The University of Calgary is located in the foothills of Alberta’s Rocky Mountains. The main campus features 18 academic buildings. The first Faculty of Law in Calgary opened in 1913. The law school was a part of Calgary College, a private post-secondary institution with no degree-granting status. It consisted of a class of 12 students, a dean and two lecturers. When World War I broke out in 1914, the school was disbanded and the students continued their legal education at the University of Alberta.  The University of Calgary, Faculty of Law officially opened in 1976 with a first-year class of 60 students and nine faculty members. The current Faculty of Law is located in the University of Calgary’s Murray Fraser Hall, which opened in 1994, and was expanded and refurbished in 2008.

Degree Programs

The Faculty of Law offers a Juris Doctor (JD)  program directed to preparing students for a variety of roles within the legal system, while at the same time placing an emphasis on natural resources, energy and environmental law. The JD program may be completed in three years of full-time study or six years of part-time study. The three year program is followed by one year of articling.  Degrees are also available in a Combined JD/MBA program, a Combined JD/MPP (JD/Master of Public Policy), and the International Energy Lawyers Program (Combined JD/JD with the University of Houston Law Center).

Admission

The educational prerequisite for admission is successful completion of 10 full courses or 20 half course equivalents in a program of studies leading to a degree at a university in Alberta, or its equivalent. Also, all students seeking admission to the Faculty of Law, or who wish to obtain a JD degree from the University of Calgary, are required to take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT).

Enrolment / Student Body / Faculty

There are usually over 1,500 Faculty of Law applicants for first-year, while only about 100 students are admitted. The total number of students for all three years is approximately 325. There are over 60 full-time and usually about 23 part-time faculty members.

Expenses and Financial Aid

Full-time tuition for the University of Calgary Faculty of Law is approximately $17,000 per year, while estimated additional expenses for books and course materials is about $1,800. The Faculty of Law offers a number of performance and need-based scholarships and bursaries. Financial aid is also available.

Activities and Services

Many activities and organizations are available to University of Calgary, Faculty of Law students.  These include: the Business Law Association; the Association of Women Lawyers; the Environmental Law Society; Canadian Lawyers Abroad; the Society of Law Students; and publication of the Alberta Law Review.

The Career & Professional Development Office provides resources, opportunities, and individual counselling to assist students in their career search. Resources include job application and interview skills workshops, and on-campus interviews with firms from several cities across Canada.

For more information, visit the University of Calgary, Faculty of Law.

								
You now have 3 options:
								

									
More answers about Lawyer Licensing and Law Schools
									
Master List: 2,500 Legal Answers
																													
																		
Government Links