Pepperdine University (Caruso)

The Pepperdine University School of Law operates its program on a scenic campus in Malibu, Calif., and boasts a high ranking for its dispute resolution specialty. Students interested in earning a joint degree have a variety of options, including a J.D./M.B.A. (offered through the Pepperdine University George L. Graziadio School of Business and Management), a J.D./M.Div. (offered through the Pepperdine University Seaver College Religion Division), and a J.D./Master’s of Public Policy (offered through the Pepperdine University School of Public Policy). Pepperdine Law also offers a Master’s of Dispute Resolution (M.D.R.), allowing students to complete a joint J.D./M.D.R. or a joint M.D.R./Master’s of Public Policy.

Outside of class, Pepperdine law students may opt to join legal journals including the Pepperdine Law Review, the Pepperdine Dispute Resolution Law Journal, and the Journal of Business, Entrepreneurship and the Law. They may also find opportunities for involvement within a variety of institutes and programs operated by Pepperdine Law, including the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, the Geoffrey H. Palmer Center for Entrepreneurship and the Law, the Herbert and Elinor Nootbaar Institute on Law, Religion, and Ethics, and the William Matthew Byrne, Jr. Judicial Clerkship Institute.

The school also operates the Global Justice Program, which sends students and faculty around the world to further international human rights, religious freedom, global development, and the rule of law. Pepperdine School of Law is affiliated with the Churches of Christ and “expresses its Christian principles through all aspects of academic life and administrative policy,” according to the school’s website. Students of all faiths are welcomed.