I. The Academic Program

A. General Requirements

1. Credits Required for J.D. Degree

Candidates for the degree of Juris Doctor must successfully complete a minimum of 90 credit hours with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.00 (“C”). A minimum of 76 credit hours must be in courses involving attendance at regularly scheduled class sessions at the School of Law. Certain special programs and internships do not meet the requirement of regularly scheduled class sessions.

2. Graduation Requirements

For students beginning their legal studies in the Fall of 2013 or thereafter:

a. First Year Courses

All courses in the first year curriculum are required and must be successfully completed. To successfully complete a first-year course graded on a standard letter grade scale (i.e., "A" through "F"), a student must earn a grade of D- or better in the course; to successfully complete a first-year course graded on a Satisfactory / Unsatisfactory ("S/U") scale, a student must earn a grade of Satisfactory ("S") in the course. If a student does not successfully complete a first-year course, the student must retake that course and successfully complete that course in order to graduate.

Section (I.A.2.a.) as amended by the Faculty Committee November 13, 2012, and effective August 15, 2013; as amended by the Faculty Committee December 7, 2012, and effective August 15, 2013.

For students beginning their legal studies before the Fall of 2013:

a. First Year Courses

All courses in the first year curriculum are required and must be successfully completed. To successfully complete a first-year course, a student must earn a grade of D or better in the course. If a student does not earn a grade of D or better in the course, the student must retake the course and earn a grade of D or better in order to graduate.

Section (I.A.2.a.) as amended by the Faculty Committee April 26, 2011, and effective August 15, 2011.

b. Upper-Level Writing Requirement

(1) As a requirement for graduation, students must complete during their second or third year one rigorous writing experience. Satisfaction of the writing experience must be certified in writing by the appropriate instructor.

(2) The rigorous writing experience is satisfied by completion of written work product that evidences:

(a) Good organization according to the recognized conventions for the type of document the student is writing, including, where appropriate, the clear identification of the legal problem to be solved, the determinative and necessary explanatory facts of the situation, the legal rules relied upon, and the application of those rules to the facts;

(b) Proposal of an original hypothesis and/or evaluation of solutions to a legal problem, challenging or critiquing the assumptions and conclusions of others where appropriate;

(c) Full development of a cogent line of reasoning;

(d) Appropriate use of and correct citation to relevant literature and reliable authority in support of ideas;

(e) Mastery of word usage, particularly legal terms of art and the vocabulary of the legal discipline about which the student is writing; and

(f) Mastery of grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

Pursuant to ABA Standard 302(a)(3) and Interpretation 302-1, it is ordinarily expected that the student will write and submit at least one working draft or extensive outline of the work, that the draft will be critiqued by the instructor, that the student will have an opportunity to meet with the instructor for purposes of individualized feedback and instruction, and that, in response to critiques and/or meetings, the student will revise and edit the paper before submitting the final version. There are no specified page requirements for the work, although it should be of sufficient length or depth to wholly fulfill the criteria stated above (for example, a scholarly paper might be expected to be 20-40 double-spaced pages in length, exclusive of footnotes).

(3) Students must satisfy the rigorous writing experience in an instructor- supervised writing or drafting project, whether or not undertaken in connection with a regular course. The successful completion of an upper level legal writing course will satisfy the requirements for the rigorous writing experience.

adopted by Faculty Committee January 26, 2007
effective August 20, 2007

c. Upper-Level Skills Requirement

Each student must satisfy the School of Law’s upper-level skills requirement to be eligible for graduation. Skills courses provide instruction in and assessment of specific legal skills, including, but not limited to, interviewing and client counseling, trial and appellate advocacy, alternative dispute resolution, negotiation, drafting and transactional work, and factual investigation. Each course satisfying this requirement provides (1) significant skills instruction; (2) the opportunity to practice those skills; and (3) assessment of those skills by faculty.

To satisfy the upper-level skills requirement, each student must successfully complete one Level One course or two Level Two courses.

