Fulfill your dream M ITCH E LLHAM LIN E . E D U 3
M I TC HEL L HAML I N E
THE FIRST. S CH OO L OF L AW
THE BEST. B L E N DED L EA RN I NG
On the cover: Amber Goodwin celebrates after receiving her diploma at Mitchell Hamline’s commencement in June 2021. Twenty years prior, her dream of earning a law degree almost ended when she was rejected by 10 law schools. But after a career that included working in Congress and founding a gun violence prevention organization, she was accepted to Mitchell Hamline’s blended-learning enrollment option. As she neared graduation, she wrote a social media post about her journey that went viral, garnering media attention across the country, including in Newsweek.
‘The granddaddy of them all’ That’s how preLaw magazine described us in a recent piece on options in online learning, noting that Mitchell Hamline launched online legal education in 2015. That was the year we became the first ABA-approved law school in the nation to offer students the chance to earn a law degree through a blend of online and on-campus instruction. The program was called the Hybrid J.D. By January 2018, the earliest graduates were finishing the program. Since then, hundreds more have graduated, and blended-learning alums from Mitchell Hamline have passed the bar and are working as licensed attorneys around the country. They were able to earn a law degree remotely without having to leave their homes or give up their jobs, and now they are using their legal training to make a difference in their communities at a time when communities everywhere are facing unprecedented health, economic, and social justice challenges.
Because we were the first, Mitchell Hamline has had the time to build on our technological platform and continuously improve our instructional techniques. We modified and extended the Hybrid J.D. program into other enrollment options, and in 2020 we created a single blended-learning path that includes the best elements of those programs. Blended learning at Mitchell Hamline— located in St. Paul, Minnesota—is a four-year program that can be finished in three years. It has significant on-campus time that includes a case-study workshop where students learn from participants in actual cases; a flexible design that allows students to customize their schedules and curriculum; and an “asynchronous” structure that allows students to complete the online portion of their studies entirely on their own schedule. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we were sought out by dozens of schools around the world to train them in moving instruction online, and we have continued to improve our systems and processes. In the fall of 2021, we welcomed more than 200 blended-learning students. We invite you to join us and let us help you use the law to reshape your world.
M ITCH E LLHAM LIN E . E D U 5
Highlights of Mitchell Hamline’s blended-learning enrollment option: FLEXIBLE AND CUSTOMIZABLE You’ll spend the first two years largely in blended courses that are 1/3 online and 2/3 in person. The final two years, you’ll have the choice of a wide range of courses in blended, fully online, and fully in-person formats, including courses in evenings and on weekends. Structured summer sessions are being expanded, and in many cases students can complete their degree in fewer than four years if they choose. NO ‘LIVE’ ONLINE CLASSES During the online portion of your studies, your time is your own. You won’t be told to log on at a certain time to hear a lecture. Instead, you’ll have weekly deadlines, and you decide when to work to meet them. For the first two years, you will have structured, synchronous office hours to interact with faculty. They are optional and are recorded for those who can’t participate synchronously. BROAD ACCESS TO PROGRAMS, CERTIFICATES, ACTIVITIES As a blended-learning student, you’ll have access to clinics and externships, specialized academic certificates, seminars, law journals, competitions, and a range of student groups and activities just like fully on-campus students have. And you’ll be taught by the same full-time, tenured professors who teach in the on-campus program.
Blended learning at Mitchell Hamline allowed me to continue my work as the owner of a dance studio and achieve my goal of becoming an attorney. I pursued a J.D. to help my dance students with their professional contracts, and as co-partner of a health and wellness center, I sought out the expertise of Mitchell Hamline’s Health Law Institute and health care compliance program. Mitchell Hamline gives great opportunities for practical experience and outstanding support for bar exam preparation. As a blended-learning student, you cultivate deep relationships with your fellow classmates who come from places all around the world.
Alia Hawkins ’21, Valparaiso, Indiana
Without blended learning at Mitchell Hamline, I would not have been able to pursue a J.D., plain and simple. Because I have a family, including two school-age children, whom I could not uproot, and a full-time career as a university professor, traditional legal education—even evening or parttime—was simply not an option for me. The fact that Mitchell Hamline also offered a track in Indian law—a great passion of mine—made this an opportunity I could not miss. The faculty and staff are absolutely amazing! They genuinely care about the students’ success, in and outside the classroom, and try to accommodate our work and family circumstances as much as possible. For that I will be forever grateful!
