JD Curriculum, Fall 2007 and Later

89 credits required to graduate

General Law Program

Although George Mason 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 George Mason 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 general courses; the remaining credit hours are in elective courses. In addition, students must complete the School of Law’s upper-level writing requirement. (See Academic Regulation 3-3.3)

General Electives should be taken to reach the remaining credit hours needed to graduate and to fulfill the School of Law's upper-level writing requirement.

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 3-6.5)
• In order to earn a JD, a student must be in residence for a minimum of six semesters. A student is in residence for a semester when he/she earns at least 10 hours of academic credit in a fall or spring semester. (See Academic Regulation 3-5)
• All students must complete 89 credit hours to graduate, 77 of which must be "in-class" credit hours, and no more than 12 credit hours may be graded "CR." (See Academic Regulation 3-3.1)

Professional Responsibility and the upper-level writing requirement must be completed before graduation.