Press Release
The Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law has received approval from the American Bar Association (ABA) to begin offering one of the country’s only fully online, part-time juris doctor programs.
The ABA-accredited program is designed to be affordable and flexible for those seeking a rewarding career change, and for those who can’t attend classes in person because of competing responsibilities such as full-time jobs and raising families.
“This is groundbreaking,” says Dean Charles H. Rose III. “ONU Law is one of only six law schools in the country to offer students a program of this kind. We are now well positioned to transform the delivery of legal education,” says Rose.
“This new program will allow us to bring the personalized, practical legal education that Ohio Northern University is known for to an entirely new cohort of students across the country,” says Professor Allison Mittendorf, program director.
Online classes will be delivered via synchronous and asynchronous methods over the course of 11 semesters (four years). The required courses will be the same as those taken by resident full-time students and will be taught by the same renowned faculty. To continue ensuring high academic standards that have distinguished ONU Law for more than a century, the online cohort will be limited in size – initially with 25 – and increased to 50 in subsequent program years.
Courses will focus on foundational legal knowledge such as civil procedure, criminal law, and contracts, ensuring that students are prepared to take the bar in any state they choose.
Online students will also have access to all the same opportunities and resources as full-time students, including academic and career counseling, bar prep, and externships that provide essential hands-on learning. They may also join ONU Law’s 20+ student organizations such as Law Review, Moot Court, and Trial Team.
“We’re confident our innovative new online program will allow us to maintain that personalized, small school feel that enables our students to thrive,” says Mittendorf.
ONU Law has always been among the most affordable private law schools. It was recently ranked No. 2 in Ohio with the lowest debt-to-income ratio. All law students benefit from merit scholarship funding while earning their degrees at ONU; the same will apply for those enrolled in the online program.
