Southwestern Law School, in Los Angeles, announced a fully online J.D program with asynchronous courses — allowing learners to access course materials, participate in discussions and complete assignments at times most convenient to them.
The school believes this will accommodate varied schedules and time zones, and the program is offered in both a full-time and part-time format.
The online program, accredited by the American Bar Association, will start accepting applications this month, with the first classes starting in the Fall 2024 semester. The program is an evolution of the school’s Hybrid Evening Program.
President and Dean Darby Dickerson said the online J.D. program is not “Zoom U.”
“It is a carefully considered, thoughtfully designed program that will allow students to interact with faculty and other students meaningfully while providing scheduling and geographic flexibility,” Dickerson said. “The program retains those elements that will train students to become effective, ethical lawyers but leverages technology and instructional design to meet the evolving needs and complex lives of today’s students.”
Full-time students can complete the online program in three years, and part-time students can complete the program in four years. The online curriculum is substantially like that offered in the residential J.D. programs and taught by the same faculty.
Southwestern said it meticulously designed the program to allow online students to participate in a range of opportunities and access a robust support system, akin to what is available to residential students. Among other things, online students may participate in Southwestern’s extensive externship program (whether online or onsite at a location near their residence); clinics (whether virtually or on campus); four concentration programs; honors programs, including academic journals and advocacy teams and student clubs.
Online students will have access to the same support services that residential students use, including career counseling, academic success and bar preparation, accessibility services, mental-health counseling, financial-aid counseling, library services, and more.
“We’re removing obstacles and opening our exceptional learning environment to a wider audience, molding the future of legal education to meet the evolving necessities of the next generation of legal professionals,” said Amy McLellan, associate dean of Online Education.
Southwestern, a private stand-alone law school, was founded in 1911 to provide legal education opportunities to non-traditional students — including women and minorities. It is one of 18 law schools with a variance from the ABA to offer expanded distance education.
Comments (1)
Based on this article, I’m going to apply. I hope it’s all that’s included here.