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School of Law 2012-2013 Academic Catalog [Archived Catalog]
Doctor of Jurisprudence
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The courses currently required of all candidates for the Doctor of Jurisprudence degree are listed below. Elective courses constitute the remainder of the 90 semester hours. |
Required First Year Courses
Notes:
* First-year students who enter in the summer and take Property in the summer will choose from among the following courses for the spring semester of the first year in place of Property: , , , or . New Student Orientation and Legal Writing Workshop
A required orientation program and a legal writing workshop are held for entering students each fall prior to the beginning of classes. In addition to matters traditionally covered by orientation, these program address topics such as case briefing, introduction to legal method, and professionalism. All entering first-year students, whether matriculating in the summer or fall terms, are required to attend. Required Trial Practice Participation
In addition to required first year courses, first year students are required to participate in Trial Practice as jurors, parties, and/or court officials when called upon. Writing Requirement
After finishing the first year of the law school program but prior to graduation, each student must complete a substantial and intensive research project under the supervision of a tenured or tenure-track faculty member, the Dean, the Assistant Dean for Information and Technology, the Director of Legal Writing, or the Director of Child Advocacy Program. The paper must be original and analytical and it must warrant a grade not lower than a C. Superficial or predominantly descriptive writing will not suffice. The writing requirement may be satisfied in one of four ways:
- In connection with a seminar or other course in which a paper of high quality which is at least 20 pages in length excluding footnotes is required i n lieu of an examination;
- In connection with an in-depth individual study and research of a selected topic under the supervision of a full-time faculty member pursuant to ;
- By completion of a significant and highly meritorious law review piece, with approval of and supervision by a faculty member; or
- By other substantial writing projects approved by the faculty, including the completion of two papers, each of which are at least 10 pages in length. Courses fulfilling the writing requirement will be so designated in the registration materials each semester; there is no fixed list of such courses.
Limit on Non-Classroom Hours
No more than 8 non-classroom hours may count toward the 90 hours needed to earn the J.D. degree exclusive of , , and Introduction to Litigation Skills. Non-classroom courses are: Advanced Appellate Advocacy , Writing Requirement, , , , , , and the non-classroom portion of the Legal Extern Programs. Any variance from this rule requires the written approval of the dean.
Executive Program (Part-Time)
No student who is a part-time student and has eight (8) or more hours remaining before being eligible to graduate shall be permitted to enroll for and take less than eight (8) hours in either the fall or spring semester. Part-time students must complete the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Jurisprudence withing seventy-two (72) months after commencing the program of legal studies unless the Academic Standards Committee grants an exception. Any exception must comply with ABA Standard 304 as effective at the time of the request. Subject to the grade point average requirements applicable to students generally, students in the part-time program must enroll and complete classes every fall and spring semester and are encouraged to enroll for the summer semester.
Part-time students shall be classified as 1L until they have earned at least thirty (30) hours of law school credit, as 2L until they have earned at least sixty (60) hours of law school credit, and as 3L when they have earned at least sixty (60) hours of law school credit. Part-time students will pay tuition at the rates prescribed for their classifications as determined in accordance with the immediately preceding sentence. The Academic Standards Committee shall appoint a faculty member who shall serve as faculty advisory for all part-time students and shall approve the schedules of each part-time student.
Except as provided above, part-time students shall be subject to all rules, regulations, requirements, standards, limitations, procedures, discipline, guidelines, and, to the extent not including the foregoing, catalogue provisions applicable to all students who are not part-time students, including GPA standards and limitations resulting from failures to attain or maintain required GPA levels.
Students in the Executive Program are not ranked with full-time students. However, such students may request an unofficial rank from the Director of Student Records at the end of any regular semester after they ahve earned at least 30 hours.
During the first two years of law school, Executive Program students must take at least the following classes: Guided Curriculum, J.D. Program
Full-time students whose grade point average is below 2.5 at the end of the first year of law school (beginning with those who enter law school in 2011) are required to participate in the Guided Curriculum. The Guided Curriculum consists of certain courses to be taken during the second and third years of law school as a requirement for graduation. These courses are: Evidence , Business Associations I , Criminal Procedure , First Amendment , and Sales and Leasing . Students may elect to take in place of (recommedned for those students who are participating in the Civil Law Certificate Program). Three of these five courses must be taken in the second year. Students who are required to participate in the Guided Curriculum and who attain a 3.0 cumulative grade point average during the second or third year are no longer required to remain in the Guided Curriculum.
The Guided Curriculum requirements reflect the commitment of the MC Law faculty to preparing students for the bar examination and for practice across a variety of areas of law. Recommended Courses
With so few required courses, students bear a great responsibility to plan their coursework so that they will be well-grounded in fundamental subjects that are likely to be tested on the bar exam. To assist students in the important task of selecting courses that will adequately prepare them for the bar exam, faculty members advise students and the law school administration provides a list of bar exam topics for the various states. |
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