Evening and Part-time Day Programs

The part-time programs are designed for students with time restrictions due to employment or family responsibilities. Part-time study takes four academic years to complete and part-time students may choose between the evening program or the part-time day program.

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Part-Time Evening Division

Most part-time students attend the Evening Division, with classes held Monday through Thursday evenings. The law school, which began as an evening program, is committed to making the experience for evening students comparable to that enjoyed by day students. All full-time faculty regularly teach in the evening and enjoy the rewards of teaching the exceptional students who are attracted to the evening division. Admissions, curriculum, examination and all other standards are the same for both divisions.

Part-Time Day Division

Students with obligations that limit their studying and those with evening family responsibilities or evening jobs may enroll part-time in the Day Division. Students who wish to be part-time day division students must demonstrate that neither the full-time program nor the part-time evening division program is a reasonable educational alternative for them.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Part-time students are eligible to receive the same types of financial aid as full-time students, including merit and need-based scholarships and federal and private loans. Part-time students with full-time employment who do not think they will qualify for "need-based" financial aid may still borrow federal and private loan funds to help meet their cost of attendance. More information on tuition costs and the financial aid process is available on the Financial Aid page of the law school website.

Course Load

The first year of the part-time evening program consists of required courses which meet Monday through Thursday evenings from 6:00 p.m. to approximately 9:30 p.m. Students who attend the part-time day program enroll in classes meeting throughout the day, Monday through Friday.

Part-time students continue taking required courses during the first semester of the second year, as well as enrolling in elective courses. 88 credits are required for graduation. After the first year of mandatory coursework, part-time students must enroll for a minimum of eight credits and a maximum of eleven credits per semester. In addition, an eight-week summer semester is offered each summer with all classes held only in the evening during which students may earn up to six credits. Part-time students may also take part in Temple's summer program in Rome.

Required Courses

The first-year curriculum is designed to provide students with an understanding of the relationship between law and society, and introduction to legal and procedural concepts, and a commitment to ethical and professional responsibility.

First-year students explore these concepts through the study of the legal systems that govern the enforcement of agreements (Contracts), the ownership of resources (Property), and the protection afforded to people and their property from interference of others (Torts). In Civil Procedure I, first-year students are introduced to the allocation of judicial authority among state and federal courts and to the procedures they employ in civil litigation. Students investigate the relationship of people to government and the concept of federalism in Constitutional Law. Criminal Law I and Litigation Basics complete the introduction to the American Legal System.

Legal Research and Writing

Instruction in modern law schools is founded on the notion of teaching each student to think like a lawyer. The Legal Research and Writing Program teaches the basics of writing and speaking like a lawyer. The first-year research and writing program at Temple is a two semester course of study and is one of the most intensive and advanced in the country. Students learn basic legal research techniques and the fundamentals of legal writing.

To further develop essential writing skills, the law school requires that all students take two upper-level writing courses, one involving a major research paper and the other, a series of short pieces. Students fulfill this requirement by taking writing seminars, doing guided research under faculty supervision, or working for academic credit on one of the student-edited scholarly journals or moot court honor societies.

First Year Scheduling

Part-time students in either the day or evening division delay taking Criminal Law I, Constitutional Law and Introduction to Transactional Skills until their second year. Although summer study is not required, most students who select the part-time sequence in the first year find it necessary to attend summer classes at some time in order to complete the required 88 credits by the end of the fourth year.

Fall Semester - First Year

Course Credit/s
Contracts I 4 credits
Torts 4 credits
Legal Reasearch and Writing I 3 credits
Litigation Basics 1 credit
Total 12 credits

Spring Semester - First Year

Course Credit/s
Property 4 credits
Civil Procedure I 3 credits
Intro to Transactional Skills 1 credit
Legal Research and Writing II 2 credits
Total 10 credits

Fall Semester - Second Year

Course Credit/s
Constitutional Law 4 credits
Criminal Law 3 credits
Electives 2-4 credits
Total 9-11 credits

Summer Study

Students who wish to lighten their fall and spring course load can take advantage of an eight-week summer evening term at the main campus in Philadelphia, or a six-week summer term abroad.

Faculty

Full-time members of the faculty teach the required courses in the part-time program and regularly teach upper-level elective courses, ensuring consistency with the full-time day program. Many faculty members note that they particularly enjoy teaching in the evening division because of the rich and varied life experience many evening division students bring with them to the classroom environment.

Transfer of Division

Students whose circumstances change or who wish to complete the program in fewer than four years may transfer between the day and evening divisions and between the full-time and part-time programs. This may be permitted after completion of the first year upon petition to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs. Students should file these petitions as soon as possible before the semester in which the transfer is sought. The Associate Dean for Student Affairs will advise students of any possible adjustments to their curricular requirements and tuition or financial aid resulting from the transfer.

Services

To meet the needs of part-time evening students, many administrative offices offer evening hours by appointment. The Office of Career Planning frequently offers programs for students at 5:00 p.m. to accommodate both day and evening students. The law library is open around the clock, however all law school buildings are closed at 11:00 p.m.

Activities

Part-time students may participate in any extracurricular activity that is offered and have access to the full range of student activities at the law school, including the Evening Law Students Association. Evening students hold office in student government, write for the law reviews, participate on the trial team and moot court and are members of nearly every student organization.

Transportation and Parking

Temple Law School is located at the corner of North Broad Street and Montgomery Avenue. The nearest subway stop is one block away on the corner of North Broad Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue. All SEPTA local, Broad Street trains stop regularly at this station. All SEPTA regional train lines stop at the Temple University Station, 10th and Berks Streets. The C and 3 buses and the 23 trolley all stop on Temple's campus.

Parking is available in many University lots, although it is recommended that part-time, evening students park in Lot 1 on Broad Street, across from Barrack Hall. Additional parking information may be obtained from the University Office of Parking Services.

Campus Safety Service

The Temple University Department of Campus Safety Services is a multi-faceted department committed to serving our community of 34,000, including students, faculty, employees, visitors, families and vendors. They take our personal safety very seriously, employing 118 police officers and 70 security officers who are visible on campus by foot, on bicycles or in patrol cars.

During the evening hours, students will find a well-lit campus surrounded by stadium lighting. If needed, students may use the campus shuttle service, Owl Loop, which runs from dusk to dawn. This service provides secure transportation in and around campus.

For students driving to campus, a number of secure parking lots are available. Many evening students park in Lot 1, directly across Broad Street from Barrack Hall.