The Juris Doctor, or J.D., degree is the standard law degree for students who wish to practice law as attorneys in the United States. A full-time J.D. program takes three years to complete. The first year of a J.D. program usually includes a standard curriculum covering introductory and core legal subjects such as contracts, tort law, property law, civil procedure, criminal law and criminal procedure, constitutional law and lawyering skills. After students have successfully passed the first-year curriculum, they can choose from elective classes.
The American Bar Association, or ABA, issues accreditation to U.S. law schools based on a national standard. As of early 2011, the ABA lists 200 accredited American law schools. Many U.S. states only accept law degrees from ABA-accredited schools when determining which candidates can take the state bar examination to become licensed attorneys. A few U.S. states, such as California, also use their own separate state-specific accreditation processes. Most state bar associations do not recognize J.D. degrees from unaccredited law schools such as online law schools or correspondence universities. California, however, does allow graduates of unaccredited schools to take the state bar examination as long as they can fulfill additional requirements.
The Master of Laws degree is a course of study taken separately from a Juris Doctor degree, often in a specialized area such as international law, business law or intellectual property, among others. Some L.L.M. programs accept graduates from American law schools, but many programs train degree holders with international origins. Graduates of foreign law schools study at L.L.M. programs in the United States to gain an understanding of the U.S. legal system, as well as specialized knowledge in a subject of focus. To qualify, foreign applicants must have already earned the equivalent of an American J.D.
Legal education does not often come cheaply. Before applying for admission to law degree programs, prospective students might wish to learn more about their future employment prospects. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS, provides statistical data regarding law degree salaries for lawyer and judge positions. In 2007, the median salary for all law degree graduates at nine months after graduation was $68,500. For May 2008, the BLS reported the median annual salary of all "waged-and-salaried" U.S. lawyers as $110,590. Law degree salaries will vary, however, depending on the degree holder's years of experience and position as a government, public interest or private sector employee.