Juris Doctor Degree Requirements
All degree candidates must meet the graduation requirements set forth in the Academic Catalog. Briefly, these requirements are as follows:
A candidate for a J.D. degree must complete the following requirements:
- The required curriculum: Advanced Legal Analysis, Agency & Partnership, Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law I and II, Constitutional Criminal Procedure, Contracts I and II, Corporations, Criminal Law, Evidence, Family Law, Legal Writing I and II, Professional Responsibility, Property, Sales and Leases, Torts, and Trusts and Estates.
- Eighty-six (86) academic credits of work, of which at least 64 must be Classroom Course Credits. Classroom Course Credit is defined as academic work completed and evaluated in the context of a regularly scheduled class, seminar, or clinic. Externship hours may not exceed 18 credits. All non-classroom credit hours may not exceed 22 credits.
- A minimum cumulative G.P.A (Grade Point Average) of 2.00.
- A minimum grade of C minus (C-) in each required course, except scholarly writing and experiential learning courses. A minimum grade of C or higher is required in scholarly writing and experiential learning courses to satisfy the requirement.
Note: A grade of Pass is equivalent to a grade of C or higher for pass/fail courses. - The upper-level scholarly writing requirement may be completed through a seminar course or journal comment.
- A minimum of six credits of experiential learning courses, including Externship I (live client training) and at least one other designated course.
- All degree requirements must be completed no later than 84 months after a student has commenced law study at Wilmington University School of Law or a law school from which transfer credit has been accepted for use towards the degree.
Requirements with Credits and Minimum Grade
| Minimum total credits | 86 |
| Minimum cumulative GPA | 2.00 |
Required Courses |
Credits |
Minimum Grade |
Typically Taken* |
| Advanced Legal Analysis | 3 | C- | Second Year |
| Agency & Partnership | 2 | C- | Second Year |
| Civil Procedure | 4 | C- | First Year |
| Constitutional Law I | 4 | C- | First Year |
| Constitutional Law II | 2 | C- | Second Year |
| Constitutional Criminal Procedure | 3 | C- | Second Year |
| Contracts I | 3 | C- | First Year |
| Contracts II | 2 | C- | First Year |
| Corporations | 3 | C- | Second Year |
| Criminal Law | 3 | C- | First Year |
| Evidence | 3 | C- | Second Year |
| Family Law | 3 | C- | Second Year |
| Legal Writing I | 3 | C- | First Year |
| Legal Writing II | 2 | C- | First Year |
| Professional Responsibility | 3 | C- | Second Year |
| Property | 4 | C- | First Year |
| Sales and Leases | 2 | C- | Second Year |
| Torts | 4 | C- | First Year |
| Trusts and Estates | 3 | C- | Second Year |
Other Requirements |
Credits |
Minimum Grade |
Typically Taken* |
| Experiential Learning requires a minimum of 6 credits, including Externship I. | |||
| Experiential Learning: Externship Courses | 3 - 12 | C | Second/Third Year |
| Experiential Learning: Skills Courses | 2 or 3 | C | Second/Third Year |
| Scholarly writing requires completion of research driven writing assignment including the required format and process. | |||
| Scholarly Writing: Seminars | 2 or 3 | C |
Third Year |
*Courses typically taken represents the full time day program progression. Part time students will take courses over four years, so First Year courses are taken over First and Second Year, Second Year courses are taken over Second and Third Year, and Third Year courses are taken over Third and Fourth Year.
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