Level 1 courses: These are courses that have teaching professional skills as the primary goal and provide a minimum of 2 semester credits. One such course satisfies the upper-level skills requirement.

Level 2 courses: These are courses that: (1) have a significant component of skills instruction where the teaching of professional skills are interwoven with other learning opportunities or are supplemental to doctrinal instruction or (2) are courses focused primarily on teaching professional skills and earn 1 semester credit.

Note: The Level One and Level Two designations do not indicate the difficulty or importance of the courses or the subject matters. Rather, these designations represent, in the view of the Faculty, the amount of skills instruction relative to the number of credit hours awarded for the course. Students are permitted and encouraged to take more skills courses than are required for graduation.

An updated list of courses that satisfy the upper-level skills requirement will be maintained by the Office of Student Life, will be reviewed each year and revised as necessary by the appropriate Faculty committee, and will be available to students prior to the start of each semester.

Adopted by the Faculty December 17, 2008
Effective beginning with Class of 2011
Administratively amended October 2010

For students beginning their legal studies in the Fall of 2013 or thereafter:

d. Upper Level Courses

Students must successfully complete Professional Responsibility and Constitutional Law II. To successfully complete these courses, a student must earn a grade of D- or better in each course. If a student does not earn a grade of D- or better in any of those courses, the student must retake that course and earn a grade of D- or better in order to graduate.

Constitutional Law II will be taken in the fall of the second year.

Section (I.A.2.d.) as amended by the Faculty Committee November 13, 2012, and effective August 15, 2013; as amended by the Faculty Committee December 7, 2012, and effective August 15, 2013.

For students beginning their legal studies before the Fall of 2013:

d. Professional Responsibility.

Students must successfully complete the course on Professional Responsibility. To successfully complete this course, a student must earn a grade of D or better in the course. If a student does not earn a grade of D or better in the course, the student must retake the course and earn a grade of D or better in order to graduate.

Section (I.A.2.d.) as amended by the Faculty Committee April 26, 2011, and effective August 15, 2011.

3. Standard Course of Study

The School of Law ordinarily expects students to complete their degree requirements within three years. Those who wish to extend or shorten this period may only do so after consultation with and approval (possibly with conditions) by the Dean and in compliance with any applicable readmission policies.

4. Minimum/Maximum Periods of Course of Study

In accordance with current ABA Standard 304(c), the School of Law requires that the course of study for the J.D. degree be completed no earlier than 24 months and no later than 84 months after a student has commenced study at the law school or a law school from which the school has accepted transfer credit.

5. Credits per Semester

Students may not take fewer than 12 credits or more than 17 credits of course work during a fall or spring semester except with the permission of the Dean.  No more than 18 credits of course work may be taken in a fall or spring semester.

During the School of Law's summer session, students may not take more than eight (8) credits of course work except with the permission of the Dean.

 

Administratively updated October 15, 2010; as amended by the Academic & Student Policy Committee December 3, 2012, and effective April 12, 2013.

6. Grading System

Beginning with the Fall 2013 term, the system of grading in courses is as follows:

A      4.00 quality points
A-     3.67 quality points
B+    3.33 quality points
B      3.00 quality points
B-     2.67 quality points
C+    2.33 quality points
C      2.00 quality points
C-     1.67 quality points
D+    1.33 quality points
D      1.00 quality points
D-     0.67 quality points
F       0.00 quality points
W      Withdrew
I        Incomplete
S       Satisfactory
U       Unsatisfactory

In accordance with University of North Dakota policy, a grade of S grants credit toward graduation but does not affect a student's grade point average; a grade of U does not grant credit toward graduation nor affect a student's grade point average.

P      Pass
F      Fail; equivalent to the letter grade of F
AU    Audit

For courses taken prior to the Fall 2013 term, the system of grading in those courses (set forth below) remains unchanged:

A       4.00 quality points
B+     3.50 quality points
B       3.00 quality points
C+     2.50 quality points
C       2.00 quality points
D+     1.50 quality points
D       1.00 quality points
F        0.00 quality points
W      Withdrew
I        Incomplete
S       Satisfactory
U       Unsatisfactory

In accordance with University of North Dakota policy, a grade of S grants credit toward graduation but does not affect a student's grade point average; a grade of U does not grant credit toward graduation nor affect a student's grade point average.

