Academics
In addition to the J.D., the law school offers the LL.M. and M.L.S. (Master in Legal Studies). Students may take relevant courses in other programs and apply credit toward the J.D.; a maximum of 6 credits may be applied. The following joint degrees may be earned: J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration), J.D./M.D. (Juris Doctor/Doctor of Medicine with Mayo Medical School), J.D./Ph.D. (Juris Doctor/Ph.D. in justice and social inquiry), and J.D/Ph.D. (Juris Doctor/Ph.D. in Psychology).
Students must take 16 credits in their area of concentration. The Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law offers concentrations in environmental law, intellectual property law, international law, tax law, and certificates in Indian law, intellectual property, environmental law, health law, and law, science, and technology. In addition, current offerings include a Criminal Practice Clinic, a Civil Justice Clinic, and a Technology Ventures Clinic, each worth 6 credits. Third-year students are given preference for clinics and seminars; 25 to 30 seminars per semester are offered (worth 2 or 3 credit hours). Externships and field work allow upper-level students to gain up to 12 credits while working in one of the more than 150 organized externships. A number of research opportunities are also available for students. Professor Joe Feller’s Natural Resources Field Seminar provides an opportunity to observe first-hand some of the places and resources discussed in the courses on Water Law and Natural Resources Law. The course is held in Northern Arizona, north of the Grand Canyon. Visiting old-growth forests, an ecological restoration project, the site of the Bridger fire, desert rangelands, and the Colorado River in Glen Canyon, participants meet with federal and state resource managers and scientists to discuss the application and implementation of environmental laws. The college sponsors numerous annual lecture series and several major symposia yearly. Study abroad is possible through a semester exchange program with Universidad Torcuato Di Tella, Buenos Aires, University of Victoria, British Columbia, National University, Singapore, and Universit