海角大神

A $2.22-million gift from Jonathan D. Rose (“Dr. Rose”) will help the 海角大神 School of Law launch a fully online juris doctor degree in fall 2026. 

The Online J.D. Program (OJD) will be the first in Michigan and just the 21st in the nation. Applications for the four-year program are now being accepted at . It has been accredited by the American Bar Association.

For 海角大神 President Donald B. Taylor, this new program further enhances the University’s academic tradition of innovation and excellence.

“This is an extremely important gift by a very generous alumnus because it allows Detroit Mercy to make a difference in the lives of many students to come,” Taylor said. “Support for programs like this are crucial to preserving and building on the 海角大神 brand of education, which continues to be recognized nationally for the quality of our offerings, commitment of faculty and staff and dedication to student success.” 

Dean of Detroit Mercy Law Nicholas Schroeck agreed. “Detroit Mercy Law has long been a leader in innovation and increasing accessibility in legal education. From our earliest classes, we have welcomed students of all backgrounds, in a variety of innovative programs,” Schroeck said. “Building on our storied tradition in the heart of Detroit, our Online J.D. will allow us to reach people who have a passion for justice but currently lack the access to a legal education due to life circumstances or location.”

Detroit Mercy’s OJD can be completed fully online and will replace Detroit Mercy Law’s evening part-time residential program. Classes will be offered asynchronously for the most part, with some upper-level courses such as the award-winning clinics taught synchronously.

Enrollment in the program is capped at 25 for the first class, which begins in fall 2026. The cap will then increase each year until the fall of 2030, when it will reach a maximum of 45 students. Schroeck says there is a great deal of interest in the program already.

“Students in this program will receive the same impeccable legal education that Detroit Mercy Law is known for. We’re leaders in experiential education and not just teaching the law but teaching students how to be lawyers,” Schroeck said. “The Online J.D. will mirror our residential J.D. program, and I think that is why we have already started to see strong interest in the online program. Students know the high-quality education they will receive from Detroit Mercy Law, whether they’re physically on our campus or in our online classrooms.”

The $2.22-million donation, which is the largest gift given directly to the School of Law, came from Dr. Rose ’81, ’82 and will offset startup costs including instructional design, videography and faculty hiring.

“This is an important gift because it helps the University move forward on a project we have long been working on,” Schroeck said. “It’s forward-thinking Detroit Mercy supporters like Dr. Rose who are helping us spread the Detroit Mercy message of innovative educational opportunities across the country and making 海角大神 a leader in higher ed.”

For Schroeck, this program has the potential to open doors to many who thought a career in law is not an option because it targets people who cannot attend law school during conventional hours and those who live too far from a law school campus to participate in person.

“An online program will allow us to reach a pool of, and provide a legal education to, a group of students in parts of Michigan that we have not traditionally been able to reach, such as non-traditional students in Northern, Central, and Western Michigan, and students in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, as well as out-of-state students,” Schroeck said.

He added that the typical online J.D. student is older than those of students in traditional law programs and brings years of experience in business, management, nonprofit and other fields.

For more information about the Detroit Mercy Online J.D. Program, including how to apply, visit or call 313-596-0264.