P      Pass
F      Fail; equivalent to the letter grade of F
AU    Audit

 

Administratively updated October 15, 2010; as amended by the Faculty Committee December 7, 2012, and effective August 15, 2013.

7. Cumulative Grade Point Average

The cumulative grade point average (GPA) is calculated in two steps: First, multiply the quality points for the grade received in each course times the number of credit hours associated with that course to determine the total quality points for the course. Second, divide the total quality points for all courses by the total credit hours for all courses attempted. Grades of I, S, or U are not a part of this calculation. A law student’s GPA is based on all course work. This includes all law school courses at UND School of Law, all law school courses completed at other institutions and accepted by the School of Law in satisfaction of the requirements for graduation, all non-law courses at UND completed as part of a joint degree or certificate program at the School of Law, and all UND courses that are formally cross-listed as law courses at the School of Law. However, any School of Law or UND course that is graded as S/U is not included in a student’s grade point average.

Administratively updated October 15, 2010

8. Graduation With Distinction

Graduation with Honors. The degree of Juris Doctor, Summa Cum Laude, is conferred upon those students who complete their course of study with a cumulative grade point average of 3.90 or higher. The degree of Juris Doctor, Magna Cum Laude, is conferred upon those students who complete their course of study with a cumulative grade point average of 3.70 to 3.89. The degree of Juris Doctor, Cum Laude, is conferred upon those students who complete their course of study with a cumulative grade point average of 3.40 to 3.69."

Section (I. A. 8.) as amended by the Faculty Committee April 26, 2011, and effective August 15, 2011.  This amendment will take effect with the Class of 2012.

9. Additional Academic Programs

a. J.D./M.B.A. Joint Degree Program

The School of Law and the College of Business and Public Administration offer a joint degree program of study allowing a student to earn both a J.D. and an M.B.A.

Admission Requirements

Admission requirements of each component of the joint degree program will be the same as required to be admitted into each program separately.

Students are required to apply to both the School of Law and the Graduate School. Admission into the School of Law will be determined by the Admissions Committee of the law school. Admission recommendations for the College of Business and Public Administration will be made to the Graduate School by the Director of the M.B.A. Program.

Students who are already pursuing a J.D. degree and wish to add the M.B.A. degree must apply to the joint degree program no later than the third semester of the J.D. program.

Students pursuing the M.B.A. degree program are expected to have completed the M.B.A. Prerequisite Curriculum (undergraduate prerequisite courses) prior to admission. Degree Requirements

If each degree were earned separately, a student would be required to complete 90 credit hours for the J.D. degree and 32 hours for the M.B.A. The joint degree program will enable a student to receive the two degrees upon completion of 81 J.D. credit hours and 26 M.B.A. credit hours. The School of Law thus accepts 9 credit hours of M.B.A. course work that will be applicable toward the J.D. degree, and the College of Business and Public Administration accepts 6 credit hours of J.D. courses toward the M.B.A. degree. Because each program will accept credits toward the other degree, the total credits required for each degree will be unchanged.

All degree requirements for the J.D. degree must be completed within 84 months of initial enrollment in the J.D. program.

Normally, the joint degree program will be completed in only four years. With summer school classes, it may be possible to obtain both degrees even more quickly. Both degrees will be awarded simultaneously after all degree requirements are met in both programs.

In addition to the required courses for all students earning the J.D. degree, students enrolled in the joint degree program must successfully complete the following School of Law courses: Business Associations I, Business Associations II, and at least two Commercial Law courses.

Each joint degree student must satisfy the Independent Study requirement of the M.B.A. program by completion of a substantial research/writing project on a business related legal topic or a law-related business topic. The Independent Study project must be supervised by a member of the Graduate Faculty from the College of Business and Public Administration.

