The Penn State Law community consists of outstanding faculty members who are premier scholars, passionate teachers, and dedicated members of the legal profession, and exceptional students with strong credentials and the potential to become leaders in the United States and around the world. Penn State Law is “dedicated to advancing the law throughout the world and transforming lives through legal education. We offer counseling and advice on both academic and personal matters, ranging from course selection and the bar exam to health matters and family emergencies and can also point students to University-wide resources. We work with Student Disability Resources to coordinate accommodations for students with disabilities and we maintain connections with other resources on campus, including Student Affairs and Student Activities and Educational Equity.
Courses
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.
Required Courses are below:-
First Year – Fall
Civil Procedure (4 credits)
Criminal Law (3 credits)
Applied Legal Analysis and Writing I (3 credits)
Legal Research Tools and Strategies (2 credits)
Torts (4 credits)
Starting with the Class of 2025, students must also complete the Professional Development program that takes place in January.
First Year- Spring
Criminal Procedure (3 credits)
Constitutional Law I (3 credits)
Contracts (4 credits)
Applied Legal Analysis and Writing II (2 credits)
Property (4 credits)
Second or Third Year
Professional Responsibility
Required Experiential Learning Credits
Required Upper Level Writing Seminar Course
LL M Program
The LL.M. curriculum prepares students for careers in law, government, academics, and non-governmental organizations in their home jurisdictions, with the option for the exceptional student to prepare for the New York State Bar or to transfer to the J.D. Program. S.J.D. students pursue advanced independent study with faculty mentors to produce research contributing to distinguished legal scholarship. Studying and working with J.D. students, our international students join an alumni network of more than 700,000 alumni—the largest academic alumni network in the world. This all takes place in the incredible Lewis Katz Building, surrounded by forests and hills in State College and within driving distance to Philadelphia, New York City, and Washington, D.C.
S.J.D. Program
The Penn State Law S.J.D. (Doctor of Juridical Science) is intended for lawyers practicing outside of the U.S. who seek advanced and specialized knowledge in a particular area of law. It is also recommended for those who seek a career in academic law or in other scholarly, research, policy, or professional enterprises, or career advancement through the acquisition of a doctorate in law. The course of study required for the degree offers students with outstanding academic or professional credentials an opportunity to pursue sustained, supervised study, and research and writing leading to the production of a dissertation that makes an original and valuable contribution to legal scholarship.
The Montague Law Library
The H. Laddie Montague, Jr. Law Library is a state-of-the-art research facility at Penn State Law in University Park, PA. The law library provides access to law and law-related resources and a wide range of services that support the law school curriculum and programs, promote the advancement of legal scholarship, and fulfill the information needs of our library users. Explore our website to find information about our hours, services, collections and staff.
Clinics
Students learn by experience in Penn State Law’s legal clinics. Under the guidance of clinical faculty, second- and third-year students earn academic credit while engaging in all aspects of the legal process, from legislative advocacy to client representation. Corresponding skills training courses give students a knowledge base on which to build their professional experiences.
Contact
Penn State Law
Lewis Katz Building
University Park, PA 16802
Reception: (814) 865-8900
Email: admissions@pennstatelaw.psu.edu
