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 6 credits may be applied. The following joint degrees may be earned: 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 economics or international affairs), J.D./M.S. L.I.S. (Juris Doctor/Master of Science in library information studies), J.D./M.S.P. (Juris Doctor/Master of Science in Urban and Regional Planning), and J.D./M.S.W. (Juris Doctor/Master of Social Work).
The College of Law offers concentrations in corporate law, criminal law, environmental law, intellectual property law, international law, litigation, tax law, and law, business, and economics. In addition, the college offers more than 60 externship placements, either full- or part-time, including judicial clerkships, administrative agency placements, and many civil and criminal lawyering programs. A variety of specialized seminars is offered, such as business reorganization, cyberlaw, and energy law. The college offers an in-house legal clinic, the Public Interest Law Center, which represents children, persons with disabilities, and victims of domestic violence. Twenty hours of pro bono service in the field is required for graduation. Special lecture series include the Mason Ladd Memorial Lectures, Distinguished Lectures in Environmental Law, and numerous Faculty Enrichment Speakers. Study abroad is available during the summer terms at Oxford University in England through exchange programs with Griffith University in Brisbane Australia and Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Minority programs consist of a summer program for undergraduate students. The most widely taken electives are Evidence and Business Associations.
To earn the J.D., candidates must complete 88 total credits, of which 36 are for required courses. They must maintain a minimum grade average of 69 in the required courses. The following first-year courses are required of all students: Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law I, Contracts I and II, Criminal Law, Legal Writing and Research I and II, Property I and II, and Torts. Required upper-level courses consist of a skills training course, a writing requirement course, Constitutional Law II, and Professional Responsibility. All students must complete 20 hours of civil pro bono work. The required orientation program for first-year students is a 2-day program that includes an introduction to legal education, research and writing, and ethics/professionalism.
In order to graduate, candidates must have a minimum grade average of 69, have completed the upper-division writing requirement, 20 hours of pro bono work, the 6 semester residency requirement, and the skills training requirement.