Texas A&M University School of Law announced the fall opening of its San Antonio Center, which will house the law school’s new Masters of Jurisprudence degree program and ongoing business speaker series.
“Our mission as part of Texas’s premier public, land-grant university is to be a law school serving the entire state of Texas,” said Professor Mark Burge, who directs the San Antonio program. “Establishing the San Antonio Center is a major step toward fulfilling that mission.”
The center will be the headquarters of the law school’s new Masters of Jurisprudence, or M.Jur., degree program. The degree offers a concentration in business and provides graduate-level courses for working professionals.
Unlike a Juris Doctor, the Masters of Jurisprudence does not permit graduates to sit for a state bar exam and is not intended for professionals wishing to practice law. Rather, the degree is designed for professionals who want a better understanding of the legal policies and principles that impact their industry.
“This degree is designed for professionals working in positions involving compliance, risk management, contracting and negotiation, human resources, and more,” Burge said. “We are particularly excited about offering a degree that is structured to accommodate the scheduling demands of San Antonio-area residents engaged in full-time business careers.”
The degree is only 30 credit hours, which is a third of credits required for a JD degree. Classes meet in person twice a week in the evenings. Students will receive additional instruction through flexible online programming.
According to the law school’s website, students will study the principles of contract and commercial law, U.S. and international transactional law and effective interaction with lawyers, among other topics.
The center will also serve as the Texas A&M School of Law Business Speaker series, which connects the legal expertise of law school faculty to the San Antonio business and legal communities. Past discussion topics include risk management, big data, privacy and compliance.
The site for the new center is inside Travis Park Plaza located in the San Antonio Central Business District. Construction is already underway, according to the law school’s website.
Photo by Nan Palmero
