Juris Doctor Degree

The Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree is the first professional degree in law. The program leading to the J.D. is designed to provide the student with a general understanding of the American legal system and the skills necessary to function within the system, principally as a lawyer, but also as a judge, legislator, arbitrator, executive, planner, and responsible citizen. Those skills include the ability to work with cases, statutes, and administrative regulations; to analyze factual situations carefully in order to sift the relevant from the irrelevant; to formulate and advocate issues in light of the relevant procedural and substantive law; to relate legal issues to the larger historical, sociopolitical, and economic context; and to exercise sound professional judgment.

Instruction by the case method, which involves interactive dialogue between students and their instructors, serves as the foundation of legal education at the College. Professors also use problem-oriented approaches and computer-assisted instruction to supplement the case method, and the College offers a variety of seminars, clinical courses, and skills-development courses, which provide students with the opportunity to develop practical skills and to explore the relationship between law on the books and law in action.

Course Work

To obtain the J.D. degree, a student must satisfactorily complete 33 credit hours of courses in the first year curriculum and 60 hours of courses in the upper class curriculum. 

The first year curriculum includes the year-long courses of Civil Procedure, Contracts, Property, Torts and Legal Research and Writing. It also includes Criminal Law which is taught in the spring semester. In the College's intensive Legal Research and Writing program, students learn the fundamentals of manual and computerized legal research, legal analysis, legal writing and oral argument through preparation of memoranda of law, an appellate brief and an appellate argument.

The 60 hours required in the upper class curriculum for the J.D. degree are primarily elective. However, students are required to satisfactorily complete:

1. Constitutional Law in the first semester of the second year at the College of Law
2. a course or seminar in professional responsibility
3. a seminar that has a substantial writing requirement
4. a professional skills course

 The upper class curriculum includes a wide variety of courses which allow students to pursue their individual interests while developing a sound legal education. Students may focus on Alternative Dispute Resolution, Corporate and Commercial Law, Criminal Law, Employment and Labor Law, Environmental and Natural Resource Law, Health Care Law, International Law, Litigation, Sports Law, Tax Law, and other subject areas through the many upper class course offerings at the College of Law. A student who wishes to focus on a particular area of the law may pursue a Program of Concentrated Study. Click here for information on Concentrations.

 First year courses are ordinarily divided into two equal sections of about 70 students; the exception is Legal Research and Writing, which is taught in sections of about 14 students. Most upper level courses have enrollments of between 15 and 65. Seminars are limited to 12 students. Most substantive law courses are taught by full-time faculty members. Many practicing lawyers and judges share their expertise in professional skills courses such as Negotiations, Pre-trial Litigation and Trial Advocacy.

Master of Legal Studies

The Master of Legal Studies (M.L.S.) Degree Program is designed for individuals who are not interested in practicing law but who are interested in developing a better understanding of the law as it affects their non-legal careers or areas of interest. The program is jointly administered by the College of Law and the Graduate College. Anyone who has or will have an undergraduate degree by the time they would begin taking classes can apply for admission to the M.L.S. Degree Program. Students enrolled in the program are required to complete 33 credit hours of classes at the College of Law, including three hours of Legal Research and Writing and six hours of Contracts, Property or Torts. The M.L.S. Degree will be conferred upon the successful completion of the 33 credit hours and an oral final examination. Applicants must apply to both the College of Law and the Graduate College. For further information and an M.L.S. application, contact the College of Law Admissions Office.

Download application instructions and form in PDF or WORD Document

Joint Degree Programs

As part of its strong commitment to interdisciplinary study, the College participates in eight joint degree programs. Seven of the programs are with other branches of the University of Nebraska. Students interested in any of these joint degree programs must apply for admission to and be accepted by the College of Law and the Graduate College. An additional program is the JD/Master's in International Affairs with the University of Denver. Students interested in this program must apply for admission to the College of Law and the University of Denver Graduate School of International Studies. A student who is accepted by the College of Law will be automatically admitted to the Graduate School of International Studies and the joint degree program provided that the student achieves a 6.0 average during his or her first year of law school. A brief description of each of the eight joint degree programs is provided below.

The College of Law is prepared to work with any student to develop an individualized joint degree program designed to meet the particular student's needs and interests. Several students have pursued joint degrees through individually structured programs, including, for example, programs in Law & Agricultural Economics, Law & Architecture, and Law & History. Credit will not be given, however, for courses taken prior to entering the College of Law.

For further information about the programs, their requirements, and the procedures for admission, contact the College of Law Admissions Office.

Law and Psychology
Law and Accounting
Law and Business (MBA)
Law and International Affairs
Law and Community and Regional Planning
Law and Economics
Law and Educational Administration
Law and Political Science

Law and Psychology

Administered jointly by the College of Law and the Department of Psychology, the Law/Psychology program is a nationally recognized program of integrated study and research in law and psychology. Students may obtain a J.D. and either a Ph.D. or an M.A. in Psychology. The program is administered by three faculty all of whom hold both law and psychology degrees.

