​Criminal Litigation

Why Criminal Litigation?

​Regardless of whether you want to be a prosecutor or a criminal defense attorney, success in the area of criminal litigation requires a unique set of skills. This concentration offers students wide latitude in charting their preparation for work in the field of criminal law. Students learn from experts in the field and gain real-world experience.

USD School of Law's faculty includes leading experts in criminal law and our curriculum offers cutting-edge courses for students who want to specialize in this area.

JD with Criminal Litigation Concentration

  • Total required credits: 18
    • To attain this concentration, students must successfully complete all core courses and a sufficient number of credits from the approved electives to reach a minimum of 18 credits.
  • Minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA): 2.2
    • The minimum cumulative GPA required to obtain the concentration will be based on an average of grades received in courses eligible for concentration credit.
  • Recognition: Certificate and transcript notation
  • Application Process: JD concentration applications must be submitted no later than the applicable deadline stated below. Concentration applications are evaluated after all grades for the graduation term are finalized and JD degrees are officially conferred. Applicants will be notified of the status of their concentration application via email once evaluations are complete.

    application deadlines

    Graduation Month

    Concentration Application Deadline

    May

    April 1 of graduation year

    August

    July 1 of graduation year

    December

    November 1 of graduation year

Concentration Application

  • Courses for the Criminal Litigation Concentration
  • Experience in Criminal Litigation
  • CrimProf Blog
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