Using this Bulletin

Introduction

This Bulletin is the comprehensive source of academic information and program requirements for Penn State Dickinson Law. Learn about our innovative coursework, including our reimagined curriculum, “The Lawyer As…,” joint degree and certificate programs, and experiential learning opportunities.

Features

Changes Page

  • Real-time amendments to information in the Bulletin will be tracked on the Changes page. 
  • Currently or previously enrolled students should consult their adviser and degree audit reports for specific requirements.

Course Bubble

When a course link is clicked, a course bubble will appear with important course information including, but not limited to:

  • course title, description, and credits;
  • prerequisites;
  • if blind grading is utilized.

Nondiscrimination Statement

The University is committed to equal access to programs, facilities, admission and employment for all persons. It is the policy of the University to maintain an environment free of harassment and free of discrimination against any person because of age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, creed, service in the uniformed services (as defined in state and federal law), veteran status, sex, sexual orientation, marital or family status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, physical or mental disability, gender, perceived gender, gender identity, genetic information or political ideas. Discriminatory conduct and harassment, as well as sexual misconduct and relationship violence, violates the dignity of individuals, impedes the realization of the University’s educational mission, and will not be tolerated. Direct all inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policy to the Affirmative Action Office, The Pennsylvania State University, 328 Boucke Building, University Park, PA 16802-5901, Email: aao@psu.edu, Tel (814) 863-0471.

Academic Authority

The Dickinson Law faculty have responsibility for, and have authority over, all academic information contained in the Dickinson Law Bulletin.

Each step of the educational process, from admission through graduation, requires continual review and approval by University officials. The University, therefore, reserves the right to change the requirements and regulations contained in this Bulletin and to determine whether a student has satisfactorily met its requirements for admission or graduation, and to reject any applicant for any reason the University determines to be material to the applicant's qualifications to pursue higher education.

Changes to the Penn State Dickinson Law Bulletin

Changes to the Penn State Dickinson Law Bulletin will be tracked in real-time and listed below. At the end of every semester, these updates will be incorporated into the Bulletin.

Courses Added: Effective Fall 2026

Course Changes: Effective Fall 2026

BPREP 900: Fundamental Skills for the Bar Examination (2 Credits)

Old Listing Effective Through Summer 2026:

The course provides students with a substantive review of selected material routinely tested on the bar exam, primarily through problems and exercises in a bar exam format designed to familiarize students with the exam and techniques for answering multiple choice questions. Individualized feedback is provided every week to assist each student identify areas of strength and weakness. The goal is to enhance student ability to prepare for the bar exam and is intended to supplement, not replae, commercial bar preparation courses. This course is not focuses on any particular state, so all students will benefit regardless of where they are sitting for the bar exam. Students enrolled in BPREP 900 are not permitted to use laptops, phones or other devices during class. Thisc ourse is not recommended for students ranked in the top third of their class. BPREP 900 is graded on a pass/fail basis but is not subject in any other respect to the Pass/Fail Option.

Changes Effective Fall 2026:

  • Changed Course Abbreviation to LWELB
  • Changed Course Description

CLCR 957: The Constitutional Law of Religion (3 Credits)

Old Listing Effective Through Summer 2026:

This course examines current constitutional doctrine concerning religion under the First Amendment to the Constitution. The focus will be on the essential cases and principles of the Free Exercise and Establishment Clauses of the First Amendment. These cases and principles are organized along three thematic lines: (1) the regulation of religions activity (free exercise and neutriality, governmental interests, legislative accommodation), (2) the funding of religions activity (establishment and neutriality, governmental support of religious institutions), and (3) the treatment of religion in government's culture shaping activities (public schools, school curriculum, religious speech). The course ends with a discussion of the definition of "religion" for purposes of federal constitutional law.

Changes Effective Fall 2026:

  • Changed Course Abbreviation to LWELA
  • Changed Course Number to 927

CLCR 965: First Amendment-Free Speech (3 Credits)

Old Listing Effective Through Summer 2026:

This course examines the history, values and function of free expression, advocacy of illegal action, expression that provokes a hostile audience reaction, defamation, commercial advertising, obscenity, hate speech and pornography, expression in public places, symbolic speech, campaign finance laws, and speech in restricted environments.

Changes Effective Fall 2026:

  • Changed Course Abbreviation to LWELB
  • Changed Course Number to 965
  • Changed Course Title

GOVMT 954: Election Law (2 Credits)

Old Listing Effective Through Summer 2026:

This course covers federal and state election law and will examine the constitutional basis for the regulation of elections, the development of the law in this area over the last 30 years, as well as criminal and civil enforcement of the law, the role of the Federal Election Commission, the formation and regulation of political action committees, as well as related federal tax law provisions impacting operation of political committees and advocacy organizations. The course will also examine the intersection of the election law with congressional ethics rules, lobbying regulations and representation of political candidates and entities in election law matters.

Changes Effective Fall 2026:

  • Changed Course Abbreviation to LWELB
  • Changed Course Title
  • Changed Credits
  • Changed Course Description

GOVMT 971: Statutory Interpretation (3 Credits)

Old Listing Effective Through Summer 2026:

The course covers the wide variety of tools that lawyers and judges use to interpret statutes. A basic introduction to the legislative process and how important aspects of that process are relevant to statutory interpretation is also included. Students will be introduced to important techniques of statutory interpretation and the theoretical support for varying approaches to how judges do and should interpret statutes.

