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. The JD program is offered as either a full-time program or part-time program. Students on the standard pace in the full-time program are expected to graduate in 8 terms (2 2/3 years), assuming an average of 11 to 12 credits per term, while students in the part-time program are expected to graduate in 12 terms (4 years), assuming an average of 7 to 8 credit hours per term. You must obtain approval from the Office of the Dean if you wish to graduate in only 7 terms (28 months), which is the minimum that the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California has approved for Purdue Global Law School’s JD program. Per Accredited Law School Rule 4.160(B)(12)(a), the JD can be completed no later than 84 months after commencing study. You are responsible for ensuring you 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.

Upon graduating from this program, 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 to sit for the California Bar Exam; the Connecticut Bar Examining Committee to sit for the Connecticut Bar Exam (for 2024 and later graduates, subject to renewal after 2027); or, upon a waiver granted by the Indiana Board of Law Examiners, to sit for the Indiana Bar Exam.

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, Connecticut, or, with an approved petition, Indiana. The Connecticut Bar Examining Committee has approved Purdue Global Law School graduates who earned their JD degree in 2024 or later to sit for the Connecticut Bar Exam through 2027, at which point Purdue Global Law School will seek renewal. After receiving a law license in California, Connecticut, 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

California

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

Connecticut

Purdue Global Law School is approved by the Connecticut Bar Examining Committee through 2027, at which point Purdue Global Law School will seek renewal. As a graduate of the JD program in 2024 or later, you will be academically eligible to sit for the bar exam in Connecticut.

Indiana

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.

Additional States

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

Policies

California 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

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. If enrolled in the full-time program, you are expected to complete at least 10 credits per term, but more typically 11 to 12 credits. If you fall below 10 credits in a term, you will not be immediately removed from the full-time program, but you will not qualify for full-time status for financial aid purposes. (Refer to Financial Information for enrollment status definitions.) You will be administratively removed from the full-time program and placed in the part-time program if you earned less than 30 credits across the prior three terms.

If you enroll in the part-time JD program: 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.

If you enroll in the full-time JD program: You must complete CL600 Introduction to Legal Analysis I, CL601 Introduction to Legal Analysis II, CL610 Contracts I, CL611 Contracts II, CL623 Torts I, CL624 Torts II, CL630 Criminal Law I, and CL631 Criminal Law II in the first two terms prior to taking any other courses in your program.

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.

If you are in the part-time program and wish to switch to the full-time program, you must have completed at least two terms at Purdue Global Law School and have a CGPA of at least 2.75 to submit a request to switch to the full-time program. If you are in the full-time program, you may submit a request to your advisor to switch to the part-time program at any time.

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.