ELIGIBLE FOR THE BAR IN ALL 50 STATES
Tomasz (Tomek) Smolinski ’21, Dover, Delaware
You can tailor your program to meet the requirements in every state, including New York. PROVEN LEADERSHIP Since Mitchell Hamline launched its innovative blended-learning platform in January 2015 with the Hybrid J.D. program, a team of instructional designers has continued to improve its functionality, extend its reach, and broaden its application. We’ve done it all in-house, which means we’ve been able to adapt quickly. It is a mature program with a track record of successful graduates. We offer the most flexibility to highly motivated students from around the country who want to earn a law degree in a way that fits their lives. Our success has led other institutions to launch similar programs, but none can match our expertise and adaptability.
My husband, Tim, and I started when we were both activeduty Coast Guard, living in Annapolis, Maryland, and I was five months pregnant. Between our 2L and 3L years, we were transferred to Malta. We never would have been able to complete law school while living overseas in any other program. The academic rigor is strenuous, there is no sugar-coating it. But the support from faculty and staff is strong, as are the friendships with fellow students. The first day of class we sat near two people who are now the godparents to our youngest child, who was born during our 3L year.
Natalie Bernadt ’21, Valletta, Malta
How does the schedule work?
FOR THE FIRST FOUR SEMESTERS:
STARTING IN SEMESTER 5:
Courses are offered in a blended format—1/3 online and 2/3 in person. Students come to campus twice a semester and spend the rest of each semester off campus, completing coursework online. The on-campus portions are intensive sessions filled with skills training and real-world case study. During the off-campus time, students have weekly deadlines but complete the work on their own schedule.
Students have access to a range of courses in a variety of formats, including on-campus and fully online in addition to the blended format that makes up the first four semesters. For any courses they take in semesters 5-8 in the blended format, students come to campus for a Capstone Week.
SEMESTER 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
FALL
SPRING
FALL
SPRING
FALL
SPRING
FALL
SPRING
PREPARATION WEEK
PREPARATION SESSION
PREPARATION WEEK
PREPARATION SESSION
CAPSTONE WEEK *
CAPSTONE WEEK *
CAPSTONE WEEK *
CAPSTONE WEEK *
Beginning of semester
Beginning of semester (Long weekend)
Beginning of semester
Beginning of semester (Long weekend)
End of semester
End of semester
End of semester
End of semester
CAPSTONE WEEK
CAPSTONE WEEK
CAPSTONE WEEK
CAPSTONE WEEK
End of semester
End of semester
End of semester
End of semester
* Only required for students taking courses
Customizing your J.D. The curriculum for the first four semesters is essentially the same for all blendedlearning students, but beyond that there are myriad paths to a J.D. You can tailor how long you’re in school, when and where and in what format you take courses, and what if any academic certificates you’d like to pursue.
Here is a look at a few options: ACCELERATED SCHEDULE: To finish your degree in three years, you could take courses in each of the summers after your first and second years.
ACADEMIC CERTIFICATES: Blended-learning students can specialize in a variety of academic disciplines, which means taking courses specific to that discipline starting in semester 5. Students can take specialized courses toward a certificate in law and business, dispute resolution, health law, and health care compliance.
in the blended format.
Note: Summer courses are available after year 1. J-term courses are available starting in year 2.
PREPPING FOR NEW YORK BAR: New York allows a maximum of 15 fully online credits (and none the first year), which is less than the maximum allowed by the ABA. Students interested in taking the New York bar exam would tailor their course selection to have fewer fully online courses and more on-campus time.
M ITCH E LLHAM LIN E . E D U 7
Two Hybr
D E VE LO P M E NT O F B LE N D E D LE A R N I N G AT M ITC H E LL H A M LI N E
Law school
program students Bloomington, Min from El Paso, Texas from 25 countries Negotiation Comp in Oslo, Norway.
ABA approves variance.
proposes four-year Hybrid J.D.
EARLY
FEB.
