J.D. Degree
Our curriculum and teaching methods are designed to prepare you for a lifetime of both practicing and learning law. We live by our motto of being powered by experience, and we ensure that not only will you learn about the law from faculty with a wealth of professional experience, but you also will have hands-on experiences.
We offer many opportunities to put your knowledge into practice through classes such as lawyering skills, mediation or law practice management, as well as our specialty clinics, competition teams, and solo and small firm incubator. You also may focus your education through one of our emphasis areas.
Requirements
This page is designed to give a general overview of the J.D. requirements. For an authoritative description, visit the official UMKC School of Law Catalog.
- Completion of 91 credit hours, 75 of which must be credits in regularly scheduled law school classes or clinics.
- A cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0
- Completion of all required courses
- Completion of research and writing (R&W) requirement
- Regular and punctual class attendance
- Successful completion of all coursework within five years from the day students began their course of studies leading toward the degree.
Because of the importance of writing skills to law practice, the law school provides a comprehensive writing curriculum. All students must not only take two semesters of the first-year Lawyering Skills coursework but must also complete a rigorous research and writing project (R&W) during the second or third year. The R&W must demonstrate strong legal analysis and result in a paper of professional quality.
Read about our Lawyering Skills program (PDF)
Students may satisfy the R&W requirement in a number of ways, including taking a seminar that requires a paper meeting the standards for an R&W; pursuing an independent study project with a professor; writing a UMKC Law Review comment or American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Journal project; or preparing a brief for a moot court competition. Details on this requirement are available for current students on Roolaw.
Enrollment Options
UMKC Law offers a variety of enrollment options — You may begin your legal education in the Fall and Summer semesters and may pursue your studies on a full-time or part-time basis. You can review all of these on our J.D. academics page.
Ready to Apply?
Read the entire application process and apply for our J.D. program.