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ENROLLMENT AND CREDIT POLICIES
Period of Study
The LL.M. and Certificate programs ordinarily 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 the three-year time limit for up to two additional years. Permission to extend the period of study will be granted where good cause is shown and where the student is making satisfactory progress.
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. Please see the section below on Special Visa Requirements for International Students.
Enrollment for Bar Purposes
The Law Center’s Graduate Program is not designed as a bar preparation program. Accordingly, the Graduate Program does not guarantee enrollment in any course, graduate or J.D., that Bar authorities may require as a condition of eligibility to sit for a bar examination.
Duplication of Courses
The Graduate Program discourages students from repeating courses for which they have previously received credit in another degree program, but recognizes that there may be circumstances where such repetition is appropriate. Hence, students are not required to seek permission to take a course that may duplicate previous work, except that U.S. students in the Taxation program may not count toward the 20 taxation credits required for the LL.M. degree either Tax I or an equivalent basic course in individual income taxation. However, with permission of the Director of the Graduate Tax Program, a Tax I course taken at the Law Center may count as elective credits towards the Taxation LL.M. degree.
Conferral of the Degree
Once a student has completed the requirements for an LL.M. degree and any certificate that the student is pursuing, the student’s final cumulative grade point average will be calculated and the degree and certificate conferred. If a student who is pursuing a certificate has completed the requirements for an LL.M. degree but not the requirements for the certificate, then with the permission of the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs, the student may take the courses necessary to complete the certificate. In this situation, both the degree and the certificate will be conferred when the certificate requirements are completed.
Full-Time and Part-Time
Enrollment Defined
The Graduate Program defines full-time enrollment as 8 or more semester hours of academic credit during the Fall and Spring semesters, and as 4 or more semester hours of academic credit during the Summer session. Part-time enrollment is 7 or fewer semester hours of academic credit during the Fall and Spring semesters. By the end of the add/drop period, students must ensure that they are enrolled in the appropriate number of academic credits required to maintain their full-time or part-time status. For example, if a part-time student registers for 8 or more academic credits, he or she will automatically be charged full-time tuition despite his or her designation as a part-time student.
Transfer Between Full-Time and Part-Time Status
A student in an LL.M. degree program may apply to transfer from full-time to part-time status, or from part-time to full-time status, subject to visa requirements, by submitting a written request detailing the reasons for requesting the transfer to the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs or the Director of LL.M. Academic Services.
Note: Students will not be permitted to transfer between full-time and part-time status more than once during their LL.M. degree program, except under extraordinary circumstances as determined by the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs.
Limitations on Academic Credits Per Semester
Without the prior written approval of the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs, full-time students may not enroll in more than 13 semester hours of academic credit in any semester, and part-time students may not enroll in more than 7 semester hours of academic credit in any semester.
Note: No student who is or anticipates being employed more than 20 hours per week during a semester may enroll for more than seven semester hours of academic credit in that semester. Deviations from these limitations will be approved only under exceptional circumstances.
Credit for Courses in the Graduate School of Georgetown University
LL.M. students may take a maximum of 4 academic credits in the Graduate School of Georgetown University with the permission from both the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs and the professor teaching the graduate course. For some Graduate School courses, the approval of the academic department is required in addition to permission from the professor. The completed registration form for main campus Graduate School courses must be turned in to the Office of Graduate Programs in order to register for such courses. Course descriptions may be found in the catalog of the Graduate School.
Undergraduate level courses cannot be applied toward an LL.M. degree or Certificate. Language classes may be taken on a space-available basis, but they will not be credited towards the LL.M. degree.
Full-time students may take graduate courses and undergraduate language courses during the Fall and Spring semesters without additional charge. Part-time students pay for all courses at the applicable Law Center credit hour rate. Full-time or part-time students taking Summer Main Campus courses are billed at the applicable Main Campus tuition rate. All courses, credits, and grades taken in the Graduate School will appear on the student’s Law Center transcript, but the grades will not be counted in the student’s grade point average.
LL.M. students are limited to 4 total credits outside of the Law Center. Any credits taken in the Graduate School of Georgetown University are subtracted from the number of credits that can be taken at another institution (see below).
Note: International students considering taking a U.S. bar exam should be aware that non-Law Center courses may not count towards the required number of law credits necessary to be eligible to take the bar exam.
Credits Earned at Other Institutions
With the prior approval of the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs, and subject to the conditions listed below, a student may apply to the LL.M. degree a cumulative maximum of 4 academic credits earned at other institutions while an LL.M. student at the Law Center. The Law Center does not award LL.M. credit for courses taken at another institution before a student matriculated at the Law Center.
Credits for course work and grades earned at another ABA-approved law school and accepted for credit toward a Georgetown LL.M. degree by the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs will be entered on the Georgetown transcript but will not be taken into account in the computation of a student’s grade point average at the Law Center.
Even if prior approval is obtained for taking a course at another ABA-approved law school, students who do not receive a minimum grade of “C+” in the course will not be allowed to transfer the academic credits.
Credits earned at other institutions will count toward the specialization requirement for any degree or certificate program only with the prior approval of the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs.
The Law Center does not allow distance learning in connection with meeting LL.M. degree requirements.
LL.M. students are limited to 4 total credits outside of the Law Center. Any credits taken at another institution are subtracted from the number of credits that can be taken in the Graduate School of Georgetown University (see above).
Advanced Standing for Graduate Credits Earned as a Non-Degree Student at Georgetown Law
Students in an LL.M. degree program may apply up to 8 non-degree academic credits that were earned at the Law Center within two academic years prior to matriculation in the degree program. Courses and grades will be entered on the transcript, and the grades for those courses will be included in the computation of the LL.M. grade point average. The maximum period of study allowed for the degree will be reduced by one semester for every 4 academic credits of advanced standing that are applied.
Advanced Standing for Credit Earned as a J.D. Student at Georgetown Law
Students who received their J.D. degree from the Law Center within three years of matriculating in an LL.M. degree program may apply up to 6 academic credits earned while a J.D. student, provided those credits were in excess of the minimum number of credits required for the J.D. degree. Courses and grades involved will remain part of the J.D. record; advanced standing credit for specific courses will be applied to the LL.M. degree. The courses and grades will be entered on the transcript, but grades for those courses will not be included in the computation of the LL.M. grade point average. For part-time students, the maximum period of study allowed will be reduced by one semester if 4 or more credits are applied.
Note: This section does not apply to students who are admitted into a joint J.D./LL.M. program.
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, or the web pages of either the Graduate Programs Office or the Registrar. The registration form is due no later than August 10, 2007 for the Fall 2007 semester, December 3, 2007 for the Spring 2008 semester and May 5, 2008 for the Summer 2008 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.
Note: International students considering taking a U.S. bar exam should be aware that Graduate Independent Research may not count towards the required number of law credits necessary to be eligible to take the bar exam.
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 2-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 course schedule) must also meet this minimum standard.
Three-Credit Seminars
The 3-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 3-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) a first draft and a final paper consisting 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 nonprofit 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 2 credits graded on a pass/fail basis. The LL.M. student must be registered for the 2 credits in order to participate in the program and these 2 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 ten hours 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.
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