Umphrey Law Center Study and Work Zones

The Umphrey Law Center offers various study and work zones to support the needs of Baylor Law School students. Whether you’re collaborating with classmates or studying independently, each area is designed to maintain a productive and respectful environment. Please remember to reserve a private space for personal or professional phone or video calls to avoid disruptions in shared areas.

Active Study Zones

These zones are intended for a mix of group and individual study. Furnishings in these zones make it possible for groups to gather and collaborate. Those who prefer quieter spaces should opt for an individual study zone.

• Student Success Center Study Lounge (near the IT help desk) – Faculty and staff will occasionally host office hours and information sessions in this space.
• Study rooms. Click here for more information and to reserve a study room.
• Baylor Law classrooms, when not reserved for a class, student organization meeting, or other approved event. You can access the Law School Event Calendar to see if a room is reserved. Click on the “Baylor Law Ad Astra Calendar” link and select the “Law School Calendar” from the “Choose Calendar” drop-down menu. 
  • Please note: 
    • The Practice Court (PC) classroom is to be used exclusively by PC students.
    • When classrooms are not reserved, they are open for use by all students. If you choose to study in a classroom, please be respectful of others and understand that others may also use the space. Classrooms are shared
      environments and are not designated silent study areas.
• Courtrooms, when not reserved for PC, advocacy team practice, or other approved purposes. Courtroom usage can be viewed at the link above. Please note: PC and advocacy teams have priority over courtrooms, so please be aware that courtroom availability is subject to change, and you may be asked to relinquish a courtroom for PC or an advocacy team.

Individual Study Zones

These areas are designed primarily for individual study. While not completely silent, the expectation in individual study zones is that the learning environment will generally be quiet. Light, quiet, passing conversation is allowed.

• Library reading rooms
• Sitting area on the second-floor landing adjacent to the reading room
• Study carrels

Work Zones

These areas are intended primarily as work zones for faculty, staff, and students. Students are welcome to study in these zones but should be respectful of others working in these areas, especially during business hours.

• Classroom corridors – Please be mindful of noise levels when classes are in session.
• Student Success Center office reception area – This area serves as your access point to the Academic Success, Career Development, and Student Life Offices. The Student Success team is eager to meet with you and wants to see you often in this space, but do be mindful of noise.

Main Campus Options

Sometimes a change of environment can make a big difference in productivity. If you're looking for additional places to study, here are several spaces available across Baylor's main campus:

• The Moody Memorial Library and Jesse H. Jones Library are the main research complexes of the university and serve together as the academic life center of Baylor's Waco campus. Both libraries offer individual and group study spaces, and Starbucks!
  • The Graduate Research Center provides Baylor graduate students and faculty with resources designed to support and inspire them in their academic endeavors. The GRC may be accessed from the second-floor corridor between
    Moody Memorial and Jesse H. Jones libraries and through the second floor of W. R. Poage Library.
• For anyone who enjoys a modern study environment, the Baylor Sciences Building is a great choice. It offers a productive atmosphere perfect for individual study and group work with its spacious atrium, sleek design, and open study areas. It’s also walkable from the law school!
  • Baylor’s other academic buildings also offer spaces for students to tuck away and study, including classrooms in the afternoons and evenings. Consider exploring Draper, Old Main, Carroll Science, Sid Richardson, The Paul L. Foster
    Campus for Business and Innovation, and Tidwell.
• The Armstrong Browning Library & Museum is dedicated to the study of the lives and works of Victorian poets Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning and houses the world’s largest collection of Browning material and other fine collections of rare 19th-century books, manuscripts, and works of art.
• The Bill Daniel Student Center is in the heart of Baylor’s campus and offers study spaces, food vendors, and Common Grounds!
• The Bobo Spiritual Life Center is open to the Baylor community during the school day as a place to gather between classes, a place to study while preparing for classes, a place to rest and refocus within our chapel, and a place to catch up with friends

Coffee Shops

If you prefer studying with a cup of coffee in hand, here are several local coffee shops that students have found to be great places to read, review notes, and get work done.

• Be Kind Coffee
• Bitty & Beau’s Coffee
• Brü Artisan Coffee Works
• Cha Community
• Common Grounds (Multiple Locations)
• Dichotomy Coffee
• Fabled Bookshop & Cafe
• Fox and Co. Bakery
• For Keeps Coffee & Bakery
• Glory Bell Coffee
• Magnolia Press Coffee Co.
• Pinewood Coffee Bar
• Starbucks (Multiple Locations)
• Street Dog Cafe
• Thrst Coffee Shop

Please contact Katherine Sims, Director of Student Affairs, if you have any questions or concerns.