Concentration - Criminal Law
Juris Doctor
Description
The School of Law offers a Juris Doctor (J.D.), a concurrent Juris Doctor/Master of Accountancy (J.D./M.Accy.), a concurrent Juris Doctor/Master of Taxation (J.D./M.Tax.), and a concurrent Juris Doctor/Master of Law (J.D./LL.M.).
Minimum Total Credit Hours: 90
Course Requirements
First Year
- Law 500 Professional Identity (1 credit, two semesters)
- Law 501 Contracts (4 credits, one semester)
- Law 502 Torts (4 credits, one semester)
- Law 503 Civil Procedure I (4 credits, one semester)
- Law 514 & 515 Legal Research and Writing I & II (6 credits, two semesters)
- Law 504 Property (4 credits, one semester)
- Law 507 Constitutional Law I (3 credits, one semester)
Law 568 Criminal Law (3 credits, one semester)
1 Skills/Drafting course (3 credits) (courses fulfilling the Skills and Drafting requirements are designated each semester by the law faculty)
Upper Level (Second and Third Years)
- Law 592 Bar Exam Prep I (3 credits, one semester during second year)
- Law 593 Bar Exam Prep II (3 credits, one semester during third year)
- Law 603 Legal Profession (3 credits, one semester)
- Law 600 Evidence (3 credits, one semester)
- 1 Skills course (3 credits), 1 Drafting course (3 credits), and 1 Writing course (2-3 credits) (Courses fulfilling the Skills, Drafting, and Writing requirements are designated each semester by the law faculty)
Otherwise, students have free choice of elective courses to complete the remainder of their credit hours.
Other Academic Requirements
For the Juris Doctor degree, the requirements are: (1) successful completion of 90 credit hours of law courses (70 of which must be graded credit hours and 75 of which must come from courses that meet in regularly scheduled classroom hours and no more than 30 of which can be from courses designated as distance education), including the courses specifically required for graduation, and (2) an overall grade-point average of 2.00 (C) or better. The curriculum and courses required for graduation are subject to change at any time without prior notice at the direction of the law faculty.
Concentration - Criminal Law
Description
The concentration in criminal law is designed to provide students with broad-based exposure to concepts, topics, and skills vital to criminal law practitioners and to prepare students for careers in criminal law.
Course Requirements
The criminal law concentration is designed to provide students with a broad-based exposure to concepts, topics, and skills vital to criminal law practitioners. The criminal law concentration prepares students for careers in criminal law as local, state, and federal prosecutors, criminal defense attorneys, public defenders, and public interest litigators. A student may be recognized for a concentration in criminal law by satisfying the following requirements:
- Successfully completing 3 core courses;
- Successfully completing at least 3 intensive credit hours;
- Successfully obtaining at least 24 credit hours in core courses, intensive courses and other eligible courses.
Due to scheduling constraints and prerequisites, students must plan carefully in order to complete the concentration.
Core courses, intensive credit hours, and other eligible courses are listed below. Each core course is offered at least one term each year, but others listed below may not be offered every year. A list of the specific courses offered in any given term that may count toward the criminal law concentration will be disseminated prior to enrollment for that term.
Core Courses
- Criminal Procedure I: Investigation 635
- Criminal Procedure II: Adjudication 714
- Evidence 600
Intensive Credit Hours
- Clinics: Externship 654*
- Clinics: Criminal Appeals 697
- Clinics: Mississippi Innocence Project 692
- Clinics: MacArthur Justice Clinic 733
* Externship must be related to criminal law.
Clinics must be approved by the designated faculty member for the concentration prior to enrollment for the term in which the credits are earned in order to fulfill the intensive credit hours requirement.
Other Eligible Courses
- Capital Punishment and the Judicial Pro 721
- Children in the Legal System 646
- Clinics: Criminal Appeals 697
- Clinics: Externship 654
- Clinics: Innocence Project 692
- Criminal Appeals Clinic 697
- Criminal Practice and Procedure 686
- Criminal Trial Evidence Skills 748
- Criminal Trial Practice 686
- Cybercrime 718
- Federal Habeas Corpus Remedies 716
- Federal Trial Practice 678
- Fourth Amendment Seminar 731
- International Security Law and Policy 658
- Legal Problems of Indigence 639
- Sentencing 668
- The Prosecution Function 685
- White Collar Crime 735
As appropriate, additional courses and advanced/special legal topics focusing on criminal justice may be included in this category on a case-by-case basis upon approval by the designated faculty member and/or senior associate dean.
Other Academic Requirements
The student must obtain at least a 3.0 grade-point average that includes grades for all credit hours counted toward satisfying each of the three requirements set forth above.