Part-time Program
Students begin law studies with half of the Required Core Curriculum (RCC): Contracts, Torts, Legal Writing and Criminal Law. The second half of the RCC: Civil Procedure, Property and Constitutional Law is completed during the second year along with an elective course or two in the spring. Part-time students may elect to take their courses during the day or evening. First-year courses generally run from 6:00pm to 9:00pm Monday through Thursday for part-time evening students. Day courses are generally scheduled from 9:00am to 4:00pm Monday through Thursday and 9:00am to noon on Friday.
Part-time Day and Evening First Year*
| Fall Semester |
Semester Hours |
Spring Semester |
Semester Hours |
| Contracts | 3.0 | Contracts | 2.0 |
| Torts | 3.0 | Torts | 2.0 |
| Legal Writing | 3.0 | Legal Writing | 3.0 |
| Criminal Law | 3.0 | ||
| Total Hours | 9.0 | Total Hours | 10.0 |
Part-time Day and Evening Second Year*
| Fall Semester |
Semester Hours |
Spring Semester |
Semester Hours |
| Civil Procedure | 3.0 | Civil Procedure | 3.0 |
| Property | 3.0 | Property | 2.0 |
| Constitutional Law | 3.0 | Constitutional Law | 3.0 |
| Elective | 2.0-4.0 | ||
| Total Hours | 9.0 | Total Hours | 8.0-12.0 |
*Part-time students must commit to the course load outlined above. Under no circumstances can a part-time student take fewer credits during their first two years of legal study.
Part-time students are awarded a Juris Doctor degree upon satisfactory completion of 90 credit hours during a minimum of four academic years. You must maintain a 2.00 cumulative grade point average to receive the JD degree.
The JD program at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law is rigorous yet flexible, with full-time and part-time opportunities to address the needs and expectations of a diverse student population. Students completing their first year of part-time study may elect to complete subsequent semesters on a full-time or part-time (day and/or evening) basis.