THE COLLEGE OF LAW
The Undergraduate Overview
Dean: Erin O'Hara O'Connor; Associate Deans: Shawn Bayern, Nancy L. Benavides, Debra Henley, Jeffrey Kahn, David E. Landau, Jake Linford, Erin Ryan, Brian Slocum, John Thrasher, Manuel Utset; Assistant Deans: Chris Busch, Jessica Dworkin, Karusha Sharpe, Glenda L. Thornton
U.S. News & World Report (2024) ranks the College of Law as the forty-eighth best law school in the nation. The College encourages close working relationships between students and faculty—relationships that are characteristic of the best liberal arts colleges. Expert faculty members are accessible to students inside as well as outside the traditional classroom setting.
The College's liberal arts orientation helps foster a strong sense of community in its students. This sentiment translates into student pride in the College of Law as an institution and a mutually held pride in one another. The liberal arts orientation also places great value on the insights of other disciplines that can be brought to bear upon the study of law. It is important to the faculty to integrate insights from such diverse disciplines as history, philosophy, psychology, sociology, economics, and finance.
Programs for Undergraduate Students
The College of Law offers unique programs to undergraduates interested in attending law school. Under a 3+3 Accelerated Bachelor's/JD Program, students attending one of our six partner institutions who meet certain admission requirements can complete a bachelor's degree and a law degree in six years rather than the traditional seven, saving a year of time and costs. Undergraduate students who gain admission into the JD program through the 3+3 program will follow the usual prescribed course of study for full-time, first-year law students. Upon successful completion of the first year of law school, the thirty credits earned will be counted toward the undergraduate degree, sufficient to complete university requirements for the bachelor's degree. The Juris Doctor degree will be awarded upon successful completion of the required minimum 88 total course credits in the law school (including the 30 hours earned as part of the 3+3 program) and all other JD graduation requirements.
The Seminole Scholars Program allows a small number of exceptional undergraduate students who will graduate from Florida State University, and who meet the requirements for cumulative undergraduate GPA, percentile score achievements from their ACT or SAT, and who do not have an LSAT score to apply for admission without taking the LSAT or GRE test.
The Donald J. Weidner Summer for Undergraduates Program is the largest of its kind and has become a national model for other law schools. Each year, approximately 60 undergraduate college students are chosen to participate in this three-week program, which introduces students to the law school experience. During the program, participants attend daily classes taught by law school professors and writing instructors. Lectures familiarize students with the functions of the American legal system and the process by which conflicts are resolved. Legal writing classes help students improve their writing and communication skills, culminating in an oral argument before a panel of judges. Mini-clinic courses expose participants to legal practice and client interactions. In addition to classes, the program features guest lecturers from the legal community, observation of courtroom proceedings, a private Capitol tour, and a networking reception. The College of Law provides room and board and course materials for all participants, along with a $500 need-based travel stipend. For more information, please contact the Office of Student Advancement at (850) 644-7338 or summerprogram@law.fsu.edu.
The College of Law also offers an honors program to Florida State University undergraduates. Each year, a select number of Honors Program undergraduate students are invited to apply to the Florida State University Honors Legal Scholars Program. This competitive program provides honors students the opportunity to become members of the law school community as undergraduate students. As a member of the Honors Legal Scholars Program, students have the unique opportunity to meet and interact with College of Law faculty members and administrators, observe law classes, attend law school events and lectures, and gain valuable information and insight into law school and the legal profession. Upon completion of their bachelor's degrees, these scholars will receive automatic admission to the FSU College of Law, provided that they complete and submit an FSU law school application; meet the minimum LSAT and GPA requirements for the year of their entry into HLS; and have a record that reflects the fitness of character to study law. For more information about this honors program, please contact the Admissions Office at (850) 644-3787 or admissions@law.fsu.edu.
Students from all majors have completed programs in law school. Undergraduate students considering law school are encouraged to visit the College of Law. Tours of the College and class visitations may be arranged through the Admissions Office. For more information, please call (850) 644-3787 or e-mail admissions@law.fsu.edu.
Curriculum and Special Programs
Juris Doctor Program
The College of Law's three-year curriculum for the Juris Doctor (JD) degree is rich and diverse; it begins with traditional courses and expands to include the latest in theoretical and interdisciplinary analyses. The school has especially strong programs in environmental law, international law, business law, and criminal law, civil rights law, and family law, with certificate programs in the first three areas.
The College of Law has four student-edited journals and trial and appellate advocacy teams. The journals include the Florida State University Law Review, the Journal of Land Use & Environmental Law, the Journal of Transnational Law & Policy, and the FSU Business Review. The College of Law's advocacy teams are regionally and nationally competitive. For more information about the Juris Doctor Program visit https://law.fsu.edu/academics/academic-programs/juris-doctor-program.
