PHILADELPHIA — With enthusiasm for law school waning over concerns about high student debt, Drexel University is creating a two-year degree program designed to help new attorneys get into the workforce sooner and start making money.
The accelerated juris doctor degree program at the Earle Mack School of Law will require the same amount of coursework and cost the same as the traditional three-year degree, about $37,000 tuition per year, plus room and board.
But for certain types of students, like those with work experience or those who know what kind of law they want to study, the “Fast Forward” degree program could give them a head start. To begin with, they’ll save a year’s worth of living expenses, Drexel law school Dean Roger Dennis said.
“For that student who’s really very driven and prepared to be intensely committed for two straight years of education, it’s a good option,” Dennis said. “It’s not for everybody, that’s for sure.”
Dennis said the program being announced Monday is a way to attract a new pool of applicants to a field that has lost its appeal amid dismal employment prospects. Law school grads in 2011 faced the worst job market in more than 15 years, according to the National Association for Law Placement.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the number of law school applicants nationwide has dropped 17 percent so far this year over last, according to the Newtown, Pa.-based Law School Admissions Council. That’s on top of a nearly 14 percent drop from 2011 to 2012, according to council statistics.
A traditional J.D. generally requires six semesters over three academic years, with no class during summers. The faster degree at Drexel entails students taking the same amount of coursework in two years while having the same opportunities for work and extracurricular activities.
