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) and J.D./M.P.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Public Administration).
The Thurgood Marshall School of Law offers concentrations in litigation and tax law. In addition, clinics include criminal law, administrative law, and civil law. Seminars include criminal trial practice, writing, and First Amendment. Internships are available through the clinics offered, including a judicial internship with federal and state judges. Research programs allow for independent research and thesis research. A special lecture series, the Quodlibet, is a faculty- and student-sponsored program on current legal issues that are debated by faculty. Students may participate in study-abroad programs sponsored by other ABA-approved law schools. Each first-year section is assigned a student tutor who reviews substantive materials, discusses hypotheticals, and provides study help for each professor’s class. The Legal Education Advancement Program (LEAP) is a 6-week summer program to develop oral and written legal analysis skills. Minority students are offered the third-year Mentor Program in which students are assigned alumni mentors in the third year through the bar examination. Academic counseling on course selection and personal goals is available. The most widely taken electives are Estate Planning, Legal Clinics, and Oil and Gas Law.
To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 90 total credits, of which 70 are for required courses. They must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 in the required courses. The following first-year courses are required of all students: Civil Procedure, Contracts I and II, Criminal Law, Lawyering Process/Legal Writing I and II, Property I and II, and Torts I and II. Required upper-level courses consist of a writing seminar, Appellate Litigation, Basic Federal Income Taxation, Business Associations, Commercial Law, Constitution Law, Consumer Rights, Criminal Procedure, Evidence, Federal Jurisdiction and Procedure, Professional Responsibility, Texas Practice, Trial Simulation, and Wills and Trusts. The required orientation program for first-year students consists of a 1-week introduction and lectures on skills.
In order to graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 2.0 and have completed the upper-division writing requirement.