Juris Doctorate Online

by Caleb Rogers

Juris Doctorate Online: Concord Law School

Concord Law School Online is the name of Kaplan University’s online law school.  As part of Kaplan University, Concord Law School Online is accredited by the same regional accreditation as any traditional law school–which means you can earn your accredited degree there, entirely through distance learning. You should check out your state’s requirements for qualifying to take the bar though–Concord isn’t approved by the ABA.  This is only an issue if your state has a requirement that you graduate from an ABA school before sitting the bar.  And of course, you do have to pass the bar exam to be a practicing lawyer, whether you’ve earned your juris doctorate online or anywhere else.

How does it work?

Concord’s juris doctorate online program is designed specifically around the regulations governing the bar exam in California.  It’s a four year program, which concludes with the student having earned 92 semester hours through strictly online study.  Class “sections” are assigned at the beginning of each semester–these are your fellow students, with whom you’ll “meet” online to discuss, debate, and study with one another.

The first half of the program concentrates on required courses, while the second half allows students some areas of specialization they may choose.  The juris doctorate online program coursework parallels that of traditional juris doctorate coursework, right down to the groupings of courses students take each semester.

The online aspect is suggested by Concord to be an advantage rather than a disadvantage.  The positive aspects of traditional juris doctorate programs are preserved, in the case of the juris doctorate online program by sychronous courses and video chatting, while the focus on study through online methods allows for a much more accessible faculty and greater efficiency.

Getting your juris doctorate is a huge challenge; are you up for it?