Academics
In addition to the J.D., the law school offers the LL.M. and LL.M. in Health Law and the LL.M. for Foreign Lawyers. 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: (Others are available through the graduate school.), J.D./ Ph.D (Juris Doctor/ Ph.D. in health core ethics), J.D./M.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Arts in public administration), J.D./M.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Arts in urban affairs), J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration), J.D./M.H.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Health Care Administration), and J.D./M.P.H. (Juris Doctor/Master of Public Health).
The School of Law offers concentrations in corporate law, criminal law, environmental law, international law, labor law, litigation, tax law, and health law. In addition, clinical training includes the Civil Clinic, and Criminal Clinic, and Judicial Process Clinic. An average of 10 seminars are offered each semester. Internships are available through clinical programs. Special lecture series include the Melvin Dubinsky Visiting Lecture, the Richard Childress Memorial Lecture Series, the Terence K. McCormack Memorial Lecture, the Sanford Sarasohn Memorial Lecture, and the James Millstone Lecture. Summer study abroad is available in Brussels, Belgium, in Bochum, Germany, and in Madrid, Spain. All students are offered an academic support adviser, and have access to the Office of Academic Support. The Summer Institute includes students with some educational disadvantage such as students with English as a second language or those with a learning disability. There is also a Minority Clerkship Program. Special interest group programs include the William C. Wefel Center for Employment Law, the Center for Health Law Studies, and the Center for International and Comparative Law. The most widely taken electives are Health Law, Employment Law/Business, and International Law.
To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 91 total credits, of which 37 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 and II, Constitutional Law I, Contracts I and II, Criminal Law, Legal Research and Writing I and II, Property, and Torts. Required upper-level courses consist of a humanistic requirement, a seminar, and Legal Profession (Professional Ethics). The required orientation program for first-year students is 2 days.
In order to graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 2.0.