Juris Doctor

Description and Outcomes

Students seeking to practice law and develop a wide range of career opportunities should enroll in the Juris Doctor (JD) program. The JD program focuses on the knowledge and skills necessary to be a responsible and effective member of the legal profession. Law study and the JD degree have also been widely recognized as providing a foundation for individuals who work in business, government, education, and public interest positions. 

The JD program at Purdue Global Law School strives to develop students' abilities, skills, and perspective in legal fundamentals, professional and practical skills, and critical thinking skills.

The JD program at Purdue Global Law School is a 92 credit hour program, structured along three 16-week terms per year. Students on the standard pace are expected to graduate in 12 terms (4 years), assuming an average of 7 to 8 credit hours per term. Per Guideline 6.5(A) of the Accredited Law School Rules Guidelines, the JD can be completed no earlier than 30 months and no later than 84 months after commencing study. Students are responsible for ensuring they do not go outside of these limits.

The program consists of required courses and electives. You are required to submit periodic statements of the time spent in study, class preparation, and class attendance. These statements will be embedded in each course. You will have earned a JD degree and met the legal education requirement of the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California upon graduating from this program and may apply for admission to the State Bar of California.

Learning Outcome Objectives

Purdue Global Law School has established the following core learning goals in connection with its Juris Doctor program:

  • Demonstrates knowledge of the role of law in society and the U.S. legal system.
  • Demonstrates ability to analyze and explain legal solutions to a particular fact situation (critical thinking).
  • Communicates clearly and effectively both in writing and orally.
  • Demonstrates competency with legal practice skills.
  • Demonstrates knowledge of the law in courses tested on the California bar exam.
  • Demonstrates the knowledge and skills to recognize and resolve dilemmas in an ethical manner.
  • Models professionalism and knowledge of the importance of service to the profession and to the community at large.

Required Disclosures

Study at, or graduation from, this law school does not qualify you to take the bar examination or to satisfy the requirements for admission to practice in jurisdictions other than California or, with an approved petition, Indiana. After receiving a law license in California or Indiana, students may also apply to sit for the state bar in North Carolina and Wisconsin. 

There will be additional eligibility requirements to be admitted to the California or Indiana bar. For more information, visit http://www.calbar.ca.gov/Admissions or https://myble.courts.in.gov/admission-information.

State Bar Exam Eligibility 

As a graduate of the JD program, you are academically eligible to sit for the California State Bar exam.

As a graduate of the JD program, you may be eligible to sit for the bar exam in the state of Indiana (without having to first become licensed in California) if you submit a petition, pursuant to Indiana Admissions and Discipline Rule 13, to the Indiana Board of Law Examiners to waive the requirement of having attended an ABA-approved law school and that petition is approved. NOTE: Purdue Global Law School cannot guarantee that any individual’s waiver petition will be granted.

Upon receipt of a California or Indiana law license, graduates may also apply to sit for the state bar in North Carolina and Wisconsin.

Policies

State Bar Registration

As a student enrolled in the Juris Doctor program, if you intend to pursue licensure in California, you must register with the State Bar of California after beginning law studies at Purdue Global Law School.

Pursuant to Rule 4.16 (B) of Title IV, Division 1 of the Rules of the State Bar of California (Admission Rules), “The Application for Registration must be filed first, before any other application is transmitted to the Committee. The applicant is required by law either to provide the Committee with a Social Security Number or to request an exemption because of ineligibility for a Social Security Number. Registration is deemed abandoned if all required documentation and fees have not been received within sixty days of filing. No refund is issued for an abandoned registration.”

For more information, see http://​www.calbar.ca.gov.

Progression Requirements

You must complete CL600 Introduction to Legal Analysis I, CL601 Introduction to Legal Analysis II, CL610 Contracts I, CL611 Contracts II, CL623 Torts I, and CL624 Torts II in the first two terms prior to taking any other courses in your program.

To maintain good academic standing in the JD program at Purdue Global Law School, you must actively progress toward the completion of each academic year as required by the State Bar of California. You must also meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards.

Notwithstanding any other policy regarding satisfactory academic progress or academic probation, you must earn at least a 1.00 CGPA by the end of your first term or you will be academically dismissed from Purdue Global Law School.

Graduation Requirements

You must successfully pass all required courses and complete at least 92 credit hours with a minimum 2.50 CGPA to graduate with a JD degree from Purdue Global Law School.