Undergraduate Minor - Business Law

• Students must complete the Minor Core Curriculum with a grade of C- or better on an A - F grading basis (with the exception of LAW 3000, which requires a C or better). (An exception will be made for students earning S grades in Spring 2020, Fall 2020, and Spring 2021 due to grading policy changes during the COVID-19 public health situation.)
• Please note, seats in Law 5xxx courses are held for Law Students first and students in the minor can gain access to available seats after Law students finish registering and open enrollment begins. Students are encouraged to check for prerequisite courses and add themselves to the waitlist in the meantime.
• Appropriate Law School courses not on the elective list may be taken to fulfill minor requirements, with permission from the Business Law Minor Advisor.

The Business Law Minor is open to all University of Minnesota undergraduate degree candidates in all colleges and in all majors. However, students should check with their advisors to ensure that their programs allow enrollment in a freestanding undergraduate minor.

You can also learn more about the Business Law Minor from the Law School.

Yes, in that you will take courses from law professors, will be exposed to law school teaching methods, and will be trained in basic elements of legal analysis. This will help you adapt to law school more easily than students who lack that background. The minor might also help you decide whether to attend law school.

There are two important caveats. First, the American Bar Association prohibits accredited law schools in the U.S. from awarding J.D. credit for undergraduate work. Accordingly, your credits in the minor will not transfer into law school. Second, law schools do not require students to have prior exposure to law, so you should not think of the minor as essential preparation for law school.

Learn more through Pre-Law advising, which is open to all students and alumni of the university, regardless of college.

Yes – LAW 3000 is available as an honors contract course. The instructor will provide additional information about fulfilling the contract. Additional honors contract courses may be available in the future.

We recommend that you start in your sophomore or junior year.

No. Courses in the minor do not assume prior familiarity with law, provided that you take LAW 3000 before enrolling in 5xxx or 6xxx level law school courses.

You should either wait until you can take LAW 3000, or take one of the other 3xxx level courses in the minor. You cannot take 5xxx law courses as part of the minor until you complete LAW 3000.

No. Undergraduates in law courses will be graded separately from law students.

Generally, no. All 3xxx and 5xxx Law courses that are part of the minor are open for undergraduate registration in the same way that students typically register for courses. Please note, seats in the Law 5xxx courses are held for Law Students first and students in the minor can gain access to available seats after Law students finish registering and open enrollment begins. Students are encouraged to check for prerequisite courses and add themselves to the waitlist in the meantime. If you find that you are unable to directly enroll in a course that you believe is available for the minor you should email [email protected] for guidance.

Ideally, students should start with LAW 3000 (which is required for the minor) and then take LAW 3050 (which is highly recommended as one of the electives for the minor) before taking 5xxx level Law designated courses. LAW 3000 prepares you for the method of law school courses while also covering basic topics in a number of important areas of the law. LAW 3050 is run more like a course for law students, but it also focuses on teaching the methods of law school courses and it covers substantive material that is quite helpful in other business law courses. Students should avoid taking any 5xxx level Law designated courses until after successful completion of LAW 3000 with a C or better. It is also preferable to take LAW 3050 before taking any 5xxx level Law designated courses. Law classes and exams are quite different from undergraduate classes and exams. When you take a 5xxx level Law designated course, you will be studying alongside law students who spent an entire year learning how law classes work, although you will be graded on a separate curve. The 3xxx level courses prepare undergraduates for these courses.

LAW 3000 is a more basic course, focused the most on introducing undergraduate students to the particular methods of law school courses. Ideally, students would take LAW 3000 before LAW 3050. Ordinarily, LAW 3000 is offered each semester and LAW 3050 is offered in one of the two semesters. If scheduling makes it difficult to take LAW 3000 first, students can take the courses simultaneously or take them out of the recommended sequence.