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.A. Prof. Psych. (Juris Doctor/Master of Arts in Professional Psychology), J.D./M.A.C.S. (Juris Doctor/Master of Arts in Catholic Studies), J.D./M.A.Ed. (Juris Doctor/Master of Arts in Educational Leadership), J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration), and J.D./M.S.W. (Juris Doctor/Master of Social Work).
Clinics (upper level) include Immigration Law, Community Justice Project, and Elder Law, (6 credits each). Seminars include Ethical Leadership in Corporate Practice (3 credits), Catholic Social Thought (2 credits), and Critical Perspectives on the Law: Race (2 credits). There is a Mentor Externship Program (2 credits) that combines mentor-directed field work with a contemporaneous faculty-led seminar (upper level). Supervised research and writing (1 to 2 credits) is available and Law Journal (1 to 2 credits). Field work includes District Court Judicial Externship (3 credits) and Crime and Justice Externship (2 credits). Special lecture series include the Law Journal symposia (2 per year). The school accepts credit from ABA-approved study-abroad programs and co-sponsors a summer program in Rome. Tutorial/remedial programs include a non credit academic achievement program, study skills, advising, and bar preparation. There is a law firm-sponsored minority scholarship/mentor program, the Ciresi scholarship for minority students, and the Minnesota Minority Clerkship Program in which UST students can participate. The family law student group partners with law firms and agencies to assist in adoptions. The most widely taken electives are Wills, Estates, and Trusts; Litigation with the Federal Government; and Criminal Procedure.
To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 88 total credits, of which 51 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 I, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, Foundations of Justice, Lawyering Skills I and II, Property, and Torts. Required upper-level courses consist of Business Associations, Evidence, Federal Income Taxation, Jurisprudence, Lawyering Skills III, Mentor Externship, Professional Responsibility, and Public Service Requirement. The required orientation program for first-year students is 1 day, including a lawyering skill class.
To graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 2.0 and have completed the upper-division writing requirement, public service (50 hours), and the Mentor Externship Program.