Graduation Requirements: The Juris Doctor Degree

The Juris Doctor degree is conferred upon candidates who have fulfilled the following requirements:

1. Earned credit for at least 90 semester hours of law study (60 of these hours must be earned at The John Marshall Law School).
2. Academic standing: Obtained an overall grade point average of at least 2.25.
3. The maximum period of time for a law student to complete requirements for the degree is seven years.

Students are responsible for ensuring that they have complied with the Juris Doctor requirements. The student is urged to obtain a credit check from the Office of Academic Services before or during his/her fifth semester in residence, if one has not already been issued by the school. Students are also advised to take more than the minimum number of academic credits required (90) in the event that they receive a failing grade in their final semester.

Full-time/Part-time Programs and Enrollment

Course content is the same in the full-time and part-time programs. The disciplines of study, instruction, research, and examination are also the same. Students will initially register in either the full-time or part-time program. A part-time student may transfer to the full-time (day) program after completing one entire semester of study, with approval from the director for academic services.

Course Load

A normal academic course load is 15 semester hours in the full-time program and 10 or 11 semester hours in the part-time program.

The minimum course load, which is permitted only with the approval of the associate dean for academic services, is 12 semester hours in the full-time program and eight semester hours in the part-time program. Under no circumstances are part-time students permitted to register for more than 11 hours. Full-time students may not register for more than 16 hours.

A student's status as a full-time or part-time student is determined by his/her registration each semester. A full-time student is a day student who registers for 12 or more credits and passes at least nine credits. All other students are part-time students.

A student who wishes to withdraw from a course during the semester must requestpermission in writing from the director for academic services. Permission to withdraw from a course after six weeks into the semester will be granted only with proof of extraordinary circumstances, such as grave illness. Students will automatically receive a failing grade for any unauthorized or nonapproved withdrawal.

Attendance

The board of law examiners in each state requires a certificate of attendance from an applicant's law school in order to take the bar examination. To execute this certificate faithfully, the school must insist on regular attendance, so students are required to attend all scheduled classes. Under no circumstances will credit be given for courses in which the student is absent more than 25% of the total number of class meetings. A student absent for more than 25% of the total number of class meetings will not be allowed to write the examination and will receive a grade of WF (withdraw/fail) for the course.