Program Overview

Juris Doctor Degree

Overview

The Juris Doctor (JD) degree program at Scalia Law School is designed to provide students with a rigorous education in the law, preparing them for admission to the bar and effective participation in the legal profession. The program is consistent with ABA Standards and focuses on developing students' knowledge, skills, and values necessary for success in the legal field.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the JD program, students will have met the following learning outcomes:

1. Legal Knowledge: Graduates will possess knowledge of the substantive and procedural law that is the foundation of the American legal system and will possess the ability to acquire and master advanced knowledge of the law.
2. Legal Writing: Graduates will have the ability to write competent legal documents in both the litigation and transactional contexts.
3. Advocacy Skills: Graduates will be able to engage in effective oral advocacy, legal reasoning, and problem-solving.
4. Law and Economics: Graduates will be able to apply basic economic concepts to enhance their understanding of the law and legal outcomes.
5. Professionalism and Professional Responsibility: Students will demonstrate the professional skills necessary for effective and ethical participation in the legal profession.

Policies

• After the first year, students in the full-time division must maintain a credit load of 10-17 hours per semester, and students in the part-time division must maintain a credit load of 8-12 hours per semester. (See Academic Regulation 3-5.5)
• In order to earn a JD, a student must have been in residence for a minimum of six fall or spring semesters. A student is in residence for a semester during which the student earns (with a passing grade) academic credit eligible to be presented towards their Juris Doctor degree. (See Academic Regulation 3-3.3)
• All students must complete 89 credit hours to graduate, 74 of which must be "in-class" credit hours, and no more than 15 credit hours may be graded "CR." (See Academic Regulation 3-3.1)

Degree Requirements

Total credits: 89

This certificate may be pursued on a full-time basis only.

Scalia Law students are required to satisfactorily complete 89 credit hours for graduation. Forty credit hours are in the required general law courses listed below; the remaining credit hours are in elective courses. Through elective courses, all students matriculating in Fall 2016 or later must complete the upper-level writing requirement and the experiential learning requirement. (See Academic Regulation 3-3.2(b) and 3-3.2(c)). Additional course requirements may apply based on class standing. (See Academic Regulation 3-3.2(d)).

Required General Law Courses

• LAW 096: LRWA I: Intro to Lgl Res Writ
• LAW 102: Contracts I
• LAW 110: Torts
• LAW 108: Economics for Lawyers
• LAW 104: Property 1
• LAW 097: LRWA II: Trial-Level Writing
• LAW 103: Contracts II
• LAW 112: Civil Procedure
• LAW 266: Legislation Statutory Interp 2
• LAW 106: Criminal Law 3
• LAW 098: LRWA III: Appellate Writing
• LAW 121: Const Law I-Structure of Gov't 4
• LAW 099: LRWA IV: Legal Drafting
• LAW 298: Professional Responsibility
• Total Credits: 40

Electives

Students must complete 49 credits of elective courses to complete this degree.

JD Focus Areas & Concentrations

Students may elect to complete coursework in one of 18 Focus Areas of the law listed below. A formal Concentration can be achieved in the Focus Areas of: Antitrust Law, National Security Law, Cyber Law, Tax Law, Patent Law, and Public Interest Litigation. To achieve a Concentration, students must complete at least five courses in the Focus Area, earning a final grade of B- or higher in each course.

• Administrative Law and Government Regulation
• Antitrust Law
• Business & Financial Regulation
• Constitutional Law
• Criminal Law and Procedure
• Cyber Law
• Environmental & Energy Law
• Family Law and Estate Planning
• Immigration & Human Rights Law
• Intellectual Property
• International & Comparative Law
• Labor & Employment Law
• Law & Economics
• Litigation & Alternative Dispute Resolution
• National Security Law and Policy
• Patent Law
• Public Interest Law
• Tax Law

Accelerated Dual Degree in Law and Business

The JD/MBA Dual Degree Program provides students with full legal training and the analytical, communication, and leadership skills of MBA graduates. Upon completion of the graduation requirements of both schools, students of the dual degree program will receive both a JD from the Scalia Law School and an MBA from the Costello College of Business, making them attractive law firm candidates or corporate professionals.

Admission

Applicants must apply to and be admitted by both the Scalia Law School and the Costello College of Business.

Curriculum

The following represents the three-year, full-time curriculum for the joint degree. If a student chooses to pursue the degree part time, over a longer period, then the schedule would be adjusted accordingly.

• Year One:
  • Semester: Fall 1L
    • LAW 096: LRWA I: Intro to Lgl Res Writ
    • LAW 102: Contracts I
    • LAW 110: Torts
    • LAW 104: Property
    • LAW 108: Economics for Lawyers
  • Semester: Spring 1L
    • LAW 097: LRWA II: Trial-Level Writing
    • LAW 103: Contracts II
    • LAW 106: Criminal Law
    • LAW 112: Civil Procedure
    • LAW 266: Legislation Statutory Interp
  • Semester: Summer Post 1L
    • Combination of Courses from Approved JD/MBA Restricted Electives &/or Unrestricted Electives
• Year Two:
  • Semester: Fall 2L
    • MBA 613: Financial Reporting and Decision Making
    • MBA 633: Statistics for Business Decision Making
    • MBA 653: Organizational Behavior
  • Semester: Spring 2L
    • MBA 623: Marketing Management
    • MBA 643: Managerial Finance
    • MBA 678: Strategic Management
  • Semester: Summer Post 2L
    • Module 5: Select one of the following courses
    • Module 6: MBA 662: Management of Information Technology and The Digital Enterprise
• Year Three:
  • Semester: Fall 3L
    • LAW 098: LRWA III: Appellate Writing
    • LAW 121: Const Law I-Structure of Gov't
    • LAW 298: Professional Responsibility
  • Semester: Spring 3L
    • LAW 099: LRWA IV: Legal Drafting
  • Semester: Summer Post 3L
    • Combination of Courses from Approved JD/MBA Restricted Electives &/or Unrestricted Electives

