Juris Doctor

Established in 1924, the school prepares students for success through a challenging curriculum taught by nationally recognized faculty. The program has alumni in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, two territories, and 20 countries with successful careers in the legal profession and other fields. The School of Law offers a full-time, three-year program leading to a Juris Doctor degree. The degree is conferred upon satisfactory completion of 90 semester hours, including 42 hours of required courses. Students are often referred to as 1Ls, 2Ls, or 3Ls, depending on the number of years in the program.

Your first year at the School of Law will be a rigorous course of study that all 1Ls follow. Starting at new student orientation and continuing throughout your first year, you will begin learning, writing, and thinking about the law through courses such as Civil Procedure, Contracts, and Legal Writing. A broad selection of elective second-and third-year courses is available. Students who have completed the first year of law school may earn up to 12 semester hours of credit in summer school, study abroad, or intersession courses. Graduation may be accelerated by one semester by earning credit outside the regular semester courses.