Many philosophy students find law school to be a natural choice because they have spent years honing their abilities to craft and handle arguments both in writing and orally.
Unlike many other STEM-majors, philosophy majors have extensive experience crafting written arguments. Unlike many other humanities majors, philosophy majors focus on writing arguments for various positions.
Philosophy Majors Do Very Well on the LSAT
Philosophy majors tend to do better on the LSAT — which is the law school entrance exam — than students in many other popular majors. According to Andereas Teuber, in Philosophy Students Score High on LSAT, GMAT & GRE:
“Philosophy majors received higher scores on the LSAT than students in all other humanities areas, higher scores than all social and natural science majors except economics and mathematics, and higher scores than all applied majors.”
“Moreover, the differences are in most cases substantial: for example, philosophy majors scored 10% better than political science majors on the LSAT.”
More Data on LSAT Scores by Major
Set forth below is additional historical information about relative LSAT scores.
TABLE 1. Average 2007-2008 LSAT Scores with over 1,900 students taking the exam.
| Economics | 157.4 | 3,047 |
| Philosophy | 157.4 | 2,184 |
| Engineering | 156.2 | 2,197 |
| History | 155.9 | 4,166 |
| English | 154.7 | 5,120 |
| Finance | 153.4 | 2,267 |
| Political Science | 153.0 | 14,964 |
| Psychology | 152.5 | 4,355 |
| Sociology | 150.7 | 1,902 |
| Communications | 150.5 | 2,230 |
| Business Administration | 149.1 | 1,971 |
| Criminal Justice | 145.5 | 3,306 |
TABLE 2. Average 2007-2008 LSAT Scores with at least 450 students taking the exam.
| Physics/Math | 160.0 | 577 |
| Economics | 157.4 | 3,047 |
| Philosophy/Theology | 157.4 | 2,581 |
| International Relations | 156.5 | 1,520 |
| Engineering | 156.2 | 2,197 |
| Government /Service | 156.1 | 578 |
| Chemistry | 156.1 | 632 |
| History | 155.9 | 4,169 |
| Interdisciplinary Studies | 155.5 | 652 |
| Foreign Languages | 155.3 | 1,084 |
| English | 155.2 | 5,899 |
| Biology/Natural Sciences | 154.8 | 2,201 |
| Arts | 154.2 | 1,438 |
| Computer Science | 154.0 | 682 |
| Finance | 153.4 | 2,267 |
| Political Science | 153.1 | 15,181 |
| Psychology | 152.5 | 4,355 |
| Liberal Arts | 152.4 | 3,892 |
| Anthropology/Geography | 152.2 | 808 |
| Accounting | 151.7 | 1,439 |
Submitted to Journal of Economic Education, June 25, 2009
Strong Pre-Law Advising
Did you know that the current head of the Philosophy Department, Professor Kar, is also a Professor of Law at UIUC Law School? He holds sessions each semester to help philosophy majors learn about law school admissions and success — including tips for how to make sure that their philosophical training will prepare them to hit the ground running in law school.
In addition, Pre-Law Advising Services is part of the Illinois Campus Center for Advising and Academic Services.
This office provides advising and information to all undergraduates interested in pursuing a postgraduate legal education. Members of their team can help you to figure out:
- how to explore your interest in legal careers
- how to prepare for law school
- how to figure out which is the best law school for you
- how to apply to law school
- how best to prepare for the LSAT
- any other questions related to law school or legal education
For more information or to set up an appointment, please visit the Illinois Pre-Law resource site.