Registrar

Academic Rules & Policies

These rules and policies are MOST relevant to registering for classes.

Minimum/Maximum Credit Load

• Students may not take less than 12 credit hours during a semester.
   
• Students may not take more than 16 credit hours during a semester.
   
• Exceptions to these limits must be approved by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
   
• Permission to take less than 12 hours will rarely be given.

A student wishing to request permission for a schedule that does not meet the minimum/maximum guideline must submit the appropriate form available on the Registrar's webpage.

Prerequisites

Students must check the course descriptions for every course before registering to determine if the course carries a pre- or co- requisite.  Because we require students to register for a full year of classes during the registration period, the on-line registration program (NOVASIS) will not prevent you from registering for a class for which you do not have the prerequisite.  The program is set up this way so you can for example, register for Con Law I and Con Law II at the same time.  However, you will not be granted credit for any course you take without having completed the prerequisite, even if you complete the entire semester.  Course descriptions are included in this booklet as well as being available on the Registrar’s website, and students are required to review them before registering.

Clinic, Externship, and Practicum Limitations

During any given semester, a students cannot register for more than one course from the following list:

• Clinic
   
• Externship
   
• Practicum

Clinic, Externship, and Practicum Credit Limitations

• No more than a combined total of 17 clinic, externship, and practicum credits may be taken by a student during the three years of law school.
   
• No more than 14 credits of these courses many be taken in any one academic year.
   
• A student may not take more than 2 externships, 2 practicums, or an externship and a practicum, and may not earn more than a total of 8 credits for practicums and externships, during the 3 years of law school.
   
• Students participating in Judicial Externships may not receive credit for a second judicial externship unless that externship is served with a different court at a different level (for example, a first externship with a trial court and a second with an appellate court). To be eligible for a second judicial externship, the student must obtain written permission from the faculty supervisor of judicial externships verifying that the second externship will be served with a different court at a different level.

Please refer to the information on the Registrar’s website for further details.

Practical Writing & Research Paper Classes

Students must satisfy both the Practical Writing and Research Paper requirements to graduate. The Research Paper requirement can be satisfied by designated courses including Directed Research, or by satisfactory service with credit awarded for at least one year on a Law Journal.

• A student may not take more than a combined total of six credit hours of Directed Research and/or Research Paper credits to be counted towards graduation. Journal credit does not calculate into this limitation.

Directed Research

Students must obtain the approval of the sponsoring faculty member after which they need to submit the form available on the Registrar’s website. The Directed Research paper must be finished during the semester the student is registered for the project. In addition:

• No student may undertake more than one Directed Research project with the same professor while at the Law School.
   
• No student may receive credit for more than two Directed Research projects while at the law school.
   
• No student may receive credit for more than one Directed Research project in a semester.
   
• Both Research Paper and Directed Research classes satisfy the graduation requirement for a Research Paper course.
   
• No more than a combined total of six credit hours from these courses will be credited towards graduation.

Reimels/Moot Court Competition

Students must register both on-line through the NOVASIS system and with the Moot Court Board in order to receive credit. Students must comply with the procedures set forth by the Moot Court Board for the Reimel Competition. When registering on-line in NOVASIS, be sure to register for Moot Court in both fall and spring semesters. A total of one credit is awarded at the end of the spring semester for satisfactory completion of the Reimels. All students (except those serving on Journals) must satisfactorily complete Reimels.

Bar Requirements

Rules for admission to the bars of the various states differ greatly. Some states require applicants for the bar examination to take certain courses while in law school. Students should be sure they know the requirements for the bar they intend to apply to. Information regarding all jurisdictions, bar examinations and requirements can be accessed from the Career Strategy website.

Audits

A student registering for a course as an audit must obtain permission from the faculty member and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. A student auditing a course is expected to prepare for and attend class regularly.  The class to be audited may not have a time conflicts with another class the student is registered to take. Typically, the auditing student will not take the exam. The audited course will appear on the transcript with the notation "AU". No credit or grade will be awarded, and the student may not later take the course for credit. Professors may impose additional requirements to audit their class.

Graduate Tax Courses

J.D. students may take courses in the Graduate Tax Program for credit towards the J.D. Degree, but the student must obtain the permission of the Director of the Graduate Tax Program and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. The form is available on the Registrar's website. A letter grade and credit will be awarded for satisfactory completion of the course, and these appear on the student’s transcript. However, the grade for the graduate tax course will not be averaged into the student’s grade point average.  Typically, students not in the JD/LLM Program will not be permitted to take more than three (3) LLM courses for credit towards the JD degree.

Students interested in the joint JD/LLM Program should contact the Director of Graduate Tax.

Attendance

Regular attendance is required in all courses. Failure to maintain regular attendance may be grounds for exclusion from the school or a course. Attendance and preparation, or lack thereof, and class participation may be considered by the individual faculty member with regard to grades and by the Faculty and the Dean with regard to honors, awards, scholarships and similar matters. A student may not enroll in courses where class schedules conflict and which preclude the possibility of full attendance in all classes. Students engaged in clinics and externships must insure that their regular clinic or externship schedule does not conflict with regularly scheduled classes.

Schedule Conflicts

Students may not enroll in courses where the class schedules conflict. Overlaps in class times are not allowed.  Full attendance in all classes is required.

Transfer Credit

Except for students accepted as advanced standing students (students accepted into the law school as transfer students after their first year of study at another law school), the law school does not accept transfer credit from other law schools. Under limited circumstances, students may earn up to six credits for attending an ABA approved summer abroad program offered by an ABA approved law school. Details regarding summer study abroad can be found in the Student Handbook under Summer Abroad Programs. Check this information carefully before applying to any summer abroad programs. Summer Abroad forms are available online.

Drop/Add Withdrawal

Students may drop or add courses until the end of the first week of classes each semester. After the end of the first week, students wishing to drop or add classes must obtain permission from the professor and the Academic Dean.   Please see the forms page on the Registrar’s site for the appropriate form.  Students may not drop a course after the last class of the semester.

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