Enhance Your Career by Developing Legal Expertise
Do you want to develop the knowledge and skills of a lawyer without becoming one? Purdue Global Law School’s Executive Juris Doctor (EJD) is a professional law degree program designed to help you build a solid legal background you can call upon within your current profession or in a new one.
Unlike more traditional law degrees, we created the EJD program for those interested in gaining legal skills for careers other than law, and for those who have no intention of becoming a practicing attorney. Earning a doctorate-level degree in law online prepares you to grasp legal and regulatory issues, review contracts, shape corporate policy, and communicate effectively with attorneys. You can also aim your studies at gaining industry-specific legal knowledge with one of our four specialized tracks.
See Notes and Conditions section below for important information.
Purdue Global Law School offers 3 start dates per year. Each term is 16 weeks.
What Can I Do With an Executive Juris Doctor?
With an EJD degree from Purdue Global Law School, you’ll be qualified to identify and address key legal issues, which can be particularly helpful if you own a business, work in a highly regulated industry, or work in (or often deal with) a corporate legal department. You can also use your advanced legal training in one of the many law-related areas that don’t actually require a bar license, including mediation, nongovernmental organizations, higher education, or human resources, to name a few.
Although you won’t be a practicing lawyer litigating in court, opportunities exist to serve as an advocate in a variety of administrative dispute resolution forums. These may include immigration courts; hearings on veterans benefits, social security disability income, and Medicare claims appeals; workers compensation boards (in select states); and federal labor dispute proceedings.
See Notes and Conditions section below for important information.
Potential Industries for EJD Graduates
Alternative dispute resolution
Banking and finance
Cybersecurity and technology
Education
Government
Health care
Human resources
Insurance
Law enforcement
Risk management
Legal Training With a Specialized Focus
Our EJD curriculum not only provides the advanced legal training you seek, it offers you an innovative program with several distinct advantages over traditional law schools. You will have the opportunity to choose one of four curriculum tracks, including education law, law and technology, business law, or health law; or to select electives applicable to your area of interest.
Our online platform enables more continuous feedback than is typical in law school. You can set the best learning pace for your individual needs and monitor your progress. You can also make adjustments or get extra help from your professors early on, helping you stay on track academically.
If you aren’t yet ready to commit to a full degree program, or just want to take one or a few courses applicable to your role or industry, we offer single courses on a nondegree seeking basis.
Single-Course Offerings
Choose from single courses in business, education, health, human resources, technology, and more. Individual courses can be applied toward your EJD program should you choose to enroll at Purdue Global Law School later on.
Ways to Save on Your Executive Juris Doctor
Fast-Track Your EJD With Master’s Degree Credits
Did you earn a master’s at Purdue Global? Apply some of your courses toward an online Executive Juris Doctor at Purdue Global Law School. You could save up to $14,832 in law school tuition and graduate a year sooner.
Graduates of these programs may be able to take advantage of this benefit: MS in Legal Studies, MS in Criminal Justice, MS in Cybersecurity Management, MS in Information Technology, Master of Health Care Administration, Master of Public Administration, or Master of Business Administration.
Speak to one of our Advisors for more information.
Articulation Agreements
Through our academic alliances, you can transfer credits to advance your career goals and legal knowledge. Purdue Global Law School is committed to establishing educational partnerships and articulation agreements with other academic institutions to help their graduates make a smooth transition to earning an EJD degree.
These agreements are designed to save graduates time and money by maximizing the number of transfer credits accepted.
See Notes and Conditions section below for important information.
Required Courses
The goal of the EJD program is to:
Give you a solid background in core areas of the law
Provide you with the latitude to shape your legal education to reflect your career objectives and interests.
In keeping with this goal, your first year will be spent mastering the foundational courses of Contracts, Torts, and Introduction to Legal Analysis.
Specialized Career Tracks
During the second and third years, you have the flexibility to choose from a wider selection of course offerings and/or focus your program via a series of specialized industry tracks, as shown in the Curriculum section.
Curriculum
Core Courses:
Contracts I and II
Torts I and II
Introduction to Legal Analysis I and II
Legal Analysis and Writing
Electronic Legal Research
Electives: 4 credit hours (Criminal Law I and II are the only open electives in the first year)
Core Courses:
Advanced Legal Analysis and Writing—Litigation; or Advanced Legal Analysis and Writing—Regulatory and Transactional
Constitutional Law I and II
Electives: 16 credit hours (courses taken in the specialized career tracks are noted below)
Law and Technology Track
Administrative Law
Cyberlaw or Intellectual Property
Health Law Track
Health Law
Administrative Law
Business Law Track
Corporations and Business
Organizations I and II
Administrative Law
Education Law Track
Education Law
Special Education Law
Administrative Law
Core Courses:
Cross Professional Ethics
Electives: 22 credit hours (courses taken in the specialized career tracks are noted below)
Law and Technology Track
Cyberlaw or Intellectual Property
Law and Technology Electives: At least 6 credit hours
Health Law Track
Health Law Electives: At least 8 credit hours
Business Law Track
Business Law Electives: At least 8 credit hours
Education Law Track
Business Law Electives: At least 6 credit hours
Applying to Purdue Global Law School
Apply Online
You can apply and sign your enrollment agreement online. Once we receive your online application, an Admissions Advisor will reach out to walk you through the next steps and you will receive a copy of your completed enrollment agreement.
You can contact an Admissions Advisor with questions at any point in the process.
Complete the Purdue Global Law School Online Admissions Exam
This exam is mandatory for all applicants, regardless of legal degree track. The format is a multiple-choice exam that tests reading comprehension and logical analysis, not legal knowledge.
The exam can be taken from your home, office, or any location with a reliable internet connection. There’s no costly testing fee. A short no-cost online preparatory course is available to help you do your best on the exam.
Submit Required Documents
Along with your completed online application, you must submit college or university transcripts to be considered for admission. LSAT scores are not required (unless you have previously been academically disqualified from a law school). However, if available, your LSAT score may make you eligible for a partial scholarship.
Once all materials are received, your application is then presented to the Purdue Global Law School Admissions Committee for consideration. We will notify you promptly about your application decision.
Having my law degree helps me with credibility among lawyers who are typically the people that hire mediators.
Accreditation
Purdue Global Law School is part of Purdue Global, which is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission. This accreditation covers all academic programs, all regional locations, and all programs provided via distance education. For more information, please visit the HLC website at HLCommission.org or call 800-621-7440.
The law school is accredited by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California. Due to its accreditation by the Committee, Purdue Global Law School has the authority to offer a Juris Doctor degree that qualifies recipients to take the California Bar Examination and obtain admission to the practice of law in California.