Stanford Law School is a private law school that was founded in 1893. Terms are divided into two semesters per year. The student-to-faculty ratio is 8.6 to 1, and there are currently 47 full-time professors employed by the law school. One hundred percent of students pass their first exam, and 66 percent of classes have fewer than 20 students. The class of 2011 at Stanford Law had 170 students, and their average age was 25. This law school offers the following degrees: Doctor of Jurisprudence, Master of Laws, Master of the Science of Law and Doctor of the Science of Law.
Yale Law School is located in New Haven, Connecticut, and was founded in 1824. There are currently 678 students enrolled in classes at Yale Law. The student-to-faculty ratio is 7.3 to 1, and the average class size is fewer than 20 students. There are currently 70 full-time professors and 50 lecturers, fellows and affiliated faculty. Eighty percent of students receive some sort of financial aid. There are over 180 courses offered each year, and the degrees offered are Doctor of Jurisprudence, Master of Laws, Master of the Science of Law and Doctor of the Science of Law. Yale Law School also offers a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree that is also a Master of Business Administration degree.
Duke Law School is a private institution that was founded in 1868. Many of the first-year law courses at this school feature over 100 students, but classes in the second and third year typically have fewer than 25 students. There are currently 56 full-time professors and many more lecturers, fellows and adjunct faculty members. Ninety-eight percent of students who graduate from Duke Law School are employed within nine months of graduation. There are over 18 degree programs at Duke Law School that include Doctor of Jurisprudence, Master of Laws, Doctor of Juridical Science and various programs that offer dual degrees such as Doctor of Jurisprudence and Master of Laws.
Harvard Law School was founded in 1819 and is the oldest law school in the country. About 1,900 students attend Harvard Law School each year, and there are over 260 courses available. The law campus consists of 19 buildings and is on the northwest side of Harvard Yard. Eighty percent of the students at Harvard Law are teachers' assistants throughout Harvard University. One hundred of the 260 courses at this school have fewer than 25 students enrolled. The three degree programs offered by Harvard Law School are Doctor Jurisprudence, Master of Law and Doctor of Juridical Science.