Earle Mack School of Law at Drexel University Launches Two-Year JD Program, Beginning in 2014

The Earle Mack School of Law at Drexel University will launch Fast Forward, a two-year J.D. program, which will begin accepting applications in June 2013.

The program requires the same number of credits as the traditional three-year J.D, and offers the same opportunities for hands-on learning through co-op placements, clinical work and pro bono service.

The advantage is that students will reduce the length of time enrolled in law school and will be able to enter the workforce one year earlier.

“Fast Forward offers highly motivated students an attractive option for completing their education and getting a head start on their careers,” said Roger Dennis, dean of the Earle Mack School of Law. “We are not creating this program to increase enrollment, but to provide alternatives to strong students who have well-defined professional goals.”

In order to accommodate Fast Forward students, the law school will recruit a smaller cohort of students for the three-year program.

Due to the intensity of completing a rigorous J.D. program in just two years, Fast Forward is best suited to students who have strong academic credentials, who have significant life experience after college or who have decided on a specific career path in legal practice.

The program will launch in May 2014, and students will complete their first semester over the course of that summer. Their second term will begin in the fall, when they will begin taking classes along with traditional three-year students.

Students in the Fast Forward program are eligible to take part in the Drexel Law Review, Moot Court, Mock Trial and all extracurricular activities of the law school, as well as the co-op program, the clinical program and pro bono service.

Those enrolled in Fast Forward have the option of decelerating to the three-year schedule if they find the program too intense.   

Fast Forward students are eligible to receive all of the merit scholarship funds available to other students at the Earle Mack School of Law.  To compensate for the fact that Fast Forward students may be leaving the workforce several months early, the law school will offer an initial stipend applicable only to the first summer term.   

About the Earle Mack School of Law at Drexel University
The Earle Mack School of Law at Drexel University offers a curriculum and programs built upon the principle that students learn best when hands-on experience is part of their education. One of just two law schools in the nation that offers co-op education, we enable students to gain meaningful firsthand experience in law firms, the courts, government agencies, public interest organizations and corporations. Through our co-op and clinical programs, our students have represented clients in criminal matters and argued – and won – cases before federal appellate courts. Our faculty features nationally recognized scholars and seasoned legal practitioners. Located in Philadelphia, the law school offers an ideal setting to launch a career in law.