For the basic J.D. degree, the requirements are:
1) You must successfully complete a minimum of 90 credit hours of law courses.
2) You must have a cumulative G.P.A. of 2.00 or better.
3) You may complete those 90 required credit hours in a minimum of 24 months from commencement of law study and a maximum of 84 months from commencement of law study
- If you plan on graduating with fewer than 5 traditional Fall or Spring semesters, you must obtain advance permission from the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. You should consult with the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs regarding your plan as early in law school as possible.
4) You must have a minimum of 75 of the 90 required credit hours in courses that meet in regularly scheduled class sessions.
- Externships, co-curriculars (law journals, moot court, trial advocacy, negotiation, etc.), and individual study do not count as “regularly scheduled” classes. Certain designated clinics do not count as “regularly scheduled” classes. The Registrar will regularly list those courses that count and do not count as classes that meet in regularly scheduled class sessions.
- You may seek advance permission from the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for an exception allowing you to have a minimum of 70 of the 90 required credit hours in courses that meet in regularly scheduled class sessions. After a brief conference, the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs will normally grant this exception.
5) You must have a minimum of 70 of the 90 required credit hours in letter-graded classes rather than Z-graded classes.
- No more than 4 Z-graded credit hours of the 90 required credit hours may come from co-curricular activities (law journals, moot court, trial advocacy, negotiation, etc.). (Exception: Enrollment in Law 610 Law Journal allows the Editor-in-Chief of the Mississippi Law Journal to count 5 Z-graded hours toward the 90 required credit hours.)
- Pursuant to the policy on Visiting and Transient Course Work, you may seek advance permission from the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for an exception allowing you to visit at another school for more than a semester.
6) You must also successfully complete the following courses:
Required Courses for Students Beginning Summer 2024:
- Law 501 Contracts (4 credits, one semesters during first year)
- Law 502 Torts (4 credits, one semesters during first year)
- Law 503 Civil Procedure I (4 credits, one semester during first year)
- Law 514 & 515 Legal Research and Writing I & II (6 credits, two semesters during first year)
- Law 504 Property (4 credits, one semester during first year)
- Law 507 Constitutional Law I (4 credits, one semester during first year)
- Law 568 Criminal Law (3 credits, one semester during first year)
- Law TBD Professional Identity (1 credit, two semesters during first year)
- Law 590 Contract Drafting and Negotiation (3 credits, winter intersession during first year)
- Law 592 Bar Exam Prep I (3 credits, one semester during second year)
- Law 593 Bar Exam Prep II (3 credits, one semester during third year)
- Law 603 Legal Profession (3 credits, one semester during second or third year)
- Law 600 Evidence (3 credits, one semester during second or third year)
- Law 603 Legal Profession
- Law 600 Evidence
- 6 hours of Skills, 6 hours of Drafting, and 1 Writing course (2-3 Law graded credits). Law 590 may be used to fulfill 3 hours of the Skills and Drafting requirements. Other courses fulfilling the Skills, Drafting, and Writing requirements are designated each semester by the law faculty)
- In addition, students who finish their 1L year with a cumulative GPA of less than 2.8 must complete Law 595: Writing for the Bar Exam.
Required Courses for Students Beginning Summer 2023:
- Law 501 Contracts (4 credits, one semesters during first year)
- Law 502 Torts (4 credits, one semesters during first year)
- Law 503 Civil Procedure I (4 credits, one semester during first year)
- Law 514 & 515 Legal Research and Writing I & II (6 credits, two semesters during first year)
- Law 504 Property (4 credits, one semester during first year)
- Law 507 Constitutional Law I (4 credits, one semester during first year)
- Law 568 Criminal Law (3 credits, one semester during first year)
- Law TBD Professional Identity (1 credit, two semesters during first year)
- Law 590 Contract Drafting and Negotiation (3 credits, winter intersession during first year)
- Law 603 Legal Profession (3 credits, one semester during second or third year)
- Law 600 Evidence (3 credits, one semester during second or third year)
- 6 hours of Skills, 6 hours of Drafting, and 1 Writing course (2-3 Law graded credits). Law 590 may be used to fulfill 3 hours of the Skills and Drafting requirements. Other courses fulfilling the Skills, Drafting, and Writing requirements are designated each semester by the law faculty.
- In addition, students who finish their 1L year with a cumulative GPA of less than 2.8 must complete Law 595: Writing for the Bar Exam.
Required Courses for Students Beginning Prior to Summer 2023:
- Law 503 Civil Procedure I (3 credits, one semester)
- Law 507 Constitutional Law I (3 credits, one semester)
- Law 501 Contracts (4 credits, one semesters)
- Law 568 Criminal Law (3 credits, one semester)
- Law 514 & 515 Legal Research and Writing I & II (6 credits, two semesters)
- Law 504 Property (4 credits, one semester)
- Law 502 Torts (4 credits, one semesters)
- Law 577 Civil Procedure II (3 credits, one semester)
- Law 590 Contract Drafting and Negotiation (3 credits, winter intersession)
- Law 603 Legal Profession (3 credits, one semester during second or third year)
- Law 600 Evidence (3 credits, one semester during second or third year)
- In addition to Law 590, another Skills course is required (a total of 6 hours) and 1 Writing course (2-3 Law graded credits). Courses fulfilling the Skills and Writing requirements are designated each semester by the law faculty.
- In addition, students who finish their 1L year with a cumulative GPA of less than 2.8 must meet the requirements of the Law School’s Academic Success and Bar Preparation Policy.
7) You must file an Intent to Graduate Form as directed by the Registrar.
- If you seek to graduate in May, you must file the form in the preceding fall semester.
- If you seek to graduate in August, you must file the form in the preceding spring semester.
- If you seek to graduate in December, you must file the form in the preceding spring semester.
Completion of Juris Doctor Degree
ABA Standard 303(c) requires that a student must complete the course of study for the Juris Doctor degree within 84 months after the student has commenced law study at the law school or at a law school from which the school has accepted transfer credit.
A complete list of graduation requirements and other academic requirements can be found in the Law School Catalog.