Boston College Law School
Established in 1929, Boston College Law School is dedicated to the highest standards of academic, ethical, and professional development while fostering a unique spirit of community among its students, faculty, and staff. Boston College Law School is accredited by the American Bar Association, is a member of the Association of American Law Schools, and has a chapter of the Order of the Coif.
The Law School offers two degrees—the three-year Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree, which is the school’s primary degree, and the one-year Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree, which is designed for students who already hold a law degree from another school.
Juris Doctor (J.D.) Degree
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon graduation from Boston College Law School, graduates shall have acquired competency in the following:
- Knowledge and understanding of substantive and procedural law;
- Legal analysis and reasoning, legal research, problem-solving, and written and oral communication in the legal context;
- Exercise of proper professional and ethical responsibilities to clients and the legal system;
- Other professional skills needed for competent and ethical participation as a member of the legal profession; and
- A readiness for intellectual and professional engagement, whether in local, national or global settings, that incorporates respect for knowledge and the dignity of the human person.
Registration for Bar Examination
Upon entering law school, some students know the state(s) in which they intend to practice after graduation. Some states require students to register with the Board of Bar Examiners prior to, or shortly after, beginning law school. For further information, contact the secretary of the state’s Board of Bar Examiners for the state where you intend to practice to determine the standards and requirements for admission to practice.
Advanced Standing
An applicant who qualifies for admission and who has satisfactorily completed part of his or her legal education in another ABA-approved law school may be admitted to an upper class with advanced standing. Four completed semesters in residence at Boston College that immediately precede the awarding of the degree will be required. Transfer applicants must submit the application form and fee, the CAS report, a law school transcript, a letter of good standing from his or her law school dean, and a recommendation from a law school professor. Applications are due by August 1 from those wishing to enroll for the fall semester.
Other Graduate Courses and Cross Registration
Law students are permitted to take a maximum of four graduate level courses (12 credits) in other departments during their final two years with the consent from Academic and Student Services. Also, students may cross-register for certain courses at Boston University School of Law. Grades for courses taken in other BC departments (and through cross registration at Boston University School of Law) will appear on the student’s transcript, but will not be calculated into the law student’s GPA. All courses taken outside of Boston College and Boston University will appear as transfer credits only. Neither the course title nor grades will appear on the BC transcript. All courses taken as part of a BC Law academic exchange program will appear as transfer credits only.
Information
For more detailed information regarding course offerings, degree requirements, and schedules, applicants should visit the Course Selection webpage or email Academic & Student Services at lawacastu@bc.edu.
Dual Degree Programs
The Law School offers a variety of dual degree programs.
Dual Degree Program in Law and Business Administration
Boston College Law School and the Carroll School of Management offer a dual J.D./M.B.A. program. Students in the program are required to be admitted independently to both schools. Credit for 12 credits in the M.B.A. program is given towards the J.D. degree, and, similarly, credit from courses at the Law School are counted towards the M.B.A. degree. Both degrees can thus be obtained within four academic years, rather than the five required for completing the two degrees separately. Interested students can obtain detailed information from the Admission Offices of both schools.
Dual Degree Program in Law and Social Work
The Boston College School of Social Work and the Law School at Boston College offer a dual J.D./M.S.W. program designed for students interested in serving the combined legal and social welfare needs of individuals, families, groups, and communities. Students may obtain the two degrees in four years, rather than the usual five years.
Dual degree candidates must apply to, and be accepted by, both schools. Interested students can obtain more information from the Admission Offices of both schools.
Dual Degree Program in Law and Education
The dual degree program in Law and Education is designed for students who are interested in serving the combined legal and educational needs of students, families, and communities in our nation. The program reflects the University’s mission to promote social justice and to prepare men and women for service to others. The program is particularly designed to prepare students to meet the needs of individuals who have traditionally not been well-served by the nation’s schools. The program is designed to serve the needs of persons who wish to combine knowledge about education and applied psychology with legal knowledge and skills to better serve their clients and constituencies. The program offers an opportunity to further the University’s goals in promoting interdisciplinary inquiry and integrating the work of service providers.
