J.D. Programs                               

A legal education is, at root, an education in problem solving and prevention, making a law degree beneficial in any profession and to any organization. The full-time and part-time J.D. programs at Saint Louis University School of Law offer extensive courses with personalized interaction with professors. Students have direct exposure to clients through participation in practical skills training courses and are involved in co-curricular and extracurricular activities. Guest speakers and peers, who have participated in externships, clerked for judges and have been summer associates at area law firms, provide a real-world approach to learning. By the time students are ready to enter the workforce, they will have had a variety of opportunities throughout their academic career to select the area of law into which they wish to enter.

Full-Time Program

During their first year, full-time students are required to take 15 hours per semester to complete the core courses that provide a foundation in the law. After the first year, full-time upper-division students are required to take a seminar, a humanities course, a professional skills course and the course, Legal Profession. Students select from more than 150 hours of upper-division course electives to complete the required 91 credit hours.

Part-Time Evening Program

The Evening Program at Saint Louis University School of Law provides working adults with an opportunity to earn a law degree while continuing their professional lives. The Evening Program’s graduation requirements are identical to the full-time program; the only difference is the length of time it takes students to earn a degree. Traditionally, part-time students earn a law degree in four years with summer attendance or five years without summer attendance. During their first year, part-time evening students are limited to 9 credit hours per semester. Thereafter, students whose circumstances permit a more flexible schedule may take additional credits. Part-time evening students must complete their core courses in the evening over four semesters. For more information about the Part-Time Evening Program, click here.

Small Sections

Because personalized attention is important, all full-time students are enrolled in at least one foundational course during their first year with a class size between 35 and 40 students. Since the Part-Time Evening Program is small in nature, most of the courses are relatively small. Legal Research and Writing, a course required for all students, is also taught in a small section. There are many benefits to this kind of one-on-one interaction, including:

• Lower student/teacher ratios
• Increased interaction with faculty
• A more detailed explanation of the process of legal analysis
• Increased feedback from professors, which allows students to gauge their own progress
• More opportunities for class participation