Academics
Students may take relevant courses in other programs and apply credit toward the J.D.; a maximum of 9 hours credits may be applied. The following joint degrees may be earned: J.D./H.R.M. (Juris Doctor/Master of Human Resource Management), J.D./I.M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of International Business Administration), J.D./M.C.J. (Juris Doctor/Master of Criminal Justice), J.D./M.E.S. (Juris Doctor/Master of Environmental Science), J.D./M.P.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Public Administration), J.D./M.S.W. (Juris Doctor/Master of Social Work), and J.D./M.T. (Juris Doctor/Master of Taxation).
The School of Law offers concentrations in corporate law, environmental law, labor law, litigation, tax law, business law, commercial law and bankruptcy, probate and estate planning, and real estate. In addition, there are several types of clinics, usually for 3 credits hours. Examples are Consumer Bankruptcy and Criminal Practice. Students gain closely supervised training experience in the representation of clients. A number of seminars are offered each semester, such as Death Penalty and Environmental Law. All have limited enrollment, require a paper to be written, and are for 3 credit hours. In the area of research programs, students may take the course Supervised Legal Research for 2 credit hours. It is an independent study performed under the supervision of a faculty member and requires a research paper. Many upper-level students clerk for law firms during the school year. A special lecture series is open to all students. First-year students are offered a tutorial program. A minority peer assistance tutorial program is also available. Special interest group programs include the Pro Bono Program, which provides opportunities for volunteer law students to obtain practical legal training. The most widely taken electives are litigation, business, and commercial law.
To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 90 total credits, of which 46 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, Constitutional Law, Contracts I and II, Introduction to Legal Research and Lawyering, Introduction to Legal System and Legal Writing, Property I and II, and Torts I and II. Required upper-level courses consist of a perspective course, a writing requirement, Criminal Process, and Professional Responsibility. The required orientation program for first-year students is 1 day before the start of classes. Accepted students are also invited to a reception in the spring prior to the start of the first fall semester.
In order to graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 2.0 and have completed the upper-division writing requirement.