Section 1.01
Courses in the first year are required
unless permission is obtained from the Dean. A full-time second- or third-year
student may not register for courses totaling less than 12 nor more than
18 per ABA Standards, students are not permitted to enroll for credit in more than 18 hours in any semester. Permission from the Dean is required to take more than 18 hours in a semester. Additional fees apply.
Section 2.01
Regular attendance and careful preparation are expected of all students.
Section 2.02
If a student has been irregular in his/her attendance or
consistently unprepared in any course, the instructor
may, with the approval of the Dean and upon notification
of the student, require the student's withdrawal from
the course or his/her exclusion from the examination.
Section 2.03
In the case of a required withdrawal, the
notation "AW" (Authorized Withdrawal) or "UWF"(Unauthorized Withdrawal,
Failing) shall be entered on the student's record, accompanied by a statement
explaining the circumstances of the withdrawal. In the case of an exclusion
from the examination, the grade "F" shall be entered on the student's
record, accompanied by a statement explaining the circumstances of the
exclusion.
Section 3.01
A student may withdraw and receive the grade of "AW" from a required or an elective course
only in the event of an emergency and with permission of
the Dean who shall consult with the course instructor,
except that:
Section 3.02
A student who fails to substantially complete the requirements of any course
shall receive the grade "UWF" (Unauthorized Withdrawal, Failing)
in the course.
Section 4.01
Any
student desiring to withdraw from the College of Law shall
submit a memorandum to the Dean requesting that his/her withdrawal
be authorized. The Dean shall authorize the withdrawal of
a student during the last three weeks of classes only in
an unusual case.
Section 4.02
Any
student who withdraws from the College of Law without authorization
from the Dean shall be given grades of "UWF" (Unauthorized
Withdrawal, Failing) in all courses in which the student
was registered at the time of the unauthorized withdrawal.
Section 5.01
Any student desiring to take work in another law school toward
satisfaction of the degree requirements of the College of
Law shall submit a written request to the Dean. The request
shall name the law school the student desires to attend,
describe the course program contemplated, and set forth in
detail the reasons for the request. For good cause shown,
the Dean may approve the request, provided the law school
involved is both ABA-approved and a member of the Association of American Law Schools.
Section 5.02
The granting of credit and the recording of grades for approved
work at other law schools shall be governed by the provisions
of Section 8.04(b) of these Rules.
Section 6.01
Any student desiring to take work not for credit in the College
of Law in another college or school of this University or
of any other college or university during the course of any
semester must obtain the approval of the Dean.
Section 7.01
Except as provided in Section 7.04, no student shall be permitted
to take an examination prior to its scheduled time.
Section 7.02
The following are the only grounds on which a student may request
to be excused from an examination:
The student must request the excused absence and consult with the Dean prior to the examination, or if prior consultation is not possible, then as soon as possible following the examination. The Dean must discuss the request with the instructor involved. It is within the Dean's discretion to grant or deny the request.
Section 7.03
If the absence of a student from an examination is excused by
the Dean, the Dean may:
Section 7.04
To avoid undue hardship in an unusual case, the Dean, with the
consent of the instructor involved, may authorize the administration
of a special examination (that is, an examination different
from the regular examination in the course) in the case of
a student whose absence from the regular examination has
been excused. A special examination may be administered before
or after the date of the regular examination.
Section 7.05
A student whose absence from an examination is not excused
by the Dean shall receive a grade of "UWF" (Unauthorized
Withdrawal, Failing) in the course.
