Degree Requirements Juris Doctor

The Juris Doctor degree at Jacksonville University College of Law is a full-time program designed to be completed in three years. In addition to coursework requirements, students must complete at least six (6) hours of experiential learning, six (6) hours of bar prep courses, and sixty (60) pro bono hours as detailed below. The policies and procedures in the College of Law Student Handbook apply to all J.D. candidates.

College of Law Student Handbook

Coursework Requirements

Students must complete 90 credit hours of course work,* including the required courses listed below. The remaining credits may be satisfied through a combination of electives, co-curriculars, and additional experiential courses.

First-Year Required Courses (30 Credits)

  • LAW-699 Intro to The Study of Law (0 Credits)
  • LAW 701: Civil Procedure I
  • LAW 702: Contracts I 
  • LAW-703 Legal Reason, Research, Writ I (3 Credits)
  • LAW-704 Property I (3 Credits)
  • LAW-705 Torts I (3 Credits)
  • LAW-711 Civil Procedure II (3 Credits)
  • LAW-712 Contracts II (3 Credits)
    LAW-713 Legal Reasoning, Research, & W (3 Credits)
  • LAW-714 Property II (3 Credits)
  • LAW-715 Torts II (3 Credits)

Upper-Level Required Courses (33 Credits)

  • LAW-707 Criminal Law and Procedure I (3 Credits)
  • LAW-721 Adv Legal Reasoning, Research, (3 Credits)
  • LAW-722 Constitutional Law I (3 Credits)
  • LAW-723 Criminal Law and Procedure II (3 Credits)
  • LAW-724 Constitutional Law II (3 Credits)
  • LAW-731 Business Organizations (3 Credits)
  • LAW-732 Commercial Law (3 Credits)
  • LAW-733 Evidence (3 Credits)
  • LAW-734 Family Law (3 Credits)
  • LAW-735 Professional Responsibility (3 Credits)
  • LAW-736 Trusts and Estates (3 Credits)

Experiential Learning (6 credits)

Students must complete a minimum of 6 credit hours of courses designated as experiential learning courses. A common way for students to fulfill this requirement is through externships with approved legal organizations.

Bar Prep (6 credits)

  • LAW-771 National Law (3 Credits)
  • LAW-772 State Law (3 Credits)
     

*At least 64 of these credit hours shall be in courses that required attendance in regularly scheduled classroom sessions or direct faculty instruction.

Pro Bono Requirement

Students are required to complete sixty (60) hours of pro bono work, up to thirty of which may be nonlegal public service volunteer work.

Pro bono and public service volunteer hours must be completed prior to the deadline by which all graduation requirements are to be completed. All work must be pre-approved, and hours must be regularly submitted to the Assistant Dean of Student Development & Practice.

Legal related pro bono work includes pro bono work for the indigent, public agencies, private legal practice on a case being conducted on a pro bono basis, and under the supervision of a Jacksonville University faculty member who is conducting the work on a pro bono basis. Non-legal public service volunteer work may include volunteering at any non-profit organization and engaging in general community service work.

Students who are enrolled in externship credits are not entitled to pro bono hours for work completed as a requirement of the externship. If students wish to earn pro bono hours or community service from the same externship field office after the requirements of the externship credit are met, students shall request permission from the externship professor and supervisor; if permission is granted the student must notify the Assistant Dean of Student Development & Practice. 

Character and Fitness 

In order graduate, students must not have a pending honor code, conduct code, or criminal case; and not be subject to the rules of academic dismissal as stated under the “Academic Probation and Dismissal” policy in the student handbook.

Additionally, the College of Law reserves the right to withhold a degree conferral whenever it appears that the character or conduct of a student, or the quality of the work completed, will prevent acceptable representation of the College or will compromise the legal profession. Each student who meets the established graduation requirements will automatically be recommended by the faculty to receive the appropriate degree. 

Minimum Number of Regularly Scheduled Classroom Credits Required for Graduation

In accordance with American Bar Association standards, of the 90 credits required for graduation, students pursuing a Juris Doctor degree must complete a minimum of 64 credits of coursework in courses that require attendance in regularly scheduled classroom sessions. Not all credit hours students may take towards the 90 credits required for graduation will count towards the Classroom Credits requirement. Credits that will not count towards the 64-credit requirement include credits earned through co-curriculars (law review, moot court, mock trial), a course in any other degree program at Jacksonville University, or externship or clinic. Questions as to whether a particular course counts toward the Classroom Credits requirement should speak with the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs or the Registrar. Students must submit to the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs an Application to Study at Another Institution in advance of enrolling in any courses outside the Jacksonville University College of Law. The Associate Dean will determine whether those credits should count toward the J.D. program and/or the Classroom Credits requirement. 

Maximum Time to Earn Degree

Students completing the Juris Doctor degree program on a full-time basis must complete the program of study within 72 months of starting classes. The College of Law Academic Standards Committee may waive this time period in extraordinary circumstances. Any student who leaves the College of Law no more than two years from the last date they attended classes may petition the College of Law Academic 6 Standards Committee to return to complete his or her degree.


Accreditation Information

Consistent with accreditation protocol dictated by the American Bar Association (ABA), the Jacksonville University College of Law began the accreditation process in the spring of 2023. Our goal and highest priority is to achieve provisional accreditation by the time our first class of students graduates. The College of Law is not currently approved by the American Bar Association (Council of the American Bar Association Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, 321 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60654, 312-988-6738) and makes no representation to any applicant that it will receive approval from the Council before the graduation of any matriculating student.

Jacksonville University
General Counsel
2800 University Blvd N, Jacksonville, FL 32211
904-256-7549