Academics
In addition to the J.D., the law school offers the LL.M. Students may take relevant courses in other programs and apply credit toward the J.D.; a maximum of 12 to 15 hours depending on the program may be applied. The following joint degrees may be earned: J.D./M.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Arts in history), J.D./M.B.A. (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration), J.D./M.D. (Juris Doctor/Doctor of Medicine), J.D./M.P.H. (Juris Doctor/Master of Public Health), J.D./M.S.W. (Juris Doctor/Master of Social Work), and J.D./Ph.D. (Juris Doctor/Doctor of Philosophy in medical humanities and in Criminal Justice).
The Law Center offers concentrations in corporate law, criminal law, environmental law, intellectual property law, international law, labor law, litigation, tax law, and health law. In addition, students may choose among 7 clinics, including Civil Practice, Consumer Law, Immigration Practice, Mediation, Transactional, Criminal Practice, and Health Law externships. Seminar courses are available in all areas. Research programs include the Health Law and Policy Institute, Institute for Intellectual Property and Information Law, Center for Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Law, Center for Children, Law and Policy, Blakely Advocacy Institute, Institute for Higher Education Law and Governance, Texas Innocence Network, and the Criminal Justice Institute. Lecture series include the Baker Botts Lecture and Katz-Kiley Lecture. A student exchange program is conducted through the North American Consortium on Legal Education (NACLE). The Academic Enrichment Program provides tutors to each first-year section to assist with study and test-taking skills and to help students understand the course material. The One-L Mentoring Program provides first-year students with a ready resource of advice from the faculty and upper-division law students who volunteer as mentors. The most widely taken electives are Commercial Transactions, Business Organizations, and Evidence.
To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 90 total credits, of which 34 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: a statutory elective, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, Legal Research, Legal Writing, Procedure, Property, and Torts. Required upper-level courses consist of Professional Responsibility and the senior writing requirement. The required orientation program for first-year students is 3 days of general information.
To graduate, candidates must have a GPA of 2.5 and have completed the upper-division writing requirement.