Most law schools require their applicants to have earned a college degree. In addition, law school applicants typically sit for a half-day standardized test called the Law School Admissions Test or LSAT. Some refer to this test as the law boards. The traditional program of study for the Juris Doctor degree consists of three years of full-time study. Increasingly, law schools offer non-traditional options including part-time or evening study or four-year programs.
First-year law students are required, almost universally, to take introductory courses in torts, real property, civil procedure, contracts, criminal and constitutional law. These courses give new law students a balanced overview of the areas of law that form the foundation of private and public practices. Once they have completed the basic courses, law students have more choices regarding the types of law they study in order to fulfill degree requirements.
Law schools in the U.S. and around the world also offer a variety of advanced degrees for students who want to continue their education in the law before launching their careers or in order to advance or change direction in their established careers. The most common of these is the master's degree or LL.M. These advanced degrees usually require one year of full-time study in a specialized area of law. Stanford University School of Law, for example offers three LL.M degrees, including an LL.M in Law, Science & Technology. Lawyers interested in biological sciences can earn an LL.M in Biotechnology and Genomics at the Arizona State University College of Law and those interested in patents and trademarks can earn an LL.M in Intellectual property law at Boston University School of Law. The list of possibilities for specialization at the master's level is extensive.
Lawyers interested in teaching law at top law schools usually need more advanced credentials. The most common of these is the Doctor of the Science of Law, or JSD.
Not every student of law aspires to be a lawyer. Many undergraduate programs offer majors in legal studies. Graduates from these programs can apply to law school or may be interested instead in graduate study in a number of different fields including government, economics and finance. Stanford University also offers a Master of Legal Studies degree designed for graduate students with no prior legal training. The degree is non-professional but is intended as an adjunct to training for other careers.