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State-Accredited Online Juris Doctor Program

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Program Length: 4 Years
Program Effort: 25-35 Hours per Week
Credits Required: 92
Cost per Credit Hour: $540

Train to Become a Licensed Attorney

Your goal is to become a licensed attorney: to represent clients in court, provide legal counsel, conduct depositions, negotiate settlements, and perform other traditional attorney functions. Purdue Global Law School is accredited by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California. The Juris Doctor (JD) degree program focuses on the knowledge and skills necessary for you to become an effective member of the legal profession.

If you choose to take and pass the California Bar Exam, and you meet other state regulatory requirements, you’ll be ready to apply for admission to the State Bar of California.

At Purdue Global Law School, you will learn from leaders in online education. We are proud of our distinction of being the first online law school to offer a Juris Doctor degree.

The Princeton Review Best Online JD Programs Logo

Purdue Global Law School was named to The Princeton Review's Best Online JD Programs list.

Upcoming Start Dates

Purdue Global Law School offers 3 start dates per year. Each term is 16 weeks.

How Can I Use My JD Degree in My State?

Purdue Global Law School is accredited by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California. If you earn your Juris Doctor online from Purdue Global Law School and pass the California Bar Exam, you can obtain a license to practice law in California.

Graduates possessing a California license may then immediately pursue licensure in the states of North Carolina and Wisconsin. For licensure requirements in these and other states, please refer to Purdue Global's State Licensure and Certifications page.

Your California law license may also offer you opportunities both inside and outside the state. For example, if you practice law in a field handled by the federal court system (such as bankruptcy, patent law, or federal criminal law), a California law license will enable you to practice in federal court in many states. For certain federal specialty areas, such as immigration and tax law, you could practice in every state.

In addition, many corporations will hire in-house counsel if the individual has a law license from any state, even if it is not the state where the corporation is located. Even without a bar license, your online JD degree may make you eligible for a variety of positions within the legal field or in business or various other industries, regardless of your state of residence.

See Notes and Conditions section below for important information.

Professional Paths for JD Graduates

  • Administrative litigation

  • Estates and family law

  • Bankruptcy law

  • Immigration law

  • Education law

  • Alternate dispute resolution/mediation

  • Financial services

  • Business law

  • Criminal justice

  • Health law

  • Human resources

  • Cybersecurity

  • IT and communications

  • Intellectual property, patents, and technology commercialization

  • Insurance and risk management

  • Government: federal, state, local

  • Veterans affairs

Traditional JD Knowledge, Contemporary Learning

Purdue Global Law School’s Juris Doctor degree curriculum is based upon the same foundational knowledge and skills all highly rated law schools use, and is just as rigorous and interactive. In fact, our tech-driven tools provide you with more real-time feedback than the typical law school program offers. Professors typically return graded assignments to you in less time than traditional schools.

The level of support you receive at Purdue Global Law School makes a big difference. With frequent assessments and progress tracking, you and your professors are in a better position to know if you need extra help. Our professors make themselves available by email or phone virtually around the clock to make sure you stay on track academically.

Required Courses

The Juris Doctor curriculum is a 92-credit program with 80 credits in required coursework. The required courses cover all the subjects tested on the California Bar Exam, as well as foundational courses in legal research and writing and professional responsibility.

Electives

Elective courses cover a wide variety of subjects and include artificial intelligence law, cybersecurity law, employment discrimination, contract drafting, virtual law practice, immigration law, education law, and a number of courses in health law and intellectual property and patent law.

Purdue Global Law School's online law degree programs also offer features you might not expect from a traditional law school, such as externship opportunities, a competitive moot court program, and a legal incubator to help you launch your own practice after graduation.

Curriculum

First Year
  • Introduction to Legal Analysis I and II

  • Contracts I and II

  • Torts I and II

  • Legal Analysis and Writing

  • Electronic Legal Research

  • Civil Procedure I

Second Year
  • Civil Procedure II

  • Advanced Legal Analysis and Writing

  • Real Property I and II

  • Criminal Law I and II

  • Criminal Procedure

Third Year
  • Professional Responsibility

  • Corporations and Business Organizations I and II

  • Evidence I and II

  • Constitutional Law I and II

  • Future of Law Practice

Electives: 6 credit hours

Fourth Year
  • Estates, Wills, and Trusts I and II

  • Community Property

  • Family Law Practicum

  • Remedies

  • Capstone I and II

Electives: 6 credit hours

Applying to Purdue Global Law School

Step 1:

Apply Online

You can apply and sign your enrollment agreement online. Once we receive your online application, an Admissions Advisor will reach out to walk you through the next steps and you will receive a copy of your completed enrollment agreement.

You can contact an Admissions Advisor with questions at any point in the process.

Step 2:

Complete the Purdue Global Law School Online Admissions Exam

This exam is mandatory for all applicants, regardless of legal degree track. The format is a multiple-choice exam that tests reading comprehension and logical analysis, not legal knowledge.

The exam can be taken from your home, office, or any location with a reliable internet connection. There’s no costly testing fee. A short no-cost online preparatory course is available to help you do your best on the exam.

Step 3:

Submit Required Documents

Along with your completed online application, you must submit college or university transcripts to be considered for admission. LSAT scores are not required (unless you have previously been academically disqualified from a law school). However, if available, your LSAT score may make you eligible for a partial scholarship.

Once all materials are received, your application is then presented to the Purdue Global Law School Admissions Committee for consideration. We will notify you promptly about your application decision.

Accreditation

Purdue Global Law School is part of Purdue Global, which is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLCommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

The law school is accredited by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California. Due to its accreditation by the Committee of Bar Examiners, Purdue Global Law School has the authority to offer a Juris Doctor degree that qualifies recipients to take the California Bar Examination and obtain admission to the practice of law in California.

Alumni Stories

You have these options of collaborating with instructors through this very structured intuitive platform that the law school has put together. You have to go through real curriculum, real professors, work on your assignments thoroughly, and they test you at every level on the curriculum.

Kasey Shah, JD, 2014 California Licensed Attorney, Technology
Purdue Global Law School graduate Kasey Shah