About the
Law Center

Tuition and Fees,
Financial Aid and
Scholarships

Student Activities
and Services

Counseling and
Career Services

Bar Admission
Requirements

College Web Site

Law Center

Academic Policies

Full-Time Students

Full-time students register for 15 semester hours in the fall and 16 semester hours in the spring of the first year. After the first year, they must take at least 12 hours each semester. Students will not be permitted to drop below the required course load or withdraw from a course during the first year without permission from the associate dean for student affairs. Permission will be granted only under exceptional circumstances.

The maximum course load is 16 semester hours in the fall and spring, and no more than seven semester hours in a six-week summer session or twelve hours over the entire summer. Students may take more than the recommended hours only by petitioning the associate dean for student affairs.

Part-Time Students

Students employed more than 20 hours per week are considered part-time and may not take more than 10 semester hours in the fall and spring, or more than three semester hours in a summer semester. All part-time first-year students must register for either eight or nine semester hours as required by the degree plan; they will not be permitted to withdraw from courses during the first year without permission from the associate dean for student affairs, which will be granted only under exceptional circumstances.

After the first year, part-time students may not drop below six semester hours in the fall and spring without permission from the associate dean for student affairs. The associate dean will take notice of work-related hardship for part-time students.

Change of Classification

Students normally remain enrolled in the division in which they were initially admitted to the Law Center. Changes in classification must be requested in writing to the associate dean for student affairs prior to registration for the semester in which the change is to take effect.

Minimum Load

During the first year, failure to complete the minimum number of hours during a semester will result in involuntary withdrawal from the Law Center unless permission is received from the associate dean for student affairs. Students will not be permitted to enroll for additional courses, but may reapply for admission at a future date to be considered on the basis of standards in effect at that time.

A student who is withdrawn from a class by an instructor and falls below the minimum load will be withdrawn from all courses and subject to readmission as stated in the above paragraph.

Graduate Course Credit

After completing 45 semester hours of law school courses with an acceptable grade point average, a student may petition the associate dean for student affairs to take up to 12 semester hours of graduate credit. Permission must be received prior to enrolling in graduate courses, and a grade of "C" or better is required. However, the grade will not be calculated into the student's cumulative grade point average.

Other Law School Credit

After completing the first year, a student may request permission from the associate dean for student affairs to take up to 30 semester hours of credit at another approved law school. A grade of "C" or above is required and only the hours, not the grade, will be noted on the student's permanent record.

Academic Suspension

Students must have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 1.67 after 20 hours of course work, 1.84 after 40 hours of course work, and 2.00 after 60 hours of course work. A 2.0 GPA is required for graduation. Students who do not meet the required cumulative GPA will not be permitted to register the following semester or will be withdrawn if already enrolled.

Attendance and Absences

Regular, punctual attendance at all classes is required. Regular attendance has been interpreted to mean atten-dance at 80 percent of all classes, or more, if required by the instructor. Failure to do so could result in withdrawal from the class.

Full-time students may not average more than 20 hours of work per week during the fall and spring semesters. Students who must work to finance their education should consider enrolling part-time.

Electives

Because the practice of law consists of diverse types of activities, the Law Center maintains a program of electives available for second- and third-year students. Students are encouraged to select elective courses in a manner that will provide both depth of exposure in fields of special interest and also provide general exposure to diverse areas of law. Counseling on individual degree plans is available from both the associate dean for student affairs and the faculty.

Academic Honesty

Students will be governed by the Student Bar Association's Academic Honesty Policy Honor Code.