Penn State
Lewis Katz Building, University Park, PA
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  • Penn State Law offers dozens of joint degree programs and elective opportunities. The most popular is the J.D./M.B.A. offered with Penn State’s Smeal College of Business.

J.D. Program

The J.D. program at Penn State Law is a three-year, six-semester course of study offered in University Park, Pennsylvania. The first-year curriculum and certain upper-level courses are required; all other courses are elective. For the full list of degree requirements, see J.D. Degree Requirements.  

Faculty Statement of Learning Outcomes

The Penn State Law faculty has adopted the following Statement of Learning Outcomes:

1.  Students will understand the fundamental principles of Civil and Criminal Procedure, Contracts, Criminal Law, Property, Constitutional Law, and Torts.

2.  Students will understand the fundamental principles of advanced topics in law through elective courses.

3.  Students will be able to engage in legal analysis, reasoning, and problem solving.

4.  Students will be able to perform legal research.

5.  Students will be able to communicate effectively orally and in writing regarding legal matters.

6.  Students will be able to recognize and resolve ethical issues and discharge professional responsibilities within the legal system.

Policy on Course Learning Objectives and Assessments

To help implement the foregoing, Penn State Law faculty members shall provide in the syllabus distributed to students for each course each semester: 

1.  A statement of course learning objectives; and

2.  A statement of the method(s) by which the faculty member will assess student achievement of course learning objectives.

Required Courses

First Year - Fall

Starting with the Class of 2025, students must also complete the Professional Development program that takes place in January.
The program will be held on Thursday, January 5, and Friday, January 6, 2023.

First Year- Spring

Second or Third Year

Professional Responsibility

Required Experiential Learning Credits

Required Upper Level Writing Seminar Course