LL.M. Programs
We offer three LL.M. programs for students who wish to further their legal studies. Our LL.M. in American Law for Foreign Lawyers program gives those with a law degree from another nation an understanding of the American legal system and the role of law in the United States. Our LL.M. in Environmental Law and Policy gives law degree holders the opportunity to concentrate in or enhance their knowledge of environmental law, energy law and land use law. The LL.M. in Business Law is designed to provide advanced business law and finance training to lawyers in areas of growing demand. In all LL.M. programs, our faculty members work one-on-one with students to ensure that the programs best meet their academic and professional goals. For more information about LL.M. programs visit https://law.fsu.edu/academics/academic-programs/llm-programs.
Juris Master Online Program
The College of Law offers a Juris Master (JM), an online master's program in law for non-lawyers who possess a bachelor’s degree and want to advance their careers in fields that require knowledge of legal risk management, including regulatory compliance, governance, and contract management. The Juris Master degree requires students to complete 30 credit hours (a JM student may not take more than 45 law credit hours). The JM degree has five concentrations: Cybersecurity, Privacy, and Technology Risk Management, Employment Law and HR Risk Management, Financial Regulation and Compliance, Health Care Regulation, and Legal Risk Management, Contracting, and Compliance. Students are required to complete three core courses that cover foundational legal issues and concepts and specialized elective courses in their Concentration. Students can tailor their curriculum for their specific professional advancement goals. For more information about JM programs visit https://law.fsu.edu/academics/academic-programs/juris-master-online-program.
Joint Graduate Pathways with Law
The College of Law offers 9 joint graduate pathways in cooperation with other colleges, schools and departments of the university. The joint graduate pathways enable students to complete two graduate programs concurrently, the Juris Doctor and the Master's.
The College of Law offers joint graduate pathways in conjunction with the College of Business and the College of Social Work, as well as with the departments of Earth, Ocean, & Atmospheric Sciences; International Affairs; Sport Management and Urban and Regional Planning, the Askew School of Public Administration and Public Policy, and the School of Information. For more information about the College of Law’s joint graduate pathways please visit https://law.fsu.edu/academics/academic-programs/joint-graduate-pathways.
Summer Program in Law at Oxford
The College of Law conducts a summer program at Oxford University in England. As the oldest ongoing program in Oxford sponsored by a U.S. law school, this program provides students with a unique opportunity to study comparative law and the history of the English common law and its institutions in their native setting. Since its establishment in 1973, approximately forty-five law students from the United States and Canada as well as a limited number of graduate students in related fields, lawyers, and others have been taught annually by tenured members of the Oxford University and The Florida State University law faculties. Questions concerning the application and program may be directed to Shirley Oglesby, Assistant to the Director, (850) 645-0926 or at https://law.fsu.edu/academics/academic-programs/study-abroad/oxford.
Academic Policies
All academic policies of the College of Law can be found at: https://law.fsu.edu/academics/academic-resources/academic-rules-policies.
Admission Requirements
J.D. Admissions
For August admission, students must apply between September 1 and July 31, or by the deadline published by the College of Law. The College of Law enrolls only one JD class in the fall of each year and does not offer a part-time or evening program. Submit and complete an application as early as possible.
Factors considered by the admissions committee include numerical credentials (LSAT and GPA), exceptional personal talents, interesting or demanding work or service experience, leadership potential, rigorousness of the undergraduate course of study, maturity, a history of overcoming economic or other social hardships, ability to communicate effectively, and other factors. Decisions on applicant files are made as early as October.
Admission to the College of Law is a competitive process. For more information about the admissions policies and procedures, please call (850) 644-3787 or visit the website https://law.fsu.edu/admissions-financial-aid/admissions.
All registrants are required to have a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university prior to commencing law study. Every prospective law student must take the Law School Admissions Test given by the Law School Admission Council, or the GRE given by Education Testing Services (ETS). For more information about the LSAT, please visit https://www.lsac.org. Registration with the Credential Assembly Service is also required. For more information about the GRE, please visit http://www.ets.org. For more information about the admissions policies and procedures, please call (850) 644-3787 or visit the website https://law.fsu.edu/admissions-financial-aid/admissions.
Juris Master Admissions
Juris Master students are admitted for the fall, spring, and summer terms. All application deadlines are posted online. For more information about application deadlines and other Juris Master Admissions Policies and Procedures, please visit https://law.fsu.edu/admissions-financial-aid/admissions/juris-master-procedures or call (850) 644-7591.
LL.M. Admissions
Applicants for the LL.M. in American Law for Foreign Lawyers program, may apply for fall admission, with a completion deadline of July 15. International students are strongly encouraged to submit their application by June 1.
Applicants for the LL.M. in Environmental Law and Policy program and LL.M. in Business Law program may apply for fall or spring admission, with a completion deadline of July 15 for fall, and November 1 for spring. International students are strongly encouraged to submit their application by June 1 for fall admission and by October 1 for spring admission.
Applicants for the online LL.M. in Business Law, may apply for either fall, spring or summer admission, with a completion deadline of July 15 for fall, November 1 for spring, and April 1 for summer.
For more information about the LL.M. Admissions Policies and Procedures, please visit https://law.fsu.edu/admissions-financial-aid/admissions/llm or call (850) 644-3787.