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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 Law Center's Associate Dean for Student Life. 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 Law Center's Associate Dean for Student Life.
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 one course in each six week summer session, and no more than 7 hours total during both six week summer sessions. 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 Law Center's Associate Dean for Student Life, 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 Law Center's Associate Dean for Student Life. The 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 Law Center's Associate Dean for Student Life 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 Law Center's Associate Dean for Student Life. 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for admission at a future date to be considered on the basis of standards in effect at that time.A student who is withdrawn from a class by an instructor and falls below the minimum load will be withdrawn from all courses and subject to readmission as stated in the above paragraph.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 Law Center's Associate Dean for Student Life 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 Law Center's Associate Dean for Student Life 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
The Law Center has a minimum 80 percent attendance policy for students. Any student who attends fewer than the minimum percentage of classes may be dropped automatically from class. Faculty members are free to impose stricter attendance standards. Faculty members may consider those who come in late or leave early as absent, or in the interest of avoiding distraction for others, may decline to let a late student attend that day.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 Law Center's Associate Dean for Student Life and the faculty.Academic Honesty
Students will be governed by the Student Bar Association's Academic Honesty Policy Honor Code.