89 credits required to graduate
General Law Program
Although Scalia Law offers a number of structured specialization options, students are not required to specialize in their legal studies. Many students enter law school without a clearly defined area of interest. Those students may pursue a general course of study, choosing electives as their interests develop.
JD Course Requirements
All Scalia Law students, whether pursuing a specialty track or the General Law Program, are required to satisfactorily complete 89 credit hours for graduation. Forty credit hours are in the general law courses listed below; the remaining credit hours are in elective courses. Students must fulfill the following requirements through elective courses:
- Students matriculating in or before Fall 2015 must complete the upper-level writing requirement. (See Academic Regulation 3-3.2(b))
- Students matriculating in Fall 2016 and later must complete the upper-level writing requirement and the experiential learning requirement. (See Academic Regulation 3-3.2(b) and 3-3.2(c))
| Course Name | Required Time | Semester Traditionally Offered |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction to LRWA | 1st Yr. | Fall |
| Contracts I | 1st Yr. | Fall |
| Torts | 1st Yr. | Fall |
| Economics for Lawyers (formerly Economic Foundations) | 1st Yr. | Fall |
| Property | 1st Yr.* | Fall |
| Trial-Level Writing | 1st Yr. | Spring |
| Contracts II | 1st Yr. | Spring |
| Civil Procedure | 1st Yr. | Spring |
| Legislation and Statutory Interpretation | 1st Yr.** | Spring |
| Criminal Law | 1st Yr.*** | Spring |
| Appellate Writing | 2nd Yr. | Fall |
| Constitutional Law I: Structure of Government (formerly Constitutional Law I) | 2nd Yr.**** | Fall |
| Legal Drafting | 2nd Yr. | Spring |
| Professional Responsibility | Before Graduation | Fall/Spring |
* Part-time students typically take Property in fall of their 2nd year.
** Part-time students who started in fall 2021 or later typically take Legislation and Statutory Interpretation in fall of their 2nd year.
*** Part-time students typically take Criminal Law in spring of their 2nd year.
**** Part-time students who started in fall 2021 or later typically take Constitutional Law I: Structure of Government in spring of their 2nd year.
Chart of JD Course Requirements in PDF form
Scheduling Considerations:
- After the first year, students in the full-time division must maintain a credit load of 10-17 hours per semester, and students in the part-time division must maintain a credit load of 8-12 hours per semester. (See Academic Regulation 3-5.5)
- In order to earn a JD, a student must have been in residence for a minimum of six fall or spring semesters. A student is in residence for a semester during which the student earns (with a passing grade) academic credit eligible to be presented towards their Juris Doctor degree. (See Academic Regulation 3-3.3).
- All students must complete 89 credit hours to graduate, 74 of which must be "in-class" credit hours, and no more than 15 credit hours may be graded "CR." (See Academic Regulation 3-3.1)
| Full-Time Division | Part-Time (Before Fall 2021) | Part-Time (Beginning Fall 2021) |
|---|---|---|
| First Year — Fall | First Year — Fall | First Year — Fall |
| Introduction to LRWA | Introduction to LRWA | Introduction to LRWA |
| Contracts I | Contracts I | Contracts I |
| Torts | Torts | Torts |
| Economics for Lawyers (formerly Economic Foundations) | Economics for Lawyers (formerly Economic Foundations) | Economics for Lawyers (formerly Economic Foundations) |
| Property | ||
| First Year — Spring | First Year — Spring | First Year — Spring |
| Trial Level Writing | Trial Level Writing | Trial Level Writing |
| Contracts II | Contracts II | Contracts II |
| Civil Procedure | Civil Procedure | Civil Procedure |
| Legislation and Statutory Interpretation | Legislation and Statutory Interpretation | |
| Criminal Law | ||
| Second Year — Fall | Second Year — Fall | Second Year — Fall |
| Appellate Writing | Appellate Writing | Appellate Writing |
| Constitutional Law I: Structure of Government | Constitutional Law I: Structure of Government | Property |
| Electives | Property | Legislation and Statutory Interpretation |
| Elective | Elective | |
| Second Year — Spring | Second Year — Spring | Second Year — Spring |
| Legal Drafting | Legal Drafting | Legal Drafting |
| Electives | Criminal Law | Criminal Law |
| Electives | Constitutional Law I: Structure of Government | |
| Electives | ||
| Third Year — Fall | Third Year — Fall | Third Year — Fall |
| Electives | Electives | Electives |
| Third Year — Spring | Third Year — Spring | Third Year — Spring |
| Electives | Electives | Electives |
| Fourth Year — Fall | Fourth Year — Fall | |
| Electives | Electives | |
| Fourth Year — Spring | Fourth Year — Spring | |
| Electives | Electives |
Professional Responsibility and the upper-level writing requirement must be completed before graduation.
Students matriculating in Fall 2016 or later must also fulfill the law school's experiential learning requirement before graduation.