TJSL Announces Exploration of Online JD Program

March 2, 2023

Dear TJSL Community,

As you know, over the past few years, we’ve returned to our roots as a small, community-oriented, California-accredited law school, now centrally located in downtown San Diego.  As we look forward to another 50 years of educating California lawyers and leaders, I’d like to share one of our current initiatives: exploration an Online JD Program, in addition to our residential JD program.

With the assistance of expert consultants in higher education and marketing, we are exploring how to expand our mission of offering an excellent legal education to a diverse study body from our residential campus to across California.  We anticipate a possible launch of classes for incoming 1L students in Fall 2023 (pending accreditation approvals). 

We’re excited about the possibility of supplementing our Residential JD Program with an online option for new students. We believe this new online program would further the Law School’s mission and support access to justice throughout California.  It would make the Law School’s excellent academic program available to students well beyond its present geographic region, and ensure that students with work, family, or other responsibilities will be able to pursue a legal career via a rigorous asynchronous distance education program. 

The online JD program, which would initially be open only to new students located in California, would be an asynchronous program of study that provides great flexibility.  Asynchronous courses would utilize interactive video and weekly assignments that students can complete on their own time, while also interacting virtually in a real-time session with their professor and classmates each week.  Online students would not be required to take any classes in San Diego, though they might have the option to do so.  With alumni across the state of California and beyond, online JD graduates would be able to join over 7000 accomplished alumni.

Stay tuned for more updates on this initiative!

Best,

Linda M. Keller

Dean & Professor of Law