Section 8.01
The grading of students shall be indicated by the following letter and honor point equivalents:
| A+ = 4.33 A = 4.0 A- = 3.67 B+ = 3.33 B = 3.0 B- = 2.67 C+ = 2.33 C = 2.0 C- = 1.67 D+ = 1.33 D = 1.0 D- = 0.67 F = 0.0 |
AW = Authorized Withdrawal HP = High Pass I = Incomplete IP = In Progress LP = Low Pass NA = Not Applicable N = No Grade Reported P = Pass S = Satisfactory Completion T = Audit U = Unsatisfactory Completion UWF = 0.0 Unauthorized Withdrawal, Failing |
Mandatory First Year Curve
Beginning with the Fall 1993-Spring 1994 grades, the
following grade distribution policy applies to all first
year courses.
| A+0-5% A 5-10% A- 5-10% B+ 10-15% B 15-25% B- 10-15% |
C+5-10% C 5-10% C- and below 0-5% |
Upper Level B+ Median
Effective Fall 2002, a median grade of B+ is expected in all upper-level courses with enrollments of twenty or more students. This expected B+ median also applies to
multi-section upper-level courses with fewer than twenty students. A median grade
of B+ is recommended for upper-level courses with fewer than twenty students that
Section 8.02
Grade averages shall be computed by multiplying the
honor point equivalent in each course by the number of
semester hours allocated to the course and then dividing
the sum of such products by the total semester hours
allocated to the courses for which the grade average
is sought, including courses in which the student has
received a grade of "F" or "UWF."
Courses in which the grades of "AW," "HP," "I," "IP", "LP," "P," "S," or "U" have been recorded shall not be averaged with other courses in computing a student's grade average.
Section 8.03
Where a substantial number of courses are repeated in accordance
with special conditions imposed incident to reinstatement
of a student, only the grades received on repetition shall
be included in subsequent computations of the student's grade
average. In all other cases where a course is repeated in
accordance with these rules, both the original grade received
in the course and the grades received on repetition of the
course shall be included in subsequent computations of the
student's grade average.
Section 8.04
Courses satisfactorily completed in other law schools
may be accepted for credit by the College of Law in the
discretion of the Dean.
Courses thus accepted for credit by the College of Law shall be given grades of "S," without regard to the grade received where the course was taken as long as a grade of "C" or better had been earned. The provisions of this Section shall apply both to students who transfer to the College of Law from other law schools and to those enrolled in the College of Law who take courses elsewhere with the permission of the Dean in accordance with the provisions of Section 5.01 of these Rules.
Section 8.05
As soon as practicable after each examination period, the Registrar's
Office shall distribute to each student an up-to-date transcript.
A new transcript is also provided in the case of a change of grade.
Section 8.06 — Dean's Honors List
Effective Fall Semester 1994 the standard for qualification for the Dean's Honors List is a 3.33 grade point average determined each semester for work done in that semester by full-time students enrolled in at least 12 credit hours and flex-time students enrolled in at least 9 credit hours, except for the first year which is determined after the first full year. The prior standard for qualification was 3.20.
Section 8.07 — Latin Honors
Beginning Spring 2006 the College awards Latin honors to graduating students as follows:
Section 9.01
In order to be eligible to continue study in the College of Law, a student must attain
a cumulative average of at least 2.0 honor points for each year of study completed prior to the
student's final year or semester as the case may be. A year of study is two consecutive
semesters of study neither of which was included in another year of study. To be eligible
for graduation, a student's cumulative average for all semesters of study must be at
least 2.0 honor points. For the purpose of applying this section and for no other
purpose whatsoever, the honor points earned by a student in a course in which the
student's provisional grade is an Incomplete shall be credited to the semester in which
the student completes the course.
Section 9.02
A student who fails to comply with the standards set forth in Section 9.01 and whose
cumulative average for the year of study is below 1.5 shall be notified by the Dean in writing
that the student is ineligible to continue study.
Section 9.03
A student who fails to comply with the standards set forth in Section 9.01 of these Rules and whose
cumulative average for the year of study is 1.5 or higher shall be notified in
writing by the Dean that the student is ineligible to continue studies in the
College of Law and that the student may submit within a time period specified
in the notification a written request for one probationary semester. The student's
exclusion shall not be deemed final unless the student fails to submit the request
within the time specified.
Section 9.04
The student's courses for the probationary semester must be approved in advance by the
Associate Dean and must be selected from a list of courses identified by the Academic Policy
and Curriculum committee and approved annually by the faculty.
