If you are looking for a flexible online law degree that enables you to sit for the bar exam, you might want to consider an online or hybrid program. Online Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree programs are a combination of online courses and on-campus instruction ideal for working professionals through an online hybrid or a weekend-based format. Read on to learn about the online J.D. programs approved by ABA and common admissions requirements, and compare different types of online formats to find the J.D. program best for you. 

What Is a Juris Doctor?

Juris doctor is Latin for Doctor of Law. A Juris Doctor, J.D. for short, is a professional law degree and academic credential conferred by law schools upon graduation. This graduate degree enables you to sit for the bar exam and earn a license to practice law. It typically consists of 85 to 90 credits and takes three years of full-time study. It is considered “the first degree in law” by the American Bar Association (ABA).

Aspiring attorneys can earn their Juris Doctor degree through any of the 199 schools and programs accredited by ABA. Among these schools, only a few offer hybrid online J.D. programs that combine online courses with on-campus components. There are also law schools that offer fully online J.D. degrees, but none are approved by the ABA.

To determine which one is the best fit for you, consider your career goals, learning style and financial budget. Here are some ABA-approved law schools offering online and hybrid J.D. programs:

Attending a law school accredited by the ABA allows you to take the bar exam in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, according to the Association of American Law Schools (AALS). The ABA seal of approval means your school meets the association’s quality standards for legal education.

The ABA has yet to accredit any law school with courses offered entirely online. But as law schools increasingly expand into online instruction, the ABA has begun to issue waivers to hybrid programs–those that mix traditional campus learning with online courses–so they can apply for accreditation. With trained faculty and significant technological investment, distance learning proponents even argue that law degree programs can be completed exclusively online.

Attending an ABA-accredited school isn’t the only way to become a lawyer. In New York, California, 29 other states and the District of Columbia, you can sit for the bar exam with a law degree from a non-ABA accredited school. But it’ll likely be more complicated to enter law practice that way, as some employers look for candidates who have graduated from accredited institutions.

Before you decide to attend a school without ABA accreditation, be sure to research bar admission limitations and ensure that the school will provide you with adequate legal training to enter the field. You can also refer to the ABA’s Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements 2021 (PDF, 1.3 MB), for guidance.

An online law degree should teach you to think critically and creatively, educate you on a variety of legal doctrines, and expose you to subjects ranging from economics to sociology to help broaden your perspective. This holds true whether your program is offered on campus or in the hybrid online format.

But there are differences between online law degrees, such as the time to graduation, the level of flexibility in your school schedule, access to externships and other outside opportunities, and admissions requirements.

Here are some common admissions requirements for J.D. programs:

You can expect to take similar courses no matter the law school you attend. Some online and hybrid courses are taught by the professors who teach on-campus classes. Your J.D. curriculum may include:

The answer to whether a juris doctor degree is equivalent to a Ph.D. is both complex and controversial. A Ph.D., called a doctorate, is the most advanced degree you can earn in many disciplines, typically taking five or more years to complete. You need a master’s degree before entering a Ph.D. program.

Many people view a J.D. degree as a functional, but not an absolute equivalent to a Ph.D. For one thing, a J.D. is not the highest law degree. You can earn a Master of Laws (LL.M.) or Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) after your J.D. Also, law schools require only a bachelor’s degree, not a master’s, for admission into a J.D. program.

But on practical terms, a J.D. is often viewed as the highest academic distinction for lawyers. Most U.S. law professors, for example, do not have a Ph.D. (PDF, 610 KB).

A J.D. degree is a portal to more than just joining a law firm. People with legal training play a role in virtually every sector of the economy. They work at Silicon Valley startups in courtrooms and halls of academia and government.

The rigorous, analytical thinking that is the foundational skill of legal training can be an asset in many professions. President Barack Obama graduated from Harvard Law. Dozens of CEOs for Fortune 500 companies hold J.D.s.

Law typically pays well, and it can pay extremely well at the highest levels of seniority and tenure. The top 10% of lawyers earn over $208,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The growing number of online or hybrid J.D. programs can make it possible for you to earn a law degree while you keep your current job. Distance learning opens up more schools to choose from.

The flip side is that the legal field can be grueling, intense and competitive. In 2021, there were 1.33 million actively practicing attorneys in the United States (PDF, 207 KB), according to the ABA National Lawyer Population Survey. Many large corporations are trying to economize by cutting back on outside counsel and reassigning tasks to paralegals and legal assistants.

To ensure your J.D. degree is a worthwhile investment of money and time, have a clear career goal and think through how your preferred degree program will help you meet that goal. Once enrolled, take full advantage of externships, networking opportunities, and your school’s career resources. Earning a J.D. is an important, but still just one, step toward your legal profession.

Information on this page was last retrieved in November 2021.