General Requirements for Receiving a J.D. Degree

General Requirements for Receiving a J.D. Degree. To be eligible for the J.D. degree, students must meet the following general requirements.

1. Hours. A student must complete 90 semester credit hours satisfactorily.
2. Time Limits. The American Bar Association requires that students in accredited law schools complete their law degrees no sooner than 24 months and no later than 84 after enrolling in law school.
3. Grade Point Average. A cumulative grade point average of 2.000 or better is required to remain in good standing and to graduate. A student on scholastic probation in his or her last semester before graduation must also have a 2.000 or better for the final semester in order to graduate. Only grades received for Texas Tech University School of Law courses will be calculated for a student's cumulative grade point average. This applies to students transferring credit for courses taken from other law schools and to graduate courses taken from other University departments.
4.  Courses & Other Requirements. A student must satisfactorily complete all required courses, an advanced research and writing requirement, and an advanced skills course requirement.
5. Statement of Intention to Graduate. Students must file their Statement of Intention to Graduate by the following deadlines: October 15 for May or August graduation, April 1 for December graduation. Students in dual degree programs should check with the Dean=s Office in the Graduate School for requirements on filing for graduation. A student receiving a dual degree will not have either degree conferred until the requirements for both programs have been fulfilled.