JULY
DEC.
JAN.
2000s
2010
2013
2013
2015
Faculty begin
offering online components and blended-learning courses.
Formal request
submitted to ABA seeking variance to offer Hybrid J.D.
85 students begin
the Hybrid J.D. program, the nation’s first hybrid on-campus/online program at an ABA-approved law school.
JUN
20
rid J.D.
s—Briana Al Taqatqa from nnesota, and Brian Kennedy s—outperformed teams to win the International petition for Law Students
17 students
Mitchell Hamline
make legal history by becoming the first graduates of the Hybrid J.D. program.
NE
AUG.
017
2017
Mitchell Hamline
builds on the Hybrid J.D. with two additional blended-learning offerings that feature more in-person time: the Executive and Weekend options.
launches a single blended option that builds on the strengths of the Hybrid, Executive, and Weekend options. The new blended-learning enrollment offering retains the increased on-campus time, prepares graduates to take the bar exam in all 50 states, and allows students to control their online work schedule and customize the duration, content, and format of their degree.
JAN.
MARCH
FALL
JULY
2018
2019
2020
2021
Hybrid J.D. program
student Amber Fitzgerald, from Washington, Missouri, becomes the first blended-learning student in the country to be elected editor in chief of a law review.
Austyn Boothe and Daniel Sheikhan win the
International Negotiation Competition, marking the second time in four years that Mitchell Hamline blended-learning students have claimed the top global prize.
M ITCH E LLHAM LIN E . E D U 9
IN THEIR COMMUNITIES, THEY ARE KNOWN AS ... NURSE | CYBER ANALYST | 2018 HAMLINE UNIVERSITY GRAD | ENGLISH PROFESSOR | MOTHER OF TWO | RETAIL MANAGER MAYOR | POLICE OFFICER | UNITED STATES DIPLOMAT | ENTREPRENEUR | PHYSICIAN | AVIONICS ENGINEER | THERAPIST SALES REPRESENTATIVE | ANESTHESIOLOGIST | TECHNICAL WRITER | OPTOMETRIST | PATENT AGENT | WRESTLING COACH TITLE OFFICER | U.S. MARSHAL | CLINICAL THERAPIST | MLB UMPIRE | 2016 UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS GRAD | FIREFIGHTER HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATOR | REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONAL | ELECTRICAL ENGINEER | ACTUARY | PILOT | LAND SURVEYOR 2015 UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA GRAD | MINISTER | MILITARY SPOUSE LIVING IN GERMANY | CASE MANAGER | LIBRARIAN AMERICORPS VOLUNTEER | SURGEON | LIEUTENANT COMMANDER | ACCOUNTANT | BARTENDER | TENNIS PROFESSIONAL HR DIRECTOR | COUNSELOR FOR COMBAT VETERANS | LEGISLATIVE AUDITOR | PHARMACY MANAGER | BANKER | DENTIST SOFTWARE DEVELOPER | CARPENTER | BUSINESS OWNER | RESEARCH ASSISTANT | VETERINARIAN | PROBATION OFFICER SUICIDE PREVENTION COUNSELOR | REGULATORY MANAGER | INSURANCE ADJUSTER | GRANT COORDINATOR | PRINCIPAL SCIENCE WRITER | RECRUITER | SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER | DRILL SITE MANAGER | CHIEF OF STAFF | BUSINESS MANAGER U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPECIAL AGENT | TRANSPLANT COORDINATOR | PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR | INTELLIGENCE ANALYST
AT MITCHELL HAMLINE, THEY ARE LAW STUDENTS AND ALUMS.
1,133
blended-learning students have enrolled since 2015
419
blended-learning students have graduated
91.6%
employment rate for blended-learning graduates in the class of 2020
MITCHELL HAMLINE BLENDED-LEARNING STUDENTS AND ALUMNI SINCE 2015
STUDENT LOCATIONS
ALUM LOCATIONS M ITCH E LLHAM LIN E . E D U 11
M ITCH E LLHAM LIN E . E D U 13
BLENDED LEARNING AT MITCHELL HAMLINE
Office of Admissions 875 Summit Avenue St. Paul, Minnesota 55105 888–962–5529
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