Academics
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.P.H. (Juris Doctor/Master of Public Health), J.D./M.S. (Juris Doctor/Master of Science in accounting), and J.S./M.S./Ph.D. (Juris Doctor/Master of Science/Doctor of Philosophy).
The School of Law offers concentrations in corporate law, criminal law, environmental law, family law, international law, labor law, litigation, tax law, public interest, and advocacy. In addition, clinical courses include Certiorari Clinic/Criminal Appeals for 3 credits, Criminal Advocacy for 7 credits, and Poverty Law and Practice for 6 credits. Seminars include an Advanced Writing Seminar, Health Law Seminar, and Racism and American Law Seminar. Research assistantships are available with individual professors. Students are required to complete 4 distinct cooperative legal education quarters during the second and third year of school, alternating every 3 months between full-time classes and full-time work. Study abroad is possible through international co-ops available on a limited basis. There are many academic support programs, including the Legal Writing Workshop, Legal Analysis Workshop, and Analytical Skills Workshop. Upper-level courses include Advanced Writing, Legal Reasoning, Advanced Legal Research, and a not-for-credit Bar preparation course. Minority students may take advantage of the Analytical Skills Workshop. Special interest group programs include the Environmental Law Forum, Tobacco Products Liability Project, Prisoner’s Assistance Project, Domestic Violence Institute, Urban Law Institute, Human Rights and Global Economy. The most widely taken electives are Evidence, Corporations, Federal Courts and the Federal System, and Trusts and Estates.
To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 103 total credits, of which 53 are for required courses. The following first-year courses are required of all students: Civil Procedure, Constitutional Issues, Contracts, Criminal Justice, Legal Skills in Social context, Property, and Torts. Required upper-level courses consist of Professional Responsibility. Students are required to complete 4 supervised legal internships under the school’s program of cooperative legal education. In the second and third year of school, students alternate every 3 months between full-time class work and full-time co-op work. The school also offers traditional clinical courses as electives for upper-level students. The required orientation program for first-year students is 2 to 3 days and introduces students to the first-year curriculum, faculty, law school, and university services.
In order to graduate, candidates must have completed the upper-division writing requirement, cooperative education, and a public interest requirement.