If you are looking for a flexible online law degree that enables you to sit for the bar exam, you might want to consider an online hybrid program. Online hybrid Juris Doctor (JD) degree programs cater to the needs of working professionals by blending online coursework with on-campus instruction, allowing them to advance through the program either in a hybrid online format or through weekend-based sessions. Read on to learn about ABA-approved online hybrid JD programs, common admissions requirements and compare different types of online formats to determine which JD program is best for you.

What Is a Juris Doctor?

Juris doctor is Latin for Doctor of Law. A Juris Doctor, JD for short, is a professional law degree and academic credential conferred by law schools upon graduation. This graduate degree enables you to sit for the bar exam and earn a license to practice law. It typically consists of 85 to 90 credits and takes three years of full-time study. It is considered “the first degree in law” by the American Bar Association (ABA).

Aspiring attorneys can earn their Juris Doctor through the many schools and programs accredited by ABA. Among these schools, only a few offer online hybrid JD programs. There are also law schools that offer fully online JD degrees.

To determine which one is the best fit for you, consider your career goals, learning style and budget. Here are some ABA-approved law schools offering online hybrid JD programs:

Attending a law school accredited by the ABA allows you to take the bar exam in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, according to the Association of American Law Schools (AALS). The ABA seal of approval means your school meets the association’s quality standards for legal education.

As law schools increasingly expanded into online instruction, the ABA began to issue waivers to hybrid programs—those that mix traditional campus learning with online courses—so they could apply for accreditation. An ABA-approved law school must meet the requirements in every jurisdiction in the United States. Only in recent years has the ABA granted accreditation to a few fully online programs. 

Attending an ABA-accredited school isn’t the only way to become a lawyer. In New York, California, 29 other states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, you can sit for the bar exam with a law degree from a non-ABA accredited school (PDF, 1.3 MB). Because some employers look for candidates who have graduated from accredited institutions, it can be more complicated to enter law practice with a degree from a school that is not accredited by the ABA.

You can research bar admission limitations to decide if the school you select will provide you with adequate legal training to enter the field. You can also refer to the ABA’s Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements 2021 (PDF, 1.3 MB), for guidance.

An online law degree should teach you to think critically and creatively, educate you on a variety of legal doctrines, and expose you to subjects ranging from economics to sociology to help broaden your perspective.

But there are differences between online law degrees, such as the time to graduation, the level of flexibility in your school schedule, admissions requirements and access to externships and other outside opportunities.

Here are some common admissions requirements for JD programs:

You can expect to take similar courses no matter the law school you attend. Some online and hybrid courses are taught by the professors who teach on-campus classes. Your JD curriculum may include:

A PhD, called a doctorate, is the most advanced degree you can earn in many disciplines, typically taking five or more years to complete. You need a master’s degree before entering a PhD program.

Many people view a JD degree as a functional, but not an absolute equivalent to a PhD. For one, a JD is not the highest law degree. You can earn a Master of Laws (LLM) or Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) after your JD. Also, law schools require only a bachelor’s degree, not a master’s, for admission into a JD program.

But in practical terms, a JD is often viewed as the highest academic distinction for lawyers.

A JD could open doors to opportunities beyond working for a law firm. People with legal training play a role in several sectors. They may work at Silicon Valley startups, in courtrooms, academia and for the government.

The rigorous, analytical thinking that is the foundational skill of legal training can be an asset in many professions. Government leaders and CEOs for Fortune 500 companies hold JDs.

Law can pay well, especially at the highest levels of seniority and tenure. The top 10% earners among lawyers make over $239,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The median annual salary for lawyers in 2022 was $135,740.

The growing number of online or hybrid JD programs can make it possible for you to earn a law degree while you keep your current job.

The flip side is that the legal field can be intense and competitive. In 2022, there were 1.33 million actively practicing attorneys in the United States (PDF, 201 KB), according to the ABA National Lawyer Population Survey. Many large corporations are trying to save money by cutting back on outside counsel and reassigning tasks to in-house legal departments.

To ensure your JD degree is a worthwhile investment of money and time, have a clear career goal and think through how your preferred degree program will help you meet that goal. Once enrolled, take full advantage of externships, networking opportunities  and your school’s career resources.

Information on this page was last retrieved in September 2023.