|
ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS The following requirements apply to all LL.M. and Certificate programs except those requirements and policies of the Graduate Fellowship Programs in Advocacy that are described in the section on Master of Laws in Advocacy, which supersede these policies where inconsistent.
Period of Study
The LL.M. and Certificate programs must be completed within three years from the date of matriculation; however, full time students are expected to graduate within one year from the date of matriculation unless a waiver is granted.
A student may petition the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs in writing to extend this limit for up to two additional years. Permission to extend the period of study will be granted for extraordinary circumstances.
Where credit for non-degree coursework has been granted, the maximum period of study allowed will be reduced by one semester for every four academic credits granted.
Note: The period of study for international students is limited by U.S. visa restrictions.
Graduate Independent Research
Graduate students may undertake a Graduate Independent Research project during their degree program, and receive 2 semester hours of credit, by completing a writing project with a minimum of 6,000 words of text excluding footnotes (about 25 pages) under the guidance of a member of the full time or adjunct faculty.
To undertake a Graduate Independent Research project, a student must first identify a faculty member with relevant expertise who is willing to supervise the project. After agreeing upon a topic, the student and the faculty supervisor both sign the registration form available from the Office of the Registrar, the Graduate Programs Office and on the Graduate or Registrar’s web page. The registration form is due no later than August 11, 2006 for the Fall 2006 semester, December 1, 2006 for the Spring 2007 semester and May 4, 2007 for the Summer 2007 session.Exceptions or waivers to these dates will only be granted under extraordinary circumstances (which does not include the unavailability of a professor).
Approval of a registration form for a Graduate Independent Research project is not automatic. Students must demonstrate that they have a well-developed topic suitable for a substantial scholarly paper. In addition, Graduate Independent Research projects will only be approved if they are unavailable as a class option in the graduate program. Ordinarily, students are limited to one Graduate Independent Research project during their degree program, but a second project may be approved by the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs.
The student and faculty supervisor must meet regularly to discuss the project. The student must submit an outline and a draft to the faculty supervisor for review and comment on an agreed upon schedule. The final paper must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar, not directly to the professor. The final paper must be submitted by the date set in the approved proposal, which may be no later than 60 days in the fall semester or 45 days in the spring semester beyond the date set for paper submission in the academic calendar, except that students in their final semester must submit the paper by the date announced in the academic calendar for graduating students. Students who do not receive the approval of the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs for extensions beyond the maximum or who fail to submit a final paper by the due date (including any extension) will receive a grade of “F” for the Graduate Independent Research project.
Seminar Papers
Final papers in seminars and other courses are normally due on the date announced in the academic calendar. By announcement at the beginning of the semester, a professor may advance, or extend for up to 60 days in the fall semester and up to 45 days in the spring semester, the due date of all papers for the seminar (except for graduating students in their final semester). Final papers must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar and not directly to the professor.
Two-credit seminars
The two-credit seminars offered in the Graduate Program require a substantial research paper, or a series of shorter papers, totaling approximately 6,000 words of text excluding footnotes (about 25 pages). Papers submitted in lieu of an examination in a course (permitted only when announced in the schedule of courses) must also meet this minimum standard.
Three-credit seminars
The three-credit seminars offered in the Graduate Program allow a student the opportunity to write a paper under close faculty supervision. Students receive comments on their outlines and first drafts and then edit and rewrite to produce a polished final paper. Three credit seminars meet two hours per week. The extra credit that these seminars receive reflects the additional time and work that students are expected to devote to their papers.
The papers that students write for these seminars should show the student’s mastery of the in-depth research undertaken and demonstrate how the student has organized, clarified, or advanced this body of knowledge in resolving the issues raised by the paper. The technical requirements for a paper in a three-credit seminar include: (1) submission of an outline and a first draft, in accordance with the professor’s instructions and schedule; (2) submission of a revised final paper based on the professor’s comments; and (3) both the first draft and the final paper of at least 6,000 words (excluding footnotes), which is approximately 25 typewritten pages using customary margins and spacing.
One paper for two seminars
Students may submit one paper to satisfy the requirements in two seminars or writing projects by securing the written approval of both professors and the Registrar in advance of writing the paper. When permission is granted, the student will be required to write a paper of at least 12,000 words excluding footnotes (approximately 50 pages), and meet all other requirements of both seminars. Students will be expected to indicate the joint nature of the paper on the cover page of all submissions. Each professor approving such a project independently will submit a final grade indicating his or her judgment of the paper as it pertains to his or her course, and the final grades given for the two seminars need not be identical.
LL.M. Externship Program
The Law Center offers a “for-credit” externship program course for LL.M. students each spring semester. All current LL.M. students are eligible to participate in the externship program, except for COST Scholars (who participate in a separate externship program at COST).
Although the Office of Graduate Programs maintains a list of externship opportunities, students are responsible for securing their own placements. All placements must be with a government agency or non-profit organization. Placements with law firms or businesses will not be approved. The work must be legal in nature and under the direct supervision of a lawyer. To be eligible for credit, students may not receive pay or other compensation from the placement organization during the externship period.
LL.M. students who participate in the for-credit program will receive two credits graded on a pass/fail basis. The LL.M. student must register for the two credits in order to participate in the program and these two credits will count toward the maximum of 13 academic credits allowed per semester.
LL.M. externs are required to attend an orientation class in the first week of the Spring semester and at least one additional class or meeting at the end of the Spring semester. LL.M. students are then required to devote a minimum of tenhours per week for at least eleven weeks to the externship. Students must keep a weekly diary that reflects the number of hours the student has worked and describes the nature of the work performed without disclosing any confidential information. This diary must be submitted on a weekly basis to the Externship Coordinator. At the end of the semester, the student will be required to submit a five to ten page paper reflecting on the externship experience.
Note: Although LL.M. students may receive academic credit only once for an externship during their LL.M. program, they are free to participate in other non-credit internships, subject to visa rules and the Law Center’s regulations on student employment.
|
