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J.D. Law Program

J.D. program

The juris doctor (J.D.) is a professional degree required to practice law in the United States.

At Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Law, our courses and training in the J.D. program enable you to acquire the knowledge, skills, experience, and professionalism necessary to succeed in a variety of careers including law, government, business, industry, public interest, and other sectors.

Our 88-credit J.D. program is rigorous and innovative. It provides students with the theoretical foundation, experiential experience, and practical tools necessary to succeed professionally in the United States or around the globe.

Full time

Full-time students typically complete their degrees in three years. As a full-time student, you can naturally focus exclusively on your studies. If you would prefer to balance full-time study and work, you can do that too, as courses are offered both during the day and in the evening.

Full-time program

Part time

Part-time law students are able to pursue full-time careers while earning their J.D. in as few as four years. In order to complete the J.D. in four years, in the part-time program, students must take summer classes. Our new Blended Online J.D. program makes it possible for part-time evening students to complete the first two years of the program with only two nights of in-person instruction per week.

Part-time program with online option


J.D. degree requirements

To earn a J.D. from Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Law, each student must complete all required coursework, must satisfy the General Writing Requirement, and must fulfill the Pro Bono Publico Service requirement.


COURSEWORK

Students must complete 88 credit hours. Of those 88 credit hours, students are required to take the following courses (49 credits):

  • Contracts (4 credits)
  • Torts (4 credits)
  • Property (4 credits)
  • Criminal Law (3 credits)
  • Legislation & Regulation (2 credits)
  • Legal Analysis, Research, & Writing I & II (5 credits)
  • Civil Procedure I & II (6 credits)
  • Constitutional Law I & II (6 credits)
  • Evidence (3 credits)
  • Professional Responsibility (3 credits)
  • Legal Drafting (2 credits)
  • Advanced Legal Research (1 credit)
  • Designated Experiential Learning coursework (6 credits)

Students who have a cumulative GPA of 2.6 or below after their first semester will also be required to take Legal Reasoning (0 credit), and any student whose cumulative GPA falls below 2.6 at any point may be subject to additional course requirements.  A student must remain in good academic standing.   Additional course restrictions may apply during a student's final semester. 

The remaining 39 credits hours are elective, although students are encouraged to take courses in bar-tested subjects.

See course descriptions.

The sequencing for this required coursework is based upon admit term and year.  Watch for sequencing sheets here. They're coming soon!


GENERAL WRITING REQUIREMENT

In conjunction with the required coursework, all students must satisfy the General Writing Requirement (GWR). This requirement can be satisfied through participation in Law Review, through required coursework in a GWR-designated course, or through independent study.

PDF icon General writing requirement


PRO BONO PUBLICO SERVICE

Students must complete at least 30 hours of community service. At least 15 of the 30 hours must be in service to people of limited means. At least 10 of the 30 hours must be in law-related service under attorney supervision, and at least 5 of those 10 must be in service to people of limited means.

Pro Bono Publico Service requirement


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University of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ School of Law

University of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ
School of Law

150 University Avenue
Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, OH 44325-2901

330-972-7331

Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Law Admissions