Pre-Law
Pre-Law and Political Science
Political science is a very popular major or minor for pre-law students (students who plan to attend law school). Political science provides students with an understanding of the state, national and international institutions that make law, and includes courses such as Constitutional Law I and II, International Law, and American Judicial Politics.
For information on pre-law in general at GVSU, see the GVSU pre-law website.
Pre-Law Advising
Political science professor Mark Richards is a pre-law advisor for GVSU students.
Contact information:
Mark Richards, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair of Political Science
1106 AuSable Hall
(616) 331-3457
richardm@gvsu.edu
Profile
Pre-Law FAQ
Professor Richards maintains the Pre-law FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) site, which is highly recommended for anyone contemplating pre-law. Please visit for more information about pre-law at GVSU, the Law Society student organization, the LSAT, and links to many helpful pre-law resources.
LEAP
Enjoy a new degree of success and distinguish yourself academically and professionally by earning both a bachelor's degree from GVSU Political Science and a Juris Doctor (JD) from Michigan State University College of Law (MSU Law). The Legal Education Admission Program (LEAP) provides an opportunity for GVSU's political science undergraduate students to earn both degrees in about six years of full-time study (three years of political science plus three years of law school).
Spotlights
Teaching at United States Military Academy
Student Founds Breast Cancer Awareness Organization.
Clerk's Assistant with Oakland Township
Lindsay Ryan- Chief of Staff: Congressman John Moolenaar
Khalil Rahal
Khalil Rahal Leads Economic Development in Detroit.
Events
REV. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., - YUSEF SALAAM PRESENTATION - LIB 100/201 APPROVED!
January 20, 2020 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Yusef Salaam was 15 years old in 1989 when he and four other teenagers were wrongly accused and convicted of attacking and raping a woman in New Your City's Central Park. Collectively know...
REV. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., - CEDRIC TAYLOR PRESENTATION - LIB 100/201 APPROVED!
January 22, 2020 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
Cedric Taylor, associate professor of sociology at Central Michigan University, is the writer, director and co-producer of "Nor Any Drop to Drink: The Flint Water Crisis." Taylor...
The Washington Center Informational Meeting
January 23, 2020 6:00 PM - 7:15 PM
Interested in interning in Washington D.C.? Interested in an in-depth academic seminar that you could get credit for in a short time period? Join us to learn from The Washington Center representative...
STEVE LUXENBERG: PLESSY V. FERGUSON--RACE IN AMERICAN MEMORY - LIB 100/201 APPROVED!
January 23, 2020 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
In May of 1896, the Supreme Court ruled on the case of Plessy V. Ferguson. Though the justices’ 7-1 decision created little stir among the public, it helped lay the foundation for racial...
THE GLOBAL EXPRESS: HIGHER EDUCATION AS A GLOBAL COMMODITY
January 29, 2020 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
The Global Express is a public forum on global affairs and current events on Wednesdays through the winter semester. Join us when Dr. Mark Schaub, Interim Dean for the Brooks College of interdisciplinary...
News
December 20, 2019
Professors Mark Richards and Yi Zhao teamed up for a research project on how the legal concept of the public figure, central to libel cases in the U.S., has now spread to the Chinese legal system.
November 26, 2019
Dean Fred Antczak is pleased to announce that serving as commencement marshals will be Professor Polly Diven of Political Science and Jeff Kelly Lowenstein of the School of Communication.
November 18, 2019
International Relations Students Simulate Response to Calamitous Global Event
GV Students Spend Summer Interning in DC
September 27, 2019
GVSU Political Science and International Relations Summer 2019 Internships