Academics: Overview - Thomas M. Cooley Law School

Thomas M. Cooley Law School - Practical Legal Scholarship Since 1972

Cooley Law School Academics

The Cooley Calendar: A Year-Round Education

The Thomas M. Cooley Law School curriculum was designed by our Curriculum Committee to provide our students with the knowledge, skills, and ethics needed for bar examinations and successful law practice, as well as for further graduate study.

The foundation of our curriculum is 63 credit hours of required courses. The students' remaining classes are electives. All students have the option of concentrating their elective courses in a specific area of practice through concentrations.

Unlike most other law schools, the Thomas M. Cooley Law School teaches classes year round, entering three new classes each year: January, May, and September. Each term is 15 weeks long. Students entering in January (Hilary Term), attend required classes in the afternoon. Students beginning in May (Trinity Term), take required classes in the evening. Students starting in September (Michaelmas Term), attend required classes in the morning. Cooley also offers weekend classes year round on Saturdays and Sundays.

Flexible Scheduling

Cooley offers two part-time programs, both year-round, and two full-time programs, one year-round and the other based on a traditional educational program of one term off each year. A student may select a scheduling option that best meets individual needs. Also, classes are offered seven days a week, with the option of earning a law degree on weekends only. Evening weekday classes are also available.

Flexible Location

Cooley's main campus is in Lansing, Mich. Cooley also offers classes at Oakland University in Rochester, Mich. and in Grand Rapids, Mich. Third-year students may complete up to 10 credits of externship work at approved sites throughout the United States.

The Academic Environment

Thomas Cooley Law School has established an admissions requirement that makes it possible for students from a variety of backgrounds to attend law school. Once students matriculate at Cooley Law School, they find an academic program that is challenging and rigorous. As with any academic program, admission is no guarantee of graduation, and Cooley's academic attrition rate — the percentage of students who leave Cooley based on academic factors — is higher than other law schools, but consistent with its admissions policy.

Graduation Requirements

Graduation from Cooley Law School requires a student to complete 90 credits of study with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 or C, as well as a 2.0 or C in required courses. Of the 90 credits needed to graduate, 63 credits come from required courses. The law school confers the degree of Juris Doctor (J.D.) upon its qualified graduates.

Grading

The Thomas M. Cooley Law School grading policy is demanding, but fair. In most courses, grades are based on written final examinations, administered and graded under a system that assures student anonymity. Professors adhere to established grade definitions.

Grades at Cooley are known for being hard-earned and truly indicative of a student's grasp of the subject matter. The law school does not practice grade inflation. The grade definitions are closely associated with how students are expected to perform on the bar examination and in the legal profession.

This Page was last updated on: 06/14/2005

11/05/2004