Law, Politics, and Society Major
Understanding the law is a window into the way our society works. Explore the connection as a Law, Politics, and Society major at Drake.
College of Arts & Sciences | On-Campus
Program Options
The LPS major integrates the liberal arts with pre-professional preparation needed to excel in fields such as law, policy, or politics.
B.A. in Law, Politics, and Society
LPS faculty are experts in some of the most pressing topics the world faces today. They’ll introduce you to the relationship between law, politics, and society and their interactions with the criminal justice system, immigration, labor and employment, and religion.
3+3 Program
Complete your bachelor’s and Juris Doctor degrees in just six years through the Arts and Sciences/Law School 3+3 program. Students can apply during their junior year at Drake, and once accepted, they’ll fulfill undergraduate requirements while beginning first-year Law School courses.
Meet the Faculty
Deepen your understanding of criminal justice, immigration, labor and employment, and religion from the Law, Politics, and Society major’s three core faculty members.
William Garriott III
Professor, Law, Politics, and Society; Department Chair, Law, Politics, and Society
Outside the Classroom
Whether you intend to enter law school or begin a career in government, policy, or the nonprofit sector, your résumé starts to take shape at Drake through opportunities that help you grow as a leader, communicator, and community advocate.
Student Organizations
Put your debate skills to work on Drake’s mock trial team, which has competed with (and won against) some of the nation’s best. You can also join Drake's pre-law fraternity or hone your leadership skills in student government.
Service Learning
LPS students don’t just observe society but participate in it as active global citizens. Our commitment to experiential learning connects classrooms to our community, where you’ll get out and make a difference.
Study Abroad
We encourage LPS students to study off-campus for a semester or a year. Stay in the U.S. during our Washington Semester, or work with Drake’s Global Engagement Office to identify a program in another country.
J-Term
Our three-week J-Term and May Term courses allow you to accompany Drake faculty to places like New York City, London, Uganda, South Africa, the Galapagos Islands, and Egypt for research and to observe other governmental and legal systems.
Research
You’ll work with faculty who are leaders in their respective fields—and, often, you’ll have the chance to participate in their research. Or they can serve as a mentor, guiding your own original research.
Internships
Des Moines, Iowa’s capital, is a hub for political campaigns, law firms, state and local government offices, and social service agencies. Put your passion to work through one or more for-credit internships.
Careers & Skills
About half of the graduates from Drake’s Law, Politics, and Society major go on to law school. The other half begin careers in or pursue graduate studies related to education, government, politics, advocacy, or the nonprofit sector. Whatever your direction, the LPS major gives you the flexibility to define your impact in a wide range of fields.
Opportunities
- Law firms
- Government
- News media
- Nonprofit organizations
- Social service agencies
Skills
- Learn to read and understand legal texts, court decisions, and theoretical writing, and use those texts to convey complex ideas and arguments in your own writing
- Build awareness of justice, morality, authority, order, legitimacy, individualism, and community issues and how they can create tensions within ordered social life
- Examine how race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, and religion impact legal, social, and political life
- Explain how historical development and different cultural practices, social organizations, and political systems affect law and justice around the world
- Use contemporary legal, critical, and/or interpretive theories to analyze political, social, or legal events or situations.
Salary & Growth Outlook
Median salary for lawyers in 2024. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Take the Next Step
Build a better understanding not just of the legal field but its influence on all aspects of our lives with a bachelor’s in Law, Politics, and Society from Drake.
