Law School Programs
When you study for a law degree from Drake Law School, you’ll experience an innovative curriculum with practical experience to prepare you to be a top lawyer and leader in your community.
Law School Programs
Study Here. Practice Anywhere.
Drake offers the perfect platform to launch a career anywhere. As a student, you will gain access to a network of successful alumni working in all 50 states and abroad.
Uniform Bar Exam
A law degree from Drake prepares you to launch a legal career anywhere. Iowa has adopted the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE), which allows you to take the bar exam in Iowa and then use your score in other UBE jurisdictions across the country.
Doctoral and Professional
For students with a four-year bachelor's degree who wish to practice law in any state.
Graduate Programs
For students with a four-year bachelor's degree who do not wish to practice law, but rather want a better understanding of the law to advance their career. A JD degree is not required for admission to this program.
- Online Master of Jurisprudence in Compliance and Risk Management, MJ
- Master of Jurisprudence in Individualized Legal Studies, MJ
For students who hold a JD degree or equivalent and wish to pursue an advanced curriculum to expand their practice. For international students, an LLM may allow them to sit for the bar exam in some states and obtain a license to practice law in the U.S.
- Master of Laws in Compliance and Risk Management, LLM
- Master of Laws in Individualized Legal Studies, LLM
3+3 Programs
Earn your undergraduate degree and a law degree in six years.
Joint Degree Programs
Save money and earn two degrees quicker by participating in one of Drake Law School's joint degree programs. Drake Law School offers several joint degree programs in cooperation with other Drake University departments, Iowa State University, University of Iowa, and Des Moines University.
Students considering careers in commercial or corporate law find this option useful. Both degrees can be completed in six semesters and two summers. The program is administered jointly by Drake Law School and Drake’s Zimpleman College of Business.
This program, also administered cooperatively by Drake Law School and Drake’ s Zimpleman College of Business, combines legal studies with a multi-disciplinary professional education in public management and policy. This program can be completed in six semesters and two summers.
This program is administered by Drake Law School in cooperation with Iowa State University's Department of Political Science. This combination of studies provides students with a firm understanding of law as well as the theories, concepts, and tools of sophisticated political analysis that position them for a wide variety of career options.
Students interested in family relations and working with low-income families find this option useful. Administered jointly by Drake Law School and the University of Iowa, with courses available in Des Moines, this program allows law students to receive up to 9 credit hours for work in the Master of Social Work program.
This program, administered jointly by Drake Law School and Des Moines University's College of Health Sciences, is a wonderful option for students interested in public health law. Graduates will be prepared to serve in a variety of settings, including federal health and human services agencies, state departments of public health, local boards of public health, public and private health care providers, private law firms, and public and private agencies and organizations devoted to health promotion and disease prevention.
This program, also administered jointly by Drake Law School and Des Moines University's College of Health Sciences, combines legal studies with a multi-disciplinary professional education in health services administration and leadership. Graduates will be prepared to serve in a variety of positions, including executive and management positions at hospitals, academic medical centers, other health care providers, and health care payors.
Qualified students enrolled in Drake University's College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences' Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree program may complete both the pharmacy degree and the JD degree requirements in eight years rather than the usual nine. Students typically begin the law program in the summer following the third year of the pharmacy program.
The Drake University Law School and the School of Education have established a joint degree program that enables students to earn a Juris Doctor from the Law School alongside either a Doctor of Philosophy in Education (Ph.D.) or Doctor of Education in Leadership (Ed.D.) from the School of Education on an accelerated and integrated track—perfect for students whose professional goals include education leadership, policy development, or academic careers at the intersection of law, education, and public policy.
With the approval of the program director, candidates who have taken relevant courses at Drake Law School as part of their JD program (including students earning a JD from another ABA-accredited law school who visited Drake Law School for two semesters or participated in the summer programs sponsored by Drake Law School) may be permitted to apply up to 9 semester hours for credit toward the LLM degree.