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Program Requirements
In order to receive the Juris Doctor degree, a student must complete 90 credits of courses, successfully complete all curricular requirements, satisfy all probationary requirements, and fulfill all financial obligations to the university.
This page conveys the current course offerings in the structure of required and elective courses. It is updated each term.
Other sections of the UMass Law website contain the official disclosure of requirements for progression, performance, and ethical behavior, including the UMass Law Student Handbook, Student Code of Conduct, and Academic Integrity Policy. The website lists current faculty and describes the academic and student programs that UMass Law offers. The UMass Law website also gives a full disclosure of consumer information as required by ABA Standards.
Courses (Required, Distribution Requirements, and Electives)
The courses and requirements for the Juris Doctor degree are shown in this listing.
In addition to the required curriculum, the Law School offers a constantly changing list of elective courses. In choosing courses, students are required to satisfy three distribution requirements (code, foundation, and practice) and the upper-level writing requirement. Students are also required to complete 30 hours of Pro Bono service.
Generally, electives that are taught are chosen based on such things as the importance of the area of the law, the skills and values which can be taught, student interest, and faculty expertise. Topics courses are scheduled to provide opportunities for a one-time presentation of a special topic of interest. Many electives are taught by qualified, practicing attorneys or judges, who bring an invaluable practical perspective to their topic of expertise. Because working professionals are usually available only in the evening hours, and because both full-time and part-time students can benefit from these courses, they are often scheduled in evenings. The Law School is proud to offer flexible access to specialized and elective courses.
Students may also explore other areas of interest with a faculty member through an Independent Legal Research Project.
Required Courses
- LAW 500 - Academic Skills Lab
- LAW 510 - Legal Skills I
- LAW 511 - Legal Skills II
- LAW 512 - Legal Skills III
- LAW 515 - Torts I
- LAW 516 - Torts II
- LAW 520 - Criminal Law
- LAW 521 - Criminal Procedure
- LAW 525 - Professional Responsibility
- LAW 530 - Property I
- LAW 531 - Property II
- LAW 540 - Contracts I
- LAW 541 - Contracts II
- LAW 545 - Civil Procedure I
- LAW 546 - Civil Procedure II
- LAW 555 - Constitutional Law I
- LAW 556 - Constitutional Law II
- LAW 576 - Evidence
- LAW 694 - Bar Preparation
Other Courses
In addition to the required courses, students meet requirements by selecting courses in a number of categories. Those categories are displayed below, followed by a number of Elective courses that students may select to complete their programs. No class may be used to satisfy more than one requirement (for example, LAW 564 Commercial Law may be used as a code course or a foundation course, but a student can use this course for only one of those purposes).
Foundation Courses
Students are required to take six credits (at least two courses) from the courses designated as “foundation courses.” Any elective designated as a code course, but not used to satisfy the code distribution requirement, may also be used to satisfy the foundation distribution requirement.
- LAW 560 - Administrative Law
- LAW 658 - Family Law
- LAW 585 - Business Organizations
Code Courses
Every student must take at least one course (at least three credits) in which the primary focus is statutory law.
- LAW 565 - Payment Systems
- LAW 566 - Sales Law
- LAW 611 - Consumer Bankruptcy
- LAW 613 - Federal Income Tax
- LAW 615 - Secured Transactions
Practice Courses
Students are required to take at least six credits of practice courses. (Three of the six practice credits must be satisfied through a clinical or field placement course).
- LAW 601 - Mashpee Wampanoag Legal Services Clinic
- LAW 606 - Immigration Law Clinic
- LAW 620 - Trial Practice
- LAW 621 - Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice
- LAW 629 - Appellate Advocacy
- LAW 634 - MA Workers’ Compensation
- LAW 639 - Field Placement
- LAW 640 - Community Development Clinic
- LAW 667 - Advanced Immigration Law Clinic
- Law 672 - Residential Landlord - Tenant Practice
- LAW 681 - Real Estate Transactions
- LAW 692 - Advanced Community Development Clinic
- LAW 693 - Advanced Field Placement
- LAW 702 - Criminal Motion Practice
- LAW 703 - Criminal Prosecution Clinic
- LAW 705 - Family Law Practice
- LAW 708 - Human Rights at Home Clinic
- LAW 709 - Advanced Human Rights at Home Clinic
- LAW 710 - Transactional Drafting
Upper Level Writing Requirement
Students are required to satisfy the upper-level writing requirement (at least two credits) by writing a paper in a designated elective course or by doing an Independent Legal Research Project. Students must receive a grade of B or better to satisfy this requirement.
- LAW 696 - Law Review Note Writing
Other Electives
In choosing Electives, students should remember that they must satisfy the Distribution Requirements: Code, Foundation, Practice, and Upper Level Writing.
- LAW 501 - Advanced Academic Skills: Principles of Agency
- LAW 542 - Public Sector Labor Law
- LAW 558 - Information Privacy Law
- LAW 563 - Access to Justice
- LAW 588 - Comparative Law
- LAW 589 - Affordable Housing Law
- LAW 599 - Co-Curricular Immersion
- LAW 602 - Employment Law
- Law 603 - Freedom of Information Law
- LAW 607 - Statutory Interpretation
- LAW 610 - Intellectual Property
- Law 612 - Accounting for Lawyers
- LAW 614 - Fundamentals of Business Income Tax
- LAW 617 - Employment Discrimination
- LAW 618 - Environmental Law
- LAW 619 - Immigration Law
- LAW 630 - Moot Court
- LAW 644 - Animal Rights Law
- LAW 648 - Cyber Law
- LAW 653 - Domestic Violence Law
- LAW 657 - Estate Planning
- LAW 665 - International Law
- LAW 668 - Jurisprudence
- LAW 669 - Juvenile Law
- LAW 680 - Race, Racism, and American Law
- LAW 682 - Religion and the Law
- LAW 689 - Elder Law: Probate Process and Fiduciary Litigation
- Law 690 - Elder Law: Planning for Incapacity and Death
- LAW 691 - Law Practice Management
- LAW 695 - Independent Legal Research
- LAW 696 - Law Review Note Writing
- LAW 697 - Law Review I
- LAW 698 - Law Review II
- LAW 699 - Topic
- LAW 713 - The Death Penalty: American Public Policy and International Human Rights
- LAW 714 - Health Law
- LAW 715 - Trademark and Advertising Law
- LAW 716 - Introduction to Islamic Law
- LAW 717 - Food and Drug Law
- LAW 719 - Law and Higher Education
Pro Bono Requirement
Because one of the goals of a legal education is to give students the skills and knowledge that can be used to help others and that will make them become better members of their own communities (or ‘citizen lawyers’), there is a 30-hour Pro Bono requirement. All students are required to volunteer to do the equivalent of one work-week of legal work in a:
- law office
- community organization
- government office
- other non-profit organization
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