Academic Information
J.D. Degree Requirements
The degree Juris Doctor (J.D.) is conferred on candidates who have
- completed a minimum of 90 credit hours;
- achieved a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.0 (C) during
the semester in which they complete 90 credit hours;
- taken and completed all required courses;
- satisfied the “in residence” requirement;
- satisfied the writing requirement; and
- completed all requirements within five years of initial enrollment
(see Withdrawal and Readmission Following Withdrawal).
Credit-hour Requirement
Each student must complete a minimum of 90 credit hours. Course work
in areas other than law is subject to the limitation described under
Course Work Outside the School of Law.
Grade-point Average Requirement
During the semester in which the student attains 90 credit hours, he
or she must have achieved a minimum cumulative grade-point average of
2.0 (C) in all law school work. Grades for courses taken in areas other
than law are not computed in the School of Law cumulative grade-point
average.
Required Courses
To qualify for the J.D. degree, a student must have completed satisfactorily
the following:
- All first-year courses listed in the School of Law Courses section
- Commercial Law: Secured Transactions
- Constitutional Law
- Evidence
- Professional Responsibility
Professional Responsibility must be completed by the time the student
finishes 60 hours of law school credit. Upper-level required courses
should be taken in the second year of law school. Waiting to take these
courses until the third year will cause class conflicts between these
required courses and courses traditionally taken by third-year law students.
In Residence Requirement
The 90 credit hours required for the J.D. degree must be earned during
a course of study in residence at the School of Law extending over a
period of not less than 24 months.
Writing Requirement
Each student must satisfy the upper-level writing requirement by
- the successful completion of 2 hours of independent research;
- the successful completion of a 2- or 3-hour course that involves
close faculty supervision of writing, as certified by the faculty
member; or
- publication of a student note or comment in the Law Review or Journal,
or completion of a paper publishable in the Law Review or Journal,
as certified by the editor-in-chief and by the faculty adviser.
All written work must be of at least C quality to satisfy the upper-level
writing requirement.
Course Work Outside the School of Law
A student who is not enrolled in a joint degree program may take up
to 6 hours of graduate-level courses outside the School of Law for credit
toward a law degree, provided an associate dean approves the course
work in advance as relevant to the student's education as a lawyer.
A student seeking credit toward a law degree for more than 6 hours of
courses outside the School of Law must petition the academic committee
for approval. In such instances, the entire group of courses from outside
the School of Law must be relevant to the student's education as a lawyer.
Grades for courses taken in areas other than law are not computed in
the School of Law cumulative grade-point average.
A student in good standing may, with the advance approval of an associate
dean, take law courses at another law school accredited by the American
Bar Association. If the student successfully completes such courses,
not more than 30 hours of the credit will be transferred and will be
counted toward the 90 credit hours required for the J.D. Time spent
at another institution will count as study in residence for the purpose
of the “in residence” requirement, but grades in courses
taken at the other institution will not be computed in the KU law school
cumulative grade-point average.
A student at another law school accredited by the American Bar Association
may apply for admission with advanced standing. If admitted, such a
student may transfer not more than 30 credit hours of law course work
completed successfully at the other law school toward the 90 credit
hours required for the J.D. degree. Grades for course work completed
at the other law school are not computed in the KU law school cumulative
grade-point average.
In no event may a student count more than 30 credit hours earned at
other law schools toward the 90 hours required for J.D. degree.
