Academics
The University of Florida, Levin College of Law offers a three-year, full-time program leading to a Juris Doctor degree. It also offers advanced law degrees, including LL.M degree programs in taxation, international taxation, comparative law and environmental law in addition to an S.J.D. in taxation.
According to the 2013 U.S. News & World Report law school rankings, the Levin College of Law ranks 48th overall among American law schools and 23rd among public law schools. It places 2nd in tax law, 1st among public law schools, and 9th in environmental law, 5th among public law schools. The U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks the Levin College of Law as the top law school in Florida among the state's eleven law schools, ahead of Florida State University College of Law and University of Miami School of Law. The attorney rating service SuperLawyers, whose rankings focus not on "bar passage rates, professor-to-student ratios and the number of books in the library" but instead upon "independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations" of the "quality of lawyers produced", ranks the College as the 8th best law school in the United States.
Its 2011 entering class consisted of 295 students, representing 87 undergraduate colleges, having a median undergraduate GPA of 3.64 and a median LSAT score of 162. Its 25th/75th percentile LSAT scores and GPA were 160/164 and 3.43/3.82, respectively. In 2009, the College adjusted the size of its incoming class from around 400 to approximately 300 students, in response to the competitive job market resulting from the recent national recession, to improve the resources and services offered to each student. The Levin College of Law is also well known for its commitment to diversity: 23% of the incoming class are minority students and 42% are women. The college currently only offers admission for the fall semester.
Required first-year courses are torts, criminal law, contracts, professional responsibility, legal research and writing, constitutional law, civil procedure, property, and appellate advocacy. Students are also required to take legal drafting and are recommended to take courses in evidence, estates and trusts, corporations, and trial practice.
Students can choose to pursue their J.D. in conjunction with another graduate degree, including a master's degree, Ph.D, or M.D. in one of the university's thirty three dual-degree programs. Students can also complete specific requirements in addition to those required for the J.D. and earn a certificate indicating specialization in estate planning and trusts, family law, criminal law, intellectual property law, environmental and land use law, or international and comparative law.
The College offers one-year programs leading to the degree of LL.M. in taxation or in international taxation. Nearly all students in the taxation LL.M. program are graduates of American law schools; the LL.M. in international taxation is open to graduates of both U.S. and foreign law schools. In a typical year, about 90 students are enrolled in these tax LL.M programs. The College of Law also offers an S.J.D in taxation. Nearly all courses in these programs are taught by full-time faculty. The College employs more full-time tax professors than any other law school in the United States, including several distinguished tax law experts.
Read more about this topic: Fredric G. Levin College Of Law
Famous quotes containing the word academics:
“Our first line of defense in raising children with values is modeling good behavior ourselves. This is critical. How will our kids learn tolerance for others if our hearts are filled with hate? Learn compassion if we are indifferent? Perceive academics as important if soccer practice is a higher priority than homework?”
—Fred G. Gosman (20th century)
“Almost all scholarly research carries practical and political implications. Better that we should spell these out ourselves than leave that task to people with a vested interest in stressing only some of the implications and falsifying others. The idea that academics should remain “above the fray” only gives ideologues license to misuse our work.”
—Stephanie Coontz (b. 1944)