Changes Effective Fall 2026:

  • Changed Course Abbreviation to LWSEM

GOVMT 985: Aviation Law (2 Credits)

Old Listing Effective Through Summer 2026:

This course seeks to give the students a firm grounding in the law governing the domestic use of airspace for transportation and recreation. The licensing requirements of pilots, the struggle of the aviation industry to adapt to the market, the safety and security of passengers and the problems involved in building airports are just a few of the topics covered. The course provides an opportunity for those students who are interested in aviation to apply many of the subject they have studied in law school to a particular area of human activity. The cases studied in the course involve, inter alia: Administrative Law, Antitrust, Bankruptcy, Conflicts of Law, Contracts, Local Government Law, Environmental Law, Labor Law, Property Sales, Taxation and Torts.

Changes Effective Fall 2026:

  • Changed Course Abbreviation to LWELB
  • Changed Course Description

INTER 961: Asylum and Refugee Law (3 Credits)

Old Listing Effective Through Summer 2026:

This class surveys the laws of political asylum and related protection for those fleeing danger in their home countries. It examines asylum and refugee law and policy in the United States, and sets forth the legal grounds for barring someone from asylum. It also explores the politics driving immigration policy, including asylum and refugee policy, and the federal agencies that implement those policies.

Changes Effective Fall 2026:

  • Changed Course Abbreviation to LWELA
  • Changed Course Number to 933
  • Changed Credits

LWELA 921: Business Planning for Mergers and Acquisitions I (3 Credits)

Old Listing Effective Through Summer 2026:

This course first focuses on various topics that are important in M&A transactions involving both closely-held corporations, including directors duties, shareholder voting and dissenters' rights, basic issues under the Federal securities laws, fundamentals of Federal income taxation and accounting, use of modern valuation techniques, including DCF and CAPM, in M&A, and basic issues in antitrust and pre-merger notification. The course then turns to an analysis of various forms of negotiated acquisition, including acquisitions of stock and assets of closely-held corporations and acquisitions of publicly-held corporations in negotiated transactions. The course is based on the first half of Thompson, Business Planning for Mergers and Acquisitions: Corporate, Securites, Tax, Antitrust, International, and Related Aspects (2008).

Prerequisite:LWELA 903

Changes Effective Fall 2026:

  • Removed Prerequisites
  • Added Concurrents

LWELA 986: Federal Securities Regulation (3 Credits)

Old Listing Effective Through Summer 2026:

This course explores the federal laws that regulate the purchase and sale of securities in the U.S. It covers the definition of a security under federal law and explains why these ownership interests require federal regulation. The course focuses on principles of disclosure (stock offerings, insider transactions, SEC filing requirements) and liability (including securities fraud, insider trading violations, and illegal securities offerings). The course is valuable for students interested in practicing securities law, understanding how companies sell securities to raise funds, and learning how investors are protected in U.S, stock markets.

PreRequisite: CCLAW 986 recommended

Changes Effective Fall 2026:

  • Removed Prerequisites
  • Added Recommended Preparation

LWELA 994: International Commercial Arbitration (3 Credits)

Old Listing Effective Through Summer 2026:

This course explores the legal frameworks, as well as the strategic considerations, practical skills and policy considerations that are implicated in international arbitration law and practice. International arbitration is the default means by which international commercial disputes are resolved. The effectiveness of its processes and outcomes are assured through a complex interaction of international treaties, national laws, contractual agreements, specialized procedural rules, and international customs and practice norms. The regime is designed to strike an appropriate balance between party autonomy with the sovereign and transnational regulatory interests implicated in disputes. In addition to the doctrinal and practical aspects of international arbitration, this course will also explore the larger trends and theoretical questions raised in contemporary debates about the future of international arbitration. This course is one that will satisfy the prerequisite for participation in the Vis Moot Competition.

Changes Effective Fall 2026:

  • Changed Course Abbreviation to LWEXP
  • Changed Course Description

PERSP 979: Animal Law (3 Credits)

Old Listing Effective Through Summer 2026:

In this course we will adress how legal systems and administrative agencies make decisions that affect nonhuman animals. The course will focus on the origins, background, and evolution of animal law and address specific substantive areas involving animals such as the concept of animals as property; contract and tort issues related to animals, animal protection laws; constitutional law issues; animal exploitation and the government regulation of animals.

Changes Effective Fall 2026:

  • Changed Course Abbreviation to LWELB
  • Changed Credits
  • Changed Course Description

RPEL 966: Law and Policy of Shale Gas Development (3 Credits)

Old Listing Effective Through Summer 2026:

This course will address current legal and policy aspects of shale oil and gas development.

Changes Effective Fall 2026:

  • Changed Course Abbreviation to LWELA
  • Changed Course Number to 946
  • Changed Course Description

SKILS 973: Spanish and Bilingual Communication in Law Practice (2 Credits)

Old Listing Effective Through Summer 2026:

This course is designed for students who want to improve their ability to understand and communicate with Spanish-speaking clients and colleagues in legal settings.

Prerequisite: faculty approval required

Changes Effective Fall 2026:

  • Changed Course Abbreviation to LWELB
  • Changed Course Title
  • Changed Abbreviated Title
  • Changed Course Description

TAX 980: Partnership Taxation (2 Credits)

Old Listing Effective Through Summer 2026:

This course examines the income tax consequences of the formation, operation, and liquidation of a partnership, the classification of an entity as a partnership, distributions by a partnership, and sales of partnership interests.

PreRequisite: TAX 949

Changes Effective Fall 2026:

  • Changed Course Abbreviation to LWELB
  • Changed Course Title
  • Changed Prerequisites