Section 9.05
The exclusion of a student who submits a request for a probationary semester is final if the
student's average for the probationary semester is below 2.6 honor points and the
student's cumulative average is below 2.0. The student shall be notified by
the Dean in writing that the student is ineligible to continue study.
Section 9.06
Any student entering the College whose past performance indicates that the student
may have difficulty maintaining a satisfactory scholastic level, and any student whose cumulative
average in the College is below a 2.3 shall be notified of the opportunity of consulting
with the Committee on Student Petitions and Scholastic Review. If the student indicates
a wish to utilize the services of the Committee, the Committee will analyze the
particular problems and needs of the individual student. Based upon this analysis,
the Committee will make specific recommendations including the possible use of
any guided study programs that the College has adopted.
Section 10.01
A student who receives a grade of "F" or "UWF" in a required
course must repeat the course and receive a passing grade
in the course to be eligible to graduate. A student who receives
a grade of "F" or "UWF" in an elective course may repeat
the course for credit.
Section 10.02
A student who has received a grade of "D-" or higher in a course
may not repeat that course for credit, except that a student who is declared
scholastically ineligible to continue in the College of Law but who subsequently
is reinstated under special conditions may repeat courses as deemed necessary by
the faculty, and a student who receives a grade of "P" in Introduction
to Law but who subsequently withdraws from the College
during the first semester receives no credit for the
course and must repeat the course upon his/her return.
Section 11.01
In order to be eligible for the degree of Juris Doctor, a student
must have:
Section 11.02
The required subjects are as follows:
| Advocacy Civil Procedure Client Counseling (or its equivalent) Constitutional Law Contracts Criminal Law Introduction to Law Legal Research & Writing Property Torts Legal Ethics |
two hours six hours two hours six hours four hours three hours one hour two hours four hours four hours two hours |
In addition, every student must successfully complete one seminar and one of the following options:
For the purpose of this requirement, a seminar is a classroom course designated as such. Ordinarily a course designated as a seminar has an enrollment limited to about 15 students whose grades are based on the successful completion of a research paper no shorter than 30 pages and may also be based, in part, on class participation.
An F or U grade does not constitute successful completion.
Section 11.03
It is a requirement for graduation that a student complete,
in an aggregate of 90 semester hours, at least 77 classroom
credit hours. Generally, the required and elective courses,
as well as the required seminars, are classified as classroom
credit offerings. Non-classroom credit offerings include:
Individual Research Projects, law reviews or journals,
extern programs, the Human Rights Quarterly and the Moot Court
Program.
Section 12.01
The conduct of a student in connection with his/her law study,
including the taking of examinations and the submission
of seminar papers, shall be governed by an Honor System
adopted by the Student Bar Association of the College
of Law and approved by the Faculty.
Section 13.01
A candidate for the degree of Juris Doctor
is expected to attend the commencement exercise at which the student
is scheduled to receive his/her degree. In cases of hardship, however,
a degree candidate may submit a written request to the Dean asking that
his/her degree be awarded in absentia. If the Dean approves the
request, it shall then be transmitted to the President of the University,
who shall take final action on the request in accordance with the By-Laws
and Regulations of the Board of Trustees of the University.
Section 14.01
No member of the Faculty or staff shall reveal, issue, or
transmit to a prospective employer or any other person
or organization a complete or partial transcript or report
of the record of any student or former student in the
College of Law unless authorized to do so by the student
or former student involved.
Section 15.01
Smoking is not permitted in the College of Law building.
Section 15.02
Food and beverages are not permitted in the library.
Section 15.03
Food is not permitted in the classrooms and the seminar rooms.
Beverages, such as coffee and soft drinks, are permitted
in the classrooms and seminar rooms provided that care
is exercised to avoid spillage and provided that containers
are removed after beverages are consumed.
Section 16.01
Permission to tape record classes must be obtained from the professor
teaching the class. The giving or withholding of permission
is discretionary with the individual professor.
Section 17.01
Any authority granted to the Dean by these Rules may be delegated
to the Associate Dean.