Accelerated JD Program
Your fast track to a law degree
Want to earn your law degree in two years instead of three? You can do that through the Accelerated JD Program (AJD) at Creighton University School of Law. Our program is tailored for busy adult learners and recent college graduates who want to start right away on their law degree. Completing your degree faster means you’ll launch your legal career sooner.
How You Benefit
You receive the same education as students on the traditional JD track. When you complete your JD in two years, you save on living expenses and enter the workplace sooner than other JD graduates. Your first summer, you’ll take four courses. Creighton School of Law classes are small and especially so in the summer. That means you’ll have more opportunities to participate in class and to get to know and interact with your professors and classmates.
How to Enroll and Scholarships
If you’ve been accepted to Creighton, you can participate in the AJD program. If you’re interested, please email the lawadmit@creighton.edu (Law School Admissions Office) at least one week prior to the start of the summer term. Review FAQ to ensure eligibility and see the application process page for details.
Scholarships are fully applicable to students in the accelerated program. Scholarships awarded on an annual basis will be adjusted to include a summer term for that year.
How it Works
As a student in the AJD program, you’ll start classes in May. You’ll complete a summer term before your classmates in the traditional JD program begin in August, taking the exact courses and having the same course, with the same professors, and meeting the same credit hour requirements as your peers. Like them, you also may participate in law journals, legal clinics, externships and judicial clerkships. You may participate in the externship class as early as your second summer and in clinics in your second year. Because your studies are intense, you’re discouraged from working during your first year. You’ll have breaks between summer terms and regular semesters. And if you ever need to step off the accelerated track, you can do that. You’ll just stay on for a third year.
Have more questions? Feel free to contact our Creighton law admissions team regarding any of your concerns.
Sample Schedule
In order to obtain your Juris Doctrate degree, you must earn 90 total credit hours. Although there is some flexibility in the accelerated JD program, here is what your schedule may look like:
| Summer Term (13 hours) | Fall Semester (15-16 Hours) | Spring Semester (16-17 Hours) |
|---|---|---|
| Contracts I (3) | Civil Procedure I (3) | Civil Procedure II (3) |
| Contracts II (3) | Legal Research & Writing I (2) | Constitutional Law (4) |
| Criminal Law (3) | Property (4) | Legal Research & Writing II (3) |
| Torts (4) | Electives (6-7) | Electives (6-7) |
| Summer Term (12-14 Hours) | Fall Semester (16-17 Hours) | Spring Semester (16-17 Hours) |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | Legal Research & Writing III (3) | Electives (16-17) |
| Electives | Remaining required courses | |
| Electives |
In the summer of the second year, students may select from the following courses (offerings may vary):
- Advanced Legal Writing and Drafting (3)
- Alternative Dispute Resolution (3)
- Business Associations (4)
- Client Interviewing and Legal Counseling (3)
- Commercial Contract Drafting (3)
- Evidence (3)
- Externships (3)
- First Amendment Freedom on Speech (3)
- From Nuremberg to the Hague (3) (taught in Germany)
- International Criminal Law (3) (taught in Germany)
- Negotiations (3)
- Professional Responsibility (3)
Raising the Bar
"The collegiality of the other students at Creighton has been a huge advantage. There’s been a good environment of family." — Barb Vargo, Accelerated JD Program Student (JD'18)
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