UH Hilo’s pre-law certificate prepares students for a multitude of workforce needs

Posted on February 3, 2026March 2, 2026 by Staff

The pre-law certificate program’s interdisciplinary approach aims to strengthen and develop students’ “lawyering skills,” durable skills that can be applied to many professions.

By Lauren Aoki/UH Hilo Stories.

Law is not just the Bill of Rights and the Constitution, law is in everything, from the way people drive to how food is packaged and processed. The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo’s pre-law certificate program was created with this in mind, challenging traditional ideas of what law is and inviting a variety of perspectives on it.

Sarah Marusek casual portrait in her office. — Sarah Marusek

“People associate law school with political science, but it could be English, philosophy, or many other majors,” says Sarah Marusek, a professor of political science and founder, coordinator, and advisor of UH Hilo’s pre-law program. “You can do anything with law. There’s law in everything.”

First established in 2016, the certificate program is interdisciplinary, emphasizing the application and knowledge of law across a broad spectrum of subjects. Based at the Department of Political Science, the program includes poli-sci courses along with English, business, philosophy, history, anthropology, geography, and sociology to showcase real-world application of law outside traditional legal frameworks. There are four components to the program: foundations, jurisprudence, (in)justice, and regulatory environments.

Even if students aren’t interested in attending law school or becoming a lawyer, the pre-law program encourages them to think about law and society in the past, present, and future.

“As the public law specialist in the political science department, my teaching and my research is all about law and legal theory, legal application, and law in society,” says Marusek. “I want to share that, the idea that law is an expansive motion, law happens in everyday life.”

Because of its interdisciplinary foundation, the pre-law certificate program is popular with students completing baccalaureate degrees in communication, business, sociology, marine science, philosophy, political science, psychology and more; the certificate program simultaneously enhances their degree.

Those who do choose to pursue law after graduation are most likely to attend UH Mānoa’s William S. Richardson School of Law. Professor Marusek has worked closely with Richardson’s admissions and the school’s Ulu Lehua Scholars Program for many years; these partnership have helped sustain a pipeline between the two universities for both students and programs.

Development of durable skills, career readiness: Problem solving, critical thinking, reading, writing, communication

The pre-law certificate program’s holistic approach aims to strengthen and develop students’ “lawyering skills,” durable skills that can be applied to many professions. According to the American Bar Association, lawyering skills are “problem solving, critical reading, writing and editing, oral communication and listening, research, organization and management, public service and promotion of justice, relationship-building and collaboration, background knowledge and exposure to the law.”

Marusek notes how the program’s focus on skillset development responds to a current trend found in colleges and universities across the nation. “Career-readiness skills are what universities are going toward right now,” she says.

By emphasizing these durable skills, the certificate program helps students prepare for the workforce or for graduate school. Though it’s not a definitive ticket into law school (the same way being pre-med doesn’t guarantee acceptance into medical school) the certificate is still valuable to have on a resume.

“It gives students a signifier that they can read and write (professionally), which are important skills for critical thinking, for analysis, for organization, and for how you communicate,” Marusek says.

The power of internships

Internships offered through the pre-law program also benefit students through giving them real-world experience and a jump start on networking and finding career opportunities.

Though not required by the program, many pre-law students choose to do an internship anyway, for both class credit and career incentives.

Many UH Hilo students have interned with the prosecutor’s office, the public defender’s office, and other local partners. These connections often continue after certificate program completion and graduation, providing powerful stepping stones into a career.

The future of the program

Plans are underway to update the pre-law certificate’s curriculum over the summer. Marusek would like to expand the interdisciplinary foundation, update the layout and courses.

“The update I would like to do would consider new courses, new faculty, and a different layout,” she says.

Regardless of the future changes to come, the pre-law certificate will continue to center on an interdisciplinary foundation, encouraging a diverse perspective of law in everyday life.