Law and Religion (E.J.D.)

Program Overview

The Executive Juris Doctor (E.J.D.) in Law and Religion is for leaders who must protect their institution's religious freedom while complying with the law. Leaders of churches, religious schools, ministries, and faith-based charities now face legal questions that once reached only lawyers: whether a hiring policy can require faith, how to accommodate a staff member's religious practice, what a zoning board may demand of a congregation, and whether accepting public funds changes a school's freedom. After the foundations — legal systems and reasoning, contracts and liability, and regulation and governance — the specialization covers religious freedom law in practice: the constitutional protections for free exercise and against establishment, the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the land-use and prison provisions of RLUIPA, the religious exemptions in employment law and the ministerial exception, the accommodation of employees' religious practice after Groff v. DeJoy, religious schools and public funding, and international standards on freedom of religion or belief for organizations that work abroad. Graduates lead religious organizations with a sound grasp of their legal rights and duties, and they serve as compliance officers, policy directors, and administrators in faith-based institutions. The executive capstone produces a religious liberty compliance review of a real organization. The E.J.D. is a professional credential for leaders.

Core Courses

• EJD 501 — Legal Systems and Legal Reasoning for Executives (6 credits)
• EJD 510 — Contracts, Liability, and Risk (6 credits)
• EJD 520 — Regulation, Compliance, and Governance (6 credits)
• EJD 613 — Religious Freedom Law for Leaders (6 credits)
• EJD 623 — Religious Employers and Employees (6 credits)
• EJD 633 — Religious Institutions and Government (6 credits)
• EJD 690 — Executive Legal Capstone in Law and Religion (12 credits)
• EJD 870 — Religious Institution Decision Analysis (3 credits)

Credit requirements

• Core courses: 51 credits
• Required elective credits: 9 credits

Total required: 60 credits

Elective Courses

Complete 9 credits from the options below (18 credits offered).

• EJD 713 — Religious Schools and the Law (3 credits)
• EJD 723 — International Religious Freedom for Organizations (3 credits)
• EJD 733 — Speech, Conscience, and Public Controversy (3 credits)
• EJD 743 — Nondiscrimination Law and Religious Organizations (3 credits)
• EJD 950 — Religious Accommodation and Organizational Design (3 credits)
• EJD 951 — Community Partnerships and Religious Identity (3 credits)

Admission Requirements

• Bachelor's degree from a recognized institution
• At least five years of professional, executive, or ministry leadership experience
• Statement describing the legal questions the applicant’s work regularly raises
• Current résumé or ministry profile
• Official transcripts from prior institutions when available