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. (Juris Doctor/Master of Arts in international relations), J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration), J.D./M.P.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Public Administration), J.D./M.S. (Juris Doctor/Master of Science in communications, environmental) – law, engineering, computer science, accounting, and education) and J.D./M.S. or Ph.D. (Juris Doctor/Master of Science or Doctor of Philosophy in environmental studies).
Students must take 15 to 20 credits in their area of concentration. The College of Law offers concentrations in corporate law, environmental law, family law, intellectual property law, international law, labor law, litigation, tax law, technology commercialization law, law and economics, national security and counterterrorism, Indigenous law, and disability law. In addition, second- and third-year students may take clinics for 12 credits in Community Development Law, Disabilities Rights, Children’s Rights and Family Law, and 6 credits in the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, the Securities Arbitration/Consumer Law Clinic, and the Elder Law Clinic. Second- and third-year students may also earn 1 to 2 credits per semester for seminars. A study-abroad summer program is available in London. Tutorial programs are offered to first-year students. Minority programs include the Legal Education Opportunity Program.
To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 87 total credits, of which 40 are for required courses. They must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.2 in the required courses. The following first-year courses are required of all students: Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law I, Contracts, Criminal Law, Legal Communication and Research, Legislation and Policy, Property, and Torts. Required upper-level courses consist of a writing requirement, Constitutional Law II, Professional Responsibility, and Third-semester research and writing course. The required orientation program for first-year students is a 5-day program that includes academic sessions, book discussions, alumni and students panels, professionalism programs, and social activities.
In order to graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 2.2 and have completed the upper-division writing requirement.