Most college students spend a minimum of four or five years in undergraduate school. This time period is normally extended when students delay their education or when they transfer credits from one school to another. The time period may also be extended when students begin a family before completing their college education.
Based on CollegeDegree.com, completion of a Juris Doctor (JD) degree requires at least three years of law school. Since law schools limit the number of years required for completing a degree, many schools require completion of the Juris Doctorate degree within approximately six years.
Most law schools allow completion of an LLM program in three years. The University of Texas at Austin requires students in its LLM program to attend school full-time, for completion of the Master of Laws degree in one academic year. However, prospective LLM candidates may research information online, in libraries and in bookstores that pertain to enrollment requirements at specific law schools.
According to AmericanEducationNetwork.com, either a Doctor of Juridical Science (JDS) or Scientiae Juridicae Doctor (SJD) degree may also be obtained by law school students who desire further advancement. The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., requires students to have an acceptable dissertation which must be completed within three years of entry into the JDS or SJD program. One year of residency and 30 hours of course credit is required for a JDS degree at Indiana University (IU) which may also be completed within three years. IU also offers joint programs--JDS with a wide selection of Master's degrees, which may be completed within four years.
Time spent in law school depends on individual interests, goals, and social situations. The average time spent in law school for students to become lawyers is eight or nine years. Students who choose advanced research in a Doctorate of Laws program should anticipate an additional two to four years of schooling--totaling 10 to 12 years of law school.