT, the U.S. Naval Academy, the Military Academy at West Point, the University of Maryland, Tufts University, and more.

During the 2025 Regional Finals, WAU finished with a record of 2 wins and 2 loses. The team defeated Temple University (Philadelphia) and Elizabethtown College. One of their losses was a narrow 3 point loss to Howard University (DC), a team that went on to the national finals.

WAU is part of the American Mock Trial Association (AMTA), the nationally recognized governing body for intercollegiate competition, and is the only Adventist university to be a member of the AMTA. If you have any interest in being a lawyer, you’re going to want to participate in this exciting program. Teams are chosen each Fall semester and competitions are usually in the Spring.