About UNT Dallas College of Law

UNT Dallas College of Law is a new public law school that offers you an innovative legal education, in a dynamic Dallas location, at a tuition that delivers great value.

Message from the Dean
Message from the UNT System Chancellor
2015-2016 Catalog

Welcoming Our Next Class

Our next law school class enters in the fall 2016 term, with one full-time section of approximately 80 students and one part-time evening division of approximately 45 students. Want to be among them? Apply Now.

Our Location

The College of Law is located in downtown Dallas at 1901 Main Street, in the UNT System Building. The building completed a $29 million renovation project primarily aimed at housing the UNT Dallas College of Law in 2013.

Learn more about our historic location, renovations and expansion plans.

The College of Law’s location puts students in the heart of many professional and cultural opportunities, including proximity to courts, to the bar, and to outstanding lawyers.

Facing the new Main Street City Park completed in 2009, the building is near the Civic Center, the Dallas Arts District, the Farmers Market, Thanksgiving Tower District, and Reunion District. Nearby are Uptown, Victory Park, Deep Ellum and the West End.

Our Mission

Our mission at UNT Dallas College of Law is to promote justice and advance human potential through the enterprise of legal education. At the heart of our mission are five key goals.

Access

GOAL 1: Widen access to legal education for those who could be superb legal professionals but who lack realistic access to legal education given factors including cost, location, and the influence of current ranking formulas on admission and scholarships.

Preparation

GOAL 2: Provide a legal education aimed at excellence in developing the full range of practice-related competencies, through:

• A curriculum mapped to practice-related competencies, drawing on the best insights of legal educators as well as on continuing input from legal practitioners.
• Instructional methods that reflect the best available practices, including frequent formative and summative assessment, experiential learning, collaborative learning, and engaged class design.
• Ongoing assessment as to the effectiveness of our legal education in developing practice-related competencies.

Value

GOAL 3: Create opportunity for our students by:

• Keeping tuition and debt low, consistent with delivering an excellent legal education.
• Producing graduates with high value and ability in multiple segments of the market for legal services.

Innovation

GOAL 4: Be a national leader in advancing understanding of best legal education practices, of professional formation, and of the relationship between legal education and the evolving practice and business of law.

Community

GOAL 5: Be a valuable partner in dialogue and study with the legal profession and the Dallas-Fort Worth community.

Our Beginnings

UNT Dallas College of Law received legislative authorization in 2009, when the Texas legislature approved the College of Law and earmarked $5 million of the State’s 2011-2012 budget for the law school. In January 2012, the UNT System announced the appointment of the College of Law’s Founding Dean, the Honorable Royal Furgeson, U.S. District Judge in the Northern District of Texas, who began his appointment as Dean in June 2013 after retiring from the federal bench. In September 2012, the College of Law announced the appointment of Professor Ellen S. Pryor to serve as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. The College of Law initially operated as a unit within the UNT System, and then became a professional school within the University of North Texas at Dallas on September 1, 2015.