Students admitted to the program may expect to receive both a master’s degree in Education (M.Ed. or M.A.) and the Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree in approximately three years (sometimes requiring additional summer classes), rather than the four or more years such degrees would normally entail if taken separately.
Students seeking to pursue the J.D./M.Ed. or M.A. dual degree must be duly admitted to their intended Education program and to the Law School. Any student seeking certification, or education or human services licensure must meet all of the requirements in the Lynch School of Education for that certification/licensure.
J.D./M.P.H. Dual Degree Program with Tufts University School of Medicine
Our program, in partnership with Tufts University School of Medicine, gives students the flexibility to pursue a broad range of career opportunities in the legal, health care, and public health fields, while completing their degrees in four years instead of five years if obtained separately. The Tufts medical school curriculum provides a practical expertise in health policy, data analysis, and health care management, and also includes an applied learning experience in the public health field. The demand for health care law and policy expertise encompasses job opportunities at small and large law firms, government agencies, hospitals and other institutional health care providers, public interest and advocacy organizations, international human rights organizations, and in-house counsel departments.
J.D./M.A. in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning with Tufts University
Land Law and urban and environmental policy and planning open up an array of modern areas of professional practice. In this innovative program, BC students can receive two degrees—a Master of Arts and a Juris Doctor (M.A./J.D.) in just eight semesters. Planning skills (including policy analysis) are critical in guiding development patterns, and law frames the mechanisms and limits of private and governmental roles in this process. Students are immersed in practical skills training; in broad debates and critical thinking about the environment, human settlements, social and environmental justice; corporate responsibility; and public and private land use management—all shaped by constitutional, equitable, and pragmatic principles.
Find out more about the Tufts Program at the Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning website.
The M.A./J.D. is offered through a collaboration between the Tufts University Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning (UEP) and Boston College Law School. There is currently no graduate program in New England which offers the combined strengths of this program.
In the dual degree program, students meet regularly with the program coordinator and the respective academic advisors from both Schools in planning and implementing an overall course of study that matches the student’s background, interests, and requirements of the program. Advisors at both Schools collaborate, under the auspices of an advisory committee, to ensure that students receive accurate and timely support in the dual degree program. Students are eligible for financial assistance based on current policies at each University.
J.D./M.A. or J.D./Ph.D. Philosophy Program
These programs are designed for students who have an interest in legal theory and jurisprudence, and who may eventually wish to go into law teaching in those fields. Students may complete their law degree and master’s in philosophy in four years of joint study, or law and Ph.D. in six years. Students must apply to both the Law School and master’s or Ph.D. program in the Philosophy Department of Boston College.
Master of Laws (LL.M.) Degree
The LL.M. degree program is designed to expose legal professionals and recent graduates who hold a first degree in law, primarily but not necessarily of foreign origin, to a broad range of subjects in public and private law, including U.S. and international law. The program enables students to explore many cross-cutting issues that engage U.S. and international law from courses in the Law School’s extensive curriculum, including both introductory and more advanced courses in their particular fields of interest. The LL.M. curriculum is fully integrated with the J.D. curriculum and we welcome students who seek to engage intellectually, critically and comparatively in the study of law. In addition, LL.M. students receive a tailored introduction to the U.S. legal system and specialized training in legal writing. They also have the option to receive a Certificate of Concentration in one of five areas: Business and Commercial Law, Environmental Law, Human Rights Law, Intellectual Property Law, and Tax Law. The program is intended for students from a variety of legal systems and backgrounds and we value representation from a diversity of regions. Because of our strength in the field of global practice, we are equally interested in applicants pursuing careers in private practice, government service, the judiciary, legal academia, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations. Our past LL.M. graduates have made extraordinary contributions to the law school community, and many do so again, in reverse, upon graduation, in their countries of origin or elsewhere. We invite applicants who have achieved high academic standing in their prior law degree.
Further information is available on the program’s website at bc.edu/llm or from the LL.M. Office, Boston College Law School, 885 Centre Street, Newton, MA 02459. Our e-mail address is bcllm@bc.edu.