Accelerated 6-Year Law Scholars Program

The accelerated Bachelor/Juris Doctor Degree Program (3 + 3) allows excellent business administration students, who know they want to be a lawyer, to reach that goal a year early by beginning their law studies in their senior year of college. The 3 + 3 Program allows eligible students to complete both an undergraduate degree as well as a law degree in six years, instead of the traditional seven years of full-time study. Eligible students may apply for admission to Detroit Mercy Law during their junior year at their undergraduate institution. If they are admitted under the 3+3 Program their first year of law school will be what would have been their senior year of college. Students then complete three years of full-time law study (ninety credits). Upon satisfactory completion of their first year of law school, thirty law credits transfer to the undergraduate school as electives after which the undergraduate institution confers the undergraduate degree. Therefore, an eligible student must be able to complete all the College and major requirements for his/her undergraduate degree (other than elective credits) within three years.

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    Standards for Admission to the Program

    The minimum standards of admission to the program are set out below:

    • Only students majoring in Business Administration are eligible for the accelerated Bachelor/Juris Doctor Degree Program (3 + 3) program. Students majoring in Accounting, or students in the 5-year program(s), are not eligible. Students enrolled in the University Honors Program are also ineligible.
    • Students must have attended the undergraduate institution for three, and preferably five semesters, of full-time study before applying to the program. Transfer undergraduate students as well as students with Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate credits may be eligible for the program at the discretion of the undergraduate institution and Detroit Mercy Law.
    • The undergraduate institution must certify that a student has or will meet all the requirements for conferral of their undergraduate degree by the end of their junior year. This certification is a required component of the law school application.
    • Students must take the LSAT no later than December of their junior year and have a score of at least 154.
    • Students must have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale as of the date of their application to the 3+3 Program. An offer of admission will be contingent on the student’s GPA not dropping below a 3.5 at the end of the junior year.
    • Students must submit a completed application with all required components to Detroit Mercy Law for consideration by February 1 of their junior year. Students must meet all other requirements for admission including the requisite character and fitness.
    Students will be required to participate in an interview with Detroit Mercy Law for admission and scholarship consideration.
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    Additional Program Details

    • A minimum of 120 credits is needed for completion of the undergraduate degree. More credits will be required in order to satisfy the degree requirements if courses are not able to be double-counted. Business Administration students in the program must take an upper level business elective at the undergraduate level.
    • Students in the program are also required to complete LST 2000/POL 2010, POL 2020, and POL 3420.
    • The deadline for a decision of whether the student is granted admission to Detroit Mercy Law will be March 1 of the applicant’s junior year.
    • Transferability of law credits to the undergraduate institution will be at the discretion of the undergraduate institution.
    • Students will complete the full-time first-year curriculum at Detroit Mercy Law and must earn an overall GPA of 2.2 to remain at Detroit Mercy Law, regardless of how the undergraduate institution treats the transferability of credits. In addition, to the extent that students are awarded a scholarship by Detroit Mercy Law, a grade of 2.2 or better is mandatory in all first year required courses.
    • The first-year courses required for completion at Detroit Mercy Law are: Introduction to Legal Research and Communication (2 credits), Applied Legal Theory and Analysis I (3 credits), Civil Procedure I and II (6 credits), Contracts I and II (6 credits), Criminal Law (3 credits), Property I and II (6 credits), Torts (4 credits)
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    Scope

    Eligible students may apply only to the American J.D. Program. Students are not eligible for admission to the Canadian and American Dual J.D. (Dual J.D.) Program. If a student is interested in the Dual J.D. Program, they must apply through the regular admissions process. Students who do not meet all of the criteria for admission under the program or who are denied admission are welcome to apply for regular admission at Detroit Mercy Law in their senior year.
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    Financial Considerations

    In accordance with University policy on similar joint programs, students admitted under the program are considered graduate/professional students for financial aid purposes and will be considered for scholarship consideration at the time of admission to Detroit Mercy Law.
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    Program Contact Information

    College of Business Administration
    University of Detroit Mercy
    4001 W. McNichols Road
    Detroit, MI 48221-3038

    Location: Commerce and Finance, CF 112, McNichols Campus
    Telephone: 313-993-1202
    Fax: 313-993-1673
    Email: petersea@udmercy.edu


    Dean, College of Business Administration : Joseph Eisenhauer, Ph.D.
    Telephone: 313-993-1204
    Email: joseph.eisenhauer@udmercy.edu
    Office: Commerce and Finance, CF 122

    Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs : Leonard Kloft, Ph.D.
    Telephone: 313-993-1200
    Email: leonard.kloft@udmercy.edu
    Office: Commerce and Finance, CF 109

    Director of Undergraduate Business Programs : Evan A. Peterson, J.D., Ph.D.
    Telephone: 313-993-1202
    Email: petersea@udmercy.edu
    Office: Commerce and Finance, CF 115

    Director of Graduate Business Programs : Omid Sabbaghi, Ph.D.
    Telephone: 313-993-1172
    Email: omid.sabbaghi@udmercy.edu
    Office: Commerce and Finance, CF 143

    Coordinator of Student Services: Carrol Parris, M.A.
    Telephone: 313-993-1203
    Email: carrol.parris@udmercy.edu
    Office: Commerce and Finance, CF 114


    Accounting Discipline Coordinator : Jeanne M. David, Ph.D.
    Telephone: 313-993-3325
    Email: jeanne.david@udmercy.edu
    Office: Commerce and Finance, CF 225

    Decision Sciences Discipline Coordinator : Gregory W. Ulferts, D.B.A.
    Telephone: 313-993-1219
    Email: ulfertgw@udmercy.edu
    Office: Commerce and Finance, CF 143

    Finance Discipline Coordinator : Suk Kim, Ph.D.
    Telephone: 313-993-1264
    Email: kimsuk@udmercy.edu
    Office: Commerce and Finance, CF 244

    Management Discipline Coordinator : Gerald Cavanagh, S.J., D.B.A.
    Telephone: 313-993-1179
    Email: zeffl@udmercy.edu
    Office: Commerce and Finance, CF 218

    Marketing Discipline Coordinator : Ram Kesavan, Ph.D.
    Telephone: 313-993-1115
    Email: kesavar@udmercy.edu
    Office: Commerce and Finance, CF 204


    Office Manager : Wendy Marshall, M.A.
    Telephone: 313-993-1200
    Email: marshawl@udmercy.edu
    Office: Commerce and Finance, CF 112