STCL HOUSTON OFFERS ONLINE SCHEDULE TO EARN J.D. DEGREE

South Texas College of Law Houston will advance its century-long reputation for academic excellence, innovation, diversity, and opportunity in fall 2023 when it supplements its on-campus full-time and part-time programs with a new part-time online schedule for a select cohort of students.

Promotion of the J.D. Part-time / Online schedule began in late October. Nearly 500 people had already expressed interest by mid-December — for roughly 30 seats. Fifteen percent of those individuals were from outside Texas, representing 19 states. Of the total, almost 60% were from Texas, but outside the Houston metropolitan area.

“The program appears to be accomplishing exactly what we had hoped — to create an opportunity for individuals who live and work far from a law school to obtain a South Texas College of Law Houston J.D. degree,” said President and Dean Michael F. Barry.

Students entering law school at South Texas in fall 2023 will have three paths to obtain a J.D. degree: (1) a J.D. Full-time / Campus schedule (on campus, during the day); (2) a J.D. Part-time / Campus schedule (on campus, four evenings per week); and (3) the new J.D. Part-time / Online schedule.

For all three programs, South Texas will require students to meet exacting admissions criteria and to meet rigorous academic and professional standards. Online students also will have access to South Texas’s renowned faculty, student support services, and co-curricular and extracurricular organizations and activities.

“We have found that tools available in the online environment provide new and creative opportunities for student engagement,” said Associate Dean for Part-time and Online Education Derek Fincham. “Also, our courses are built on the best practices in distance learning.”

STCL Houston Board Chair Genora Boykins ’85 is delighted the law school will soon offer the option to earn an ABA-accredited J.D. degree online.

“Students from some of the most legally underserved parts of Texas and other states will be able to gain an exceptional legal education without having to move to Houston,” Boykins said. “This will lead to increased access to excellent legal services for communities with few or no attorneys, and will allow more diverse students access into the legal profession.”

For more information about the law school’s accredited J.D. degree and the full-time and part-time schedules available to students, contact admissions@stcl.edu or read more at stcl.edu/explore.