Any writing project that a joint degree student intends to use to satisfy the Upper Level Writing Requirement of the J.D. program must be supervised by a member of the law faculty. Sample Curricular Plan (degree completion in four years)

The first year of the joint degree program will consist of the required curriculum in the School of Law. The third semester of the joint degree program will usually consist of law school courses, with M.B.A. courses beginning in the fourth semester. To promote the integration of the two courses of study, courses after the third semester usually will be taken in each of the schools concurrently, rather than having the student located exclusively in one school or the other for an entire semester. Note: This timetable assumes that all undergraduate prerequisite courses have been completed prior to entering the joint program.

Semester 1 (Fall only) - 16 hours of the required first year curriculum in the School of Law

Semester 2 (Spring only) - 16 hours of the required first year curriculum in the School of Law

Semester 3 - 15 hours of courses in the School of Law

Semester 4 - 2 M.B.A. courses (6 credit hours) 6 credit hours of courses in the School of Law

Semester 5 - 2 M.B.A. courses (6 credit hours) 6 credit hours of courses in the School of Law

Semester 6 - 6 credit hours of courses in the School of Law 2 M.B.A. courses (6 credit hours)

Semester 7 - 7 credit hours of courses in the School of Law Independent Study (2 credit hours) 1 M.B.A. course (3 credit hours)

Semester 8 - 9 credit hours of courses in the School of Law

1 M.B.A. course (3 credit hours)

Approved by the Faculty Committee March 30, 2007

b. Joint JD/MPA Degree Program

Admission Requirements

Students would be required to apply to both the Law School and the Graduate School and indicate that they are to be admitted to the joint MPA/JD track. This admission would be determined by the Director of the M.P.A. Program and the Dean of the Law School or their designees. Acceptance to the joint program track would require a minimum overall undergraduate GPA of 3.00 of 3.00 or a GPA of 3.25 in the last two academic years.

Sample Curriculum Plan

Year One – Law School Year Two – Law School w/two MPA courses* Year Three – Law School w/two MPA courses Year Four – Six MPA courses + Independent Study

or

Year One – Seven MPA courses Year Two – Law School Year Three – Law School w/two MPA courses* Year Four – Law School w/one MPA course + Independent Study

*2 MPA course requirement could be met with law courses as cognates.

Six credits (approved by the Law School) from the MPA Program would count toward the Law degree. Six of the 32 required credits in the MPA Program could be law courses to be used as cognate for the MPA degree (with the approval of the department and the Dean of the Graduate School).

The total credits required for each degree would be unchanged because each program would accept six credits being used toward the other degree. This would save the student one semester (12 credits) and make the program more appealing.

Normally the joint program will be complete in only four years. With summer school classes it may be possible to obtain both degrees even more quickly. Students must be enrolled in the Law School for at least three years; therefore, students wishing to receive both degrees in less than four years should enroll first in the Law School.

Law School courses which could be used as cognates in the MPA Program and MPA courses which could be used as electives in the JD Program.

Joint MPA/JD Complementary Courses

Law

LAW 150 Constitutional Law I
LAW 152 Constitutional Law II
LAW 201 Agriculture Law
LAW 203 Employment Discrimination Law
LAW 206 Law of Politics
LAW 210 Administrative Law
LAW 263 Environmental Law
LAW 277 Land Use Planning
LAW 281 Legislation
LAW 289 State & Local Government Law
LAW 291 Poverty Law
LAW 291 Civil Rights LAW
291 State Constitutional Law

Or other courses with the approval of MPA advisor or Graduate Director.

Political Science and Public Administration

POLS 308 Intergovernmental Relations
POLS 404 Urban Politics and Administration
POLS 405 Political Behavior
POLS 502 Problems in State and Local Government
POLS 508 Legislative Executive Process
POLS 531 Public Administration
POLS 532 Public Policy
POLS 535 Public Organizations
POLS 536 Public Personnel Administration
POLS 538 Public Budgeting and Financial Management
POLS 539 Administrative Law Or other courses with the approval of the Dean of the Law School.