The joint J.D./Ph.D. program typically requires six years of study and is designed to train professors and researchers. The Ph.D. may be taken in social-personality, cognitive, biopsychology, or developmental studies. Because of the integrated program of study, students acquire the depth of knowledge necessary to contribute significant scholarly insight into the legal system and process. All research, including research carried out for the doctoral dissertation, must be in the law/psychology interface and supervised by faculty from both the College of Law and the Department of Psychology.

The joint J.D./M.A. program is designed for students who wish to be legal practitioners but who also wish to obtain a strong background in psychology or social science methods. In this program, 15 hours of interdisciplinary course work apply toward both degrees.

Individuals who are not interested in practicing law but who are interested in the law/psychology interface may seek the Masters of Legal Studies (M.L.S.) degree. The M.L.S. may be obtained in a joint degree program with a Ph.D. in Psychology or as an additional degree for Psychology post-doctoral fellows. Click here for M.L.S. degree information.

Law and Accounting

The Law/Accounting joint degree program is designed for students who have accounting backgrounds and who are especially interested in tax-related matters. Jointly administered by the College of Law and the School of Accountancy, the program leads to the conferral of an M.P.A. degree and a J.D. degree upon the successful completion of 36 hours of accounting courses (assuming no undergraduate deficiencies) and 84 hours of law courses. Eighteen hours of cross-listed tax courses count toward both degrees. Although a student may receive joint degree credit for up to 12 hours of M.P.A. core courses taken prior to the student's first year at the College of Law, a student cannot receive joint degree credit for any accounting electives taken prior to the student's first year at the College of Law.

Law and Business (MBA)

Just as business executives need to understand the legal consequences of the decisions they make, lawyers need to understand the business consequences of the advice they give. Administered jointly by the College of Law and the College of Business Administration, the J.D./M.B.A. is designed to give students the interdisciplinary perspective they need to function successfully in the business world.

Students enrolled in the program are required to successfully complete 33 hours of business courses (assuming no undergraduate deficiencies) and 87 hours of law courses. Students normally spend their first year at the College of Law and then take a mix of courses in both law and business. Although a student can receive joint degree credit for up to 12 credit hours of M.B.A. core courses taken prior to the student's first year at the College of Law, a student cannot receive joint degree credit for any business electives taken prior to the student's first year at the College of Law

Law and Community and Regional Planning

The increasing complexity of issues relating to physical, economic and social well-being in the world today and in the future call for broader knowledge and greater depth of understanding by decision-makers who are attempting to resolve those issues and thereby improve the quality of life. 

Professionals in the fields of law and planning are commonly called upon to assist in the definition and resolution of these complex issues. The College of Law and the College of Architecture through the Graduate College therefore offer a joint degree program which leads to the conferral of a Masters of Community and Regional Planning and a J.D. degree. 

Students may apply to the joint degree program before enrollment in either program, or a first year student in either the J.D. or M.C.R.P. program may apply to the other degree program. No student may enter the dual degree program after having completed more than two full semesters in either the J.D. or M.C.R.P. program. Students must complete 81 credit hours in the law curriculum and 33 credit hours in the community and regional planning curriculum.

Law and Economics

Economics has had and continues to have a profound effect on legal analysis and theory. Administered jointly by the College of Law and the Department of Economics, the Law/Economics joint degree program allows students to explore the interface between law and economics and leads to the conferral of an M.A. in Economics and a J.D. degree.

Students enrolled in the program generally take their first year at the College of Law and then take a mix of law and economics courses, although students may receive joint degree credit for a limited number of economics courses taken prior to their first year at the College of Law. In order to receive both degrees, students enrolled in the program must satisfactorily complete 36 hours of economics courses (assuming no undergraduate deficiencies) and 84 hours of law courses. Nine hours of law courses count toward the M.A. degree and 9 hours of economics courses count toward the J.D. degree.

Law and Educational Administration

Because so many of the decisions school administrators make have legal consequences, there is a need for persons with high levels of competence in both educational administration and law. The College of Law and the Department of Educational Administration therefore offer a joint degree program designed for students with a masters degree in educational administration who intend to work for both a Ph.D. in Administration, Curriculum and Instruction and a J.D. The program permits completion of both degrees within five years, with 9 hours of educational administration courses counting toward the J.D. degree and 12 hours of law courses counting toward the Ph.D.

Law and Political Science

The world of government and politics and the world of law are closely interrelated. Students who seek to study political institutions and processes will confront both legal structures and legal processes. Students who seek a law degree will often work directly with political institutions and can benefit from a better and more sophisticated understanding of these institutions and processes. The College of Law and the Department of Political Science through the Graduate College therefore offer a joint degree program which is designed to give students an interdisciplinary perspective of government, politics and law and which leads to the conferral of the J.D. degree and M.A. degree in Political Science at the end of 3 1/2 years. 

Students enrolled in the program are required to complete 84 hours of law courses and 27 hours of political science courses. Students may apply for the joint degree program before enrolling in either College. Students who are already enrolled in the College of Law and have completed no more than 51 credit hours may apply for admission in the joint degree program. Students who are already enrolled in a Masters program in the Department of Political Science, who have taken no more than 12 credit hours and who have received at least a grade of B in each course may also apply for admission in the joint degree program.