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. Prospective and current students must review either the below list of state requirements, or Purdue Global’s State Licensure and Certifications site for program and state-specific licensure information.

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.

(Note: Students who enrolled prior to Purdue Global Law School being granted accreditation by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California must successfully complete at least 20 credit hours of coursework each academic year, and must successfully complete at least 10 credit hours of coursework in a 24-week term to complete a qualifying half-year of study.)

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 may not qualify you to take the bar examination or to satisfy the requirements for admission to practice in jurisdictions other than California. A student intending to seek admission to practice law in a jurisdiction other than California must review either the below list of state requirements, or Purdue Global’s State Licensure and Certifications site for program and state-specific licensure information. Because state regulations and licensure requirements are continually updated, students are strongly encouraged to confirm their state’s licensure and educational requirements by contacting the admitting authority in their jurisdiction.

There will be additional eligibility requirements to be admitted to the California bar. For more information, visit http://www.calbar.ca.gov/Admissions.

This program was not designed to meet any specific state’s requirements to practice law other than California.

(Additional disclosure for students who enrolled prior to Purdue Global Law School being granted accreditation by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California: Students enrolled in the JD degree program at this law school must pass the First-Year Law Students' Examination required by Business and Professions Code 6060(h) and Title IV, Division 1, Chapter 1 Rule 4.3(I) of the Rules of the State Bar of California as part of the requirements to qualify to take the California Bar Examination. A student who passes the First-Year Law Students' Examination within three (3) administrations of the examination after first becoming eligible to take it will receive credit for all legal studies completed to the time the examination is passed. A student who does not pass the examination within three (3) administrations of the examination after first becoming eligible to take it must be promptly disqualified from the law school's JD degree program. If the dismissed student subsequently passes the examination, the student is eligible for reenrollment in this law school's JD degree program, but will receive credit for only one year of legal study.)

State Bar Exam Eligibility 

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

You may be eligible to sit for the State Bar exam in the following states upon receipt of your California law license:

  • North Carolina
  • Wisconsin

As a graduate of the JD program, you may be eligible to sit for the State Bar exam in the following states, provided you possess a California license and meet additional requirements that include, but may not be limited to, the following: 

  • Alaska: 5–7 years of practice
  • Arizona: 3–5 years of practice
  • Connecticut: 5–7 years of practice and a CA license for 10 years
  • Colorado: 3–5 years of practice
  • District of Columbia: 5 years of practice or 26 credits from an ABA-accredited law school
  • Florida: evaluation by the board of work product and either (a) 5 years of practice or (b) 2 years of practice plus a Master of Laws degree (LLM) from an ABA-accredited law school
  • Hawaii: 5–6 years of practice
  • Maine: 3 years of practice
  • Massachusetts: 5–7 years of practice
  • Minnesota: 5–7 years of practice
  • Missouri: 3–5 years of practice or 24 credits from an ABA-accredited law school
  • Nevada: 10–12 years of practice
  • New Mexico: 4–6 years of practice
  • Oregon: 3–5 years of practice
  • Rhode Island: 5–10 years of practice
  • Utah: 10–11 years of practice
  • Virginia: LL.M. from an ABA-accredited law school
  • Washington: 3–5 years of practice or an LLM

As a graduate of the JD program, you are not currently eligible to sit for the State Bar exam in the following states/commonwealth/territory:

  • Alabama
  • Arkansas
  • Delaware 
  • Georgia1 
  • Guam
  • Idaho
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Iowa2
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky 
  • Louisiana
  • Maryland3
  • Michigan4  
  • Mississippi
  • Montana
  • Nebraska
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • North Dakota
  • Ohio
  • Oklahoma
  • Pennsylvania
  • Puerto Rico
  • South Carolina
  • South Dakota
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Vermont
  • West Virginia
  • Wyoming
1

Georgia residents are not eligible to sit for the State Bar exam; however, they may file a petition for a waiver.

2

Iowa residents who are licensed in a U.S. jurisdiction and have practiced for at least five of the past seven years may qualify for admission without examination. 

3

Maryland residents are not eligible to sit for the State Bar exam; however, the board may waive educational requirements for applicants licensed in another state and qualified by education or experience.

4

Michigan residents are not eligible to sit for the State Bar exam; however, they may file a petition for a waiver.

Policies

State Bar Registration

As a student enrolled in the Juris Doctor program, 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. (For students who enrolled prior to Purdue Global Law School being granted accreditation by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California: You must maintain a pace dictated by State Bar of California rules that require students to complete their studies (a minimum of 432 hours) within 24 to 26 weeks in each term of the program, or a minimum of 864 hours within each 48- to 52-week academic year.) 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.

Requirements for a Qualifying Half-Year or Year of Study

Note: The policies in this section only apply to students who enrolled in Purdue Global Law School’s JD program prior to Purdue Global Law School being granted accreditation by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California.

To be eligible to sit for the California Bar Examination, you must complete 8 qualifying half-years of study, each with a minimum of 432 hours of preparation and study completed in no less than 24 weeks or more than 26 weeks; or 4 qualifying years of study, each with a minimum of 864 hours of preparation and study combined in no less than 48 and not more than 52 weeks. To receive credit for a qualifying half-year of study for the State Bar, you must earn at least 10 credit hours each semester. To receive credit for a qualifying year of study for the State Bar, you must earn at least 20 credit hours each year. If you fail to complete the minimum credit hours required for a qualifying half-year of law study in any term or a qualifying year in any academic year, you may be eligible to continue your studies at Purdue Global Law School but any passing grades received in that term will be disqualified, and you will have to make up the failing half-year or year of law study. The only courses you need to repeat in the make up half-year or year of law study are required courses in which you failed or that were disqualified due to FYLSE requirements.

You shall be allowed to make up 2 half-years of law study or one year of study. If you achieve another failing half-year, you are not eligible to continue in the JD program.

Graduation Requirements

You must successfully pass all required courses and complete at least 92 credit hours with a minimum 2.50 CGPA5 to graduate with a JD degree from Purdue Global Law School.      

5

2.00 if you were continuously enrolled before April 2019