Program Overview

Introduction to the Juris Doctor (J.D.) Program

The Juris Doctor (J.D.) program is a comprehensive legal education program designed to provide students with a thorough understanding of the law and prepare them for a successful career in the legal profession.

Graduation Requirements

To graduate from the J.D. program, students must meet the following requirements:

Credit Hours

Students who enter the Law School after August 1, 2011, must complete 88 credits, including the following mandated courses:

• Civil Procedure I
• Contracts
• Constitutional Law
• Criminal Law I
• Legal Research and Writing (2 semesters in sequence)
• Torts
• Property
• Introduction to Transactional Skills
• Menu Course (for Full-Time students only)

Students who entered the Law School before August 1, 2011, are required to complete 87 credits.

Upper Level Writing Requirement

Students must fulfill an Upper Level Writing Requirement by completing coursework focusing on:

• Serial Writing
• Research Writing

Students can meet this requirement by:

• Obtaining a "C" or better in a 2 or 3 credit Guided Research or Writing Seminar
• Completing a substantial work of professional quality that meets the writing requirements of one of the two law journals, the Moot Court Honor Society, or the Jessup Moot Court Honor Society with the approval of the appropriate faculty advisor

Professional Responsibility Requirement

Students must meet this requirement by successfully completing a Professional Responsibility course. If a student receives less than a "C" when they initially take a Professional Responsibility course, they must take a Professional Responsibility course again and successfully complete it.

Experiential/Professional Skills Requirement

All students who matriculated prior to the fall semester 2016 must successfully complete a course designated as a Professional Skills course. All students who matriculated in or after the fall semester 2016 must successfully complete one or more Experiential Courses totaling at least six credit hours.

Courses that satisfy the Experiential/Professional Skills requirement include:

• Clinical Courses (both Internal Clinics and External Clinics)
• Externships
• Practicums
• Trial Team Evidence
• Transactional Practice I and II
• Simulation Courses

Bias in the Law Requirement

Students who matriculated law school as of August 2021 must complete a course that satisfies the Bias in the Law requirement by completing coursework that focuses on Bias in the Law.

Successful Completion of Courses

All students must successfully complete all courses in the mandated First Year Curriculum required for their program. Unless otherwise provided, successful completion means attaining a grade of "D" or better in a graded course, and "S-" or better in an ungraded course.

Repeating Courses

Students have the option to retake a course they have failed. Whenever a student retakes a course, both grades will appear on the student's transcript and will be factored into the student's cumulative grade point average, but no academic credit will be awarded for the first time the student took the course.

GPA

Attain a 2.00 cumulative grade point average.

Semesters-In-Residence Requirement

Satisfy the semesters-in-residence requirement by taking six full-time or eight part-time semesters.

Completion of Program

Complete all graduation requirements within six years. Those taking an authorized leave of absence for active military duty may exceed six years.

Additional Requirements

• Students anticipating graduation at the conclusion of the current semester must complete a graduation application.
• A graduation fee will be assessed and billed to all students during the semester of their graduation and must be paid prior to the graduation date.
• The Law School's graduation ceremony is held in May. January and prospective July graduates of the same year are welcome to participate.