College of Law

Undergraduate certificate: human rights

Professional degrees: JD; LLM; MSL; SJD

Faculty: https://law.uiowa.edu/faculty-and-scholarship/meet-our-faculty

Website: https://law.uiowa.edu

The University of Iowa College of Law is the oldest law school west of the Mississippi River. Founded in 1865 as the Iowa Law School, the college is a charter member of the American Association of Law Schools and an American Bar Association-approved law school.

The College of Law is part of Iowa City's unique cultural community. Students, faculty, and staff work together in a friendly, relaxed, and productive environment that puts students' needs first.

A longstanding commitment to inclusion and diversity is a source of pride for the College of Law, which was one of the first schools in the nation to grant a law degree to a woman (1873) and to an African American (1879). Diversity is central to the college's educational philosophy and to its core mission of preparing culturally proficient graduates who are capable of intellectual inquiry, critical and reflective thinking, and engagement.

Iowa's challenging law school curriculum carefully balances substantive courses, perspective offerings, examination of ethical values and professionalism, and experiential programs, including a highly active in-house legal clinic. The college's low student-to-faculty ratio and the faculty's open-door policy ensure that students have opportunities for interaction and collaboration with their law professors.

The college's writing program—one of the strongest among law schools nationwide—is integral to all students' academic experience. During both semesters of their first year, students take a small-section course in legal analysis, writing, and research. During the second and third years, they complete four additional writing units. Among opportunities for completing the writing requirement is to work on one of the law school's four student-run scholarly journals: Iowa Law Review; Journal of Corporation Law; Journal of Gender, Race & Justice; and Transnational Law & Contemporary Problems.