Academics
In addition to the J.D., the law school offers the LL.M., M.C.L., S.J.D., and Ph.D. (Law and Social Science). 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.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Arts in journalism), J.D./M.A. or M.S. (Juris Doctor/Master of Arts or Master of Science in telecommunications), J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration), J.D./M.B.A.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration in accounting), J.D./M.P.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Professional Accountancy), J.D./M.S. (Juris Doctor/Master of Science in library and information sciences), and J.D./M.S.E.S. (Juris Doctor/Master of Science in environmental science).
The School of Law at Bloomington offers concentrations in corporate law, criminal law, entertainment law, environmental law, family law, intellectual property law, international law, juvenile law, labor law, litigation, maritime law, media law, securities law, sports law, tax law, torts and insurance, communications law, Internet law, and cybersecurity. In addition, second and third-year students may enroll (with varying credits given) in any of the 11 clinics offered including the Elmore Entrepreneurship Law Clinic, the Conservation Law Clinic, and the Community Legal Services Clinic. 10 to 14 seminars worth varying credit are offered each semester for second and third-year students. Recent seminar offerings include Counterinsurgency and the Law, Voting Rights, and Biotechnological Innovation and the Law. Internships are available during all 3 years of law study with a variety of public agencies, nonprofit organizations, faculty members and public interest groups for a varying number of credits. The School of Law sponsors guest lecturers on a near-weekly basis throughout the year including a program of Jurists-in-Residence in which distinguished legal practitioners present one or more lectures and participates in classes. Student’s may study abroad in Poland, Germany, France, Spain, China, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and England. Summer law study programs are offered in London, Oxford, Paris, Dublin, Florence, and Barcelona. There is no formal remedial program, but there is a voluntary Academic Enhancement Program with group instruction and one-on-one instruction available. The Law School participates in the Indiana Conference for Legal Education Opportunity. Minority students find support and enrichment of the law school experience from the Black Law Students Association, the Latino Law Students Association, and the Asian Pacific Islander Law Students Association. The most widely taken electives are Business Law, Intellectual Property and Trial Practice/Litigation.
To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 88 total credits, of which 31 are for required courses. They must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.3 in the required courses. The following first-year courses are required of all students: Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, Legal Research and Writing I and II, Property, The Legal Profession, and Torts. All students must take clinical courses. The required orientation program for first-year students is a 2-day orientation program immediately preceding the beginning of classes. Law school policies and procedures, academic regulations, course requirements, and special services (career planning and educational assistance) are discussed.
In order to graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 2.3, have completed the upper-division writing requirement, and must be in residence in an approved law school for 6 semesters of full-time study.