Approved JD/MBA Restricted Elective Course List

• LAW 116: Administrative Law
• LAW 640: Antitrust III: Advanced Antitrust Seminar
• LAW 348: Alternative Dispute Resolution (E)(W)
• LAW 156: Antitrust I: Principles
• LAW 162: Antitrust II: Applications
• LAW 237: Antitrust Economics
• LAW 167: Bankruptcy
• LAW 454: Bankruptcy Reorg Seminar
• LAW 172: Business Associations
• LAW 083: Business Bootcamp
• LAW 176: Commercial Paper
• LAW 181: Communications Law
• LAW 332: Consumer Protection Law
• LAW 191: Copyrights
• LAW 194: Corporate Acquisitions
• LAW 198: Corporate Tax
• LAW 210: Discrimination in Employment
• LAW 365: Employment Law
• LAW 746: Energy Law
• LAW 209: Entertainment Law (W)
• LAW 218: Environmental Law
• LAW 612: FTC Seminar
• LAW 645: Global Antitrust Law Seminar
• LAW 230: Government Contracts
• LAW 427: Health Law Seminar
• LAW 236: Income Tax
• LAW 242: Insurance Law
• LAW 367: Intellectual Property
• LAW 432: Intel Prop Antitrust Seminar
• LAW 245: Intl Commercial Transact (W)
• LAW 693: Int'l Finance Regulation Sem
• LAW 253: Intl Trade Law Regulat
• LAW 256: Labor Law
• LAW 240: Law Reg of Financial Institutions
• LAW 304: Legal Practicum: Global Antitrust Regulatory Comments (E)(W)
• LAW 303: Negotiation Legal Settlement (E)(W)
• LAW 282: Ptnrship Subchap S Tax
• LAW 338: Patent Law
• LAW 295: Real Estate Finance
• LAW 315: Regulated Industries (W)
• LAW 312: Sales
• LAW 322: Sec Fin Insol I
• LAW 317: Securities Law Regulations
• LAW 347: Trade Secrets Law
• LAW 327: Trademark Law

Additional Requirements

• Scholarships, if offered, are by department, and scholarships will be applied at the time the student is enrolled in the classes of that department.
• Students will pay the tuition of the department in whose classes they are enrolled at the time.
• Students in the joint degree program will not receive a cumulative GPA, but instead will have two separate transcripts maintained by the separate departments. If a student decides at any point to abandon the joint degree program and pursue one degree or the other, the credit reduction will not remain and students will be expected to complete the entire credit load to receive the degree.

Joint Degree in Law & Public Policy

The JD/MPP Joint Degree Program in Law and Public Policy provides students with an opportunity to master the fundamentals of legal and policy analysis. It provides students with full legal training and a solid understanding of public policy, preparing them for careers in legal academia, government and policymaking. Upon completion of the graduation requirements of both schools, students of the joint degree program will receive both a JD from the Scalia Law School and an MPP from the Schar School of Policy and Government (Schar). Both degrees can be achieved on a full-time basis in approximately four years, instead of the five years that would be required if each degree were pursued sequentially.

Credit Requirements for the JD

The JD requires a total of 89 credit hours. Students must complete 40 credits of required curriculum and 49 additional elective credits of upper-level coursework. Students completing the joint degree program may request at the beginning of their final year of study to have the number of required elective credits reduced from 49 to 40.

Requirements

• Law School's Original Curriculum Required Courses
  • LAW 096: LRWA I: Intro to Lgl Res Writ
  • LAW 102: Contracts I
  • LAW 110: Torts
  • LAW 108: Economics for Lawyers
  • LAW 104: Property
  • LAW 097: LRWA II: Trial-Level Writing
  • LAW 103: Contracts II
  • LAW 112: Civil Procedure
  • LAW 266: Legislation Statutory Interp
  • LAW 106: Criminal Law
  • LAW 098: LRWA III: Appellate Writing
  • LAW 121: Const Law I-Structure of Gov't
  • LAW 099: LRWA IV: Legal Drafting
  • LAW 298: Professional Responsibility
• Electives
  • Select 49 credits of elective courses

Credit Requirements for the MPP

The MPP requires a total of 36 credit hours. Joint degree students must complete all 24 credits of the required curriculum. Twelve additional policy credits are required in upper division coursework in order to complete the MPP. Any student entering the program without relevant work experience will also be expected to complete a three credit policy related internship.

Additional Requirements

• Students will have five years from matriculation in the Law School to complete the JD requirements and six years from matriculation in the Schar School of Policy and Government to complete the MPP requirements.
• At the beginning of the final year of study, the student must seek approval from the law school for a reduced electives course load, as the joint degree program reduces the total number of credit hours needed for graduation from 125 (89 law, 36 public policy (39 if an internship is required)) to 113 (80 law, 33 public policy (36 if an internship is required)).
• Students in the joint degree program will not receive a cumulative GPA, but instead will have two separate transcripts maintained by the separate departments. If a student decides at any point to abandon the joint degree program and pursue one degree or the other, the credit reduction will not remain and students will be expected to complete the entire credit load to receive the degree (89 hours for the JD and 36 hours for the MPP (39 hours if an internship is required)).