JD, LLM AND OTHER LAW DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

From Viewbook

Penn Law offers the Juris Doctor (JD degree), Master of Laws (LLM degree), and other graduate law degrees. Our law degree requirements are discussed below. Additionally, our students can also take one of these degrees while pursuing a degree or certificate of study with another University of Pennsylvania Department or School. (See our section on Cross Disciplinary Focus for more information.)

THE JD DEGREE

The Juris Doctor, or JD degree, curricular requirements at Penn Law have been established to assure that students graduate with the analytical and critical intellectual skills necessary to meet tomorrow's challenges in an ever-changing world, a thorough understanding of the basic principles of the law, an appreciation of the value of contributing to society through pro bono legal service, the ability to research and convey ideas and legal arguments both cogently and coherently, and an understanding of, and an appreciation for, legal ethics and the inherent responsibilities of becoming a member of the legal profession.

The basic course of instruction covers three years and requires full-time attendance at Penn Law (full-time employment while enrolled in the program is not permitted). Graduation depends upon the successful completion of all coursework and the fulfillment of all degree requirements.

First Year - 1L

Penn has a novel first-year curriculum, comprised of seven required courses and allowing students to choose two electives in the spring term, one from the perspectives elective category of offerings and one from the regulatory law category of offerings.

Required First-Year Courses

Civil Procedure
Constitutional Law
Contracts
Criminal Law
Legal Writing
Property
Torts

Perspectives Course Electives

Students choose from a wide range of survey courses in the law. Recent topics taught include the economics of law, jurisprudence, legal philosophy, legal history, and privacy issues. Course selection changes annually.

Regulatory Course Electives

In recognition that legal issues of import often involve our nation's regulatory system, Penn Law offers a unique elective choice to 1Ls in this area. Students choose from courses in administrative law, labor law, or environmental law.

Second and Third Year - 2L & 3L

Across the second and third years, students are required to complete a total of 55 hours of course work. Students must take a minimum of 12 semester hours per semester during their second and third years and are required to complete a minimum of 27 semester hours in their second year, the balance of the 55 hours to be completed in the third year. Course selection is entirely elective, and students have a wide range – between 60 and 80 courses per semester – from which to choose their courses.

Within these 55 required hours, students may receive up to 12 credit hours for graduate level courses taken in other departments upon establishing that these courses will contribute to their legal educations. This allows Penn Law students to enrich their legal studies by engaging in cross-disciplinary study through courses or certificate programs while pursuing their JD degrees. Students may also choose to pursue joint degrees or to create their own dual degree programs.

In addition, each J.D. student must satisfactorily complete the following:

The senior writing requirement (see below)
A course in professional responsibility
70 hours of pro bono work through the Public Service Program

Senior Research and Writing Requirement

Each student is required to participate in an intensive, scholarly expository writing project in either the second or third year, usually in conjunction with a seminar or independent study. This requirement assures that every student demonstrates a proficiency in research and writing by preparing a substantial paper written under close faculty supervision.

Membership on one of Penn Law's journals also allows journal students to fulfill the writing requirement through comment submission.

THE LLM DEGREE

Students pursuing the Master of Laws, or LLM degree, are required to enroll full-time in the Summer Program prior to commencing their studies in the following fall and spring semesters. During these semesters, LLM candidates take courses and seminars that are part of the Penn Law's JD program. Students in the LLM program are limited to a maximum of 15 semester hours per semester. Full-time employment while enrolled in the program is not permitted.

Students in the LLM program may select from two different tracks:

The Course Track
Students who choose to fulfill the degree requirements by way of the Course Track have two options for doing so: they may elect to complete either 20 hours and the writing requirement, or 23 hours without completing the writing requirement.

Students in the Course Track typically enroll for credit in three courses or seminars in each semester. Those choosing the writing requirement typically do so as part of a seminar in which the student is enrolled, but it may be undertaken through independent study with a faculty member. The parameters of the paper are determined in consultation with the faculty member involved but, in general, these projects are in-depth research papers on a topic of the student's choice. (Note, however, that these papers are substantially less ambitious than the thesis required for the Thesis Track, described below.)

Students who do not have an extensive background in American law or related common-law system normally enroll in the Course Track.
The Thesis Track
Students in the Thesis Track must complete a total of 20 semester hours, 13 of which include courses and seminars, and submit a substantial thesis, which carries seven semester hours.

Qualified students who can demonstrate a strong background in advanced research and writing may be permitted to enroll in the Thesis Track. The expectation is that the thesis be of a high analytical quality suitable for publication in a law journal.

It is advisable for all students to pursue the Course Track for the first semester. Students whose achievements during the first semester indicate the requisite interest and ability may transfer to the Thesis Track.

THE LLCM DEGREE

The Master of Comparative Laws, or LLCM degree, is designed to allow Penn Law LLM graduates the opportunity to pursue advanced coursework.

In order to receive the LLCM degree, a candidate must complete at least 16 semester hours, earned in at least three courses per semester over two semesters. Credits earned in the LLM or JD program cannot be counted toward the LLCM degree.

THE SJD DEGREE

The principal requirement for the Doctor of Juridical Science, or SJD degree, is a dissertation that makes an original and substantive contribution to legal scholarship and an oral defense of that dissertation. This contemplates a book or extended monograph reflecting intensive and creative research with respect to a specific topic, problem, or area of law. The work, both in content and form, must be of publishable quality and normally must have been submitted and accepted for publication either as an extensive article (or series of articles) in a law review or a book. An LLM thesis may be incorporated into the doctoral dissertation. After the dissertation committee accepts a candidate's dissertation, the SJD candidate must defend his or her dissertation in an oral examination before the dissertation committee.

Completion of the SJD must be within three years, although the SJD candidate may petition for an extension.