Requirements for the JD
| Total hours required | 86 credit hours (of which 65 must be for a W&M Law letter grade). Additionally, the American Bar Association specifies that no more than 20% of the required credit hours may be taken in any one semester. At William & Mary, this means students may not take more than 17 credits in any one semester. |
| Length of program | This is a full-time program of legal education. As such, the American Bar Association specifies that it must be completed in no fewer than 24 months and no more than 84 months from the date of matriculation as a degree-seeking first-year law student. |
| Courses required |
In the first year: Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, Property, Torts, Legal Practice I and II. In the second year: Legal Practice III. |
| Writing Requirement | Yes, a significant paper of publishable quality is required. |
In addition, you, as a law student, must maintain good academic standing by achieving at least a 1.8 cumulative grade point average at the end of your first year; at least a 2.0 cumulative average at the end of each successive semester and at the end of each successive academic year; and at least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average in order to graduate.
An option to supplement your law curriculum.... W&M non-law credits
Up to six, approved, W&M non-law credit hours may be applied to your law degree (joint degree students may not apply non-law credits towards their JD). Interested in the rules?
Note that curricular requirements are subject to change.