Academics
In addition to the J.D., the law school offers the LL.M. Students may take relevant courses in other programs and apply credit toward the J.D.; a maximum of 9 credits may be applied. The following joint degrees may be earned: J.D./M.Acc. (Juris Doctor/Master of Accountancy), J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration), J.D./M.Ed. (Juris Doctor/Master of Education), and J.D./M.P.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Public Administration).
The law school has LawHelp seminars worth up to 15 credits in which second- and third year students provide legal services to clients under the direction of an attorney. Each first-year student has 1 class taught in seminar/small section form; 41 seminars are available for second-and third-year students. Students are allowed up to 15 credit hours for judicial, prosecutorial, government, private law firm, and public interest internships; 2 credit hours for research programs; and 15 for field work. The Career Services Office offers a weekly lecture series course, which features guest speakers from practice area specialties. Student organizations sponsor speakers on topics ranging from practical lawyering skills to jurisprudential theory. Students interested in study abroad programs sponsored by other law schools may transfer credit. Additionally, the Academic Success Program includes study skills, and individual tutors. Minority recruiting includes the Minority Law School night, the Diversity Job Fair, and outreach to the multi-cultural offices at many undergraduate institutions. The most widely taken electives are Constitutional Law, Secured Transactions, and Wills and Estates.
To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 90 total credits, of which 36 are for required courses. They must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.7 in the required courses. The following first-year courses are required of all students: Civil Procedure, Contracts, Criminal Law, Introduction to Advocacy I and II, Perspectives on Law, Property, Structures of the Constitution, and Torts. Required upper-level courses consist of a substantial paper, Advanced Legal Research, and Professional Responsibility. The required orientation program for first-year students is a 4-day program that includes an introduction to the study of law and legal research.
In order to graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 2.7 and have completed the upper-division writing requirement. The grading scale is a 1.6 to 4.0 scale.