J.D./LL.B. Degree Program for MSU Law Students

Administrative Policies for MSU Law Students admitted to the Michigan State University/University of Ottawa J.D./LL.B. Joint Degree Program

The following document presents the administrative policies for the Michigan State University College of Law portion of the J.D./LL.B. joint-degree program with the University of Ottawa. There are sections on:

Students should read these policies carefully and ask questions about anything that is unclear. Students are ultimately responsible for meeting the requirements for their degrees.

The primary administrative contacts for the program are Connell Alsup, Associate Dean for Student Affairs at 517-432-6806 or alsupc@law.msu.edu at MSU Law and Karen Jensen, Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs at 613-562-5800, ext. 3321 or karen.jensen@uOttawa.ca at Ottawa. Students who have questions relating to MSU Law should first contact the appropriate office (e.g., Registrar, Financial Aid, Career Services, Admissions). (See “Administrative Issues.”) More advanced concerns should be directed to Michael A. Lawrence, Associate Dean for Graduate, International and Interdisciplinary Programs and Professor of Law at 517-432-6905 or michael.lawrence@law.msu.edu.

Admission

Currently, MSU Law students may apply to the joint-degree program in the Spring of their first or second year. The application can be found at http://www.uottawa.ca/prospective/admissions/PDF/REGI3161.PDF (no fee is required) , In addition to the application form, an MSU Law transcript, class rank, and statement of intent must be submitted to the MSU Law Dean’s Suite in room 368. Students will be selected for the joint-degree program based on their academic qualifications and their interest in the program. Students should be ranked in the top 50 percent of their class at the time of application. In addition, students are required to submit fully updated academic information, including transcripts for all classes taken at MSU Law, to the administrators of the program at Ottawa before commencing studies there.

General Requirements

In order to earn a J.D. degree at MSU College of Law students must do all of the following:

  1. Earn 88 law-school credits.
  2. Earn at least 65 credits in regularly scheduled classes.
  3. Have a MSU Law grade-point average of 2.00 or greater.
  4. Earn at least 59 of the 88 credits at MSU Law or another ABA-accredited law school. At least 45 of these 59 credits must be earned at MSU Law, and must satisfy certain other relevant ABA criteria for classes.
  5. Complete J.D. requirements within 84 months from the initial day of enrollment.
  6. Take the following required courses:

    Business Enterprises (not required for students admitted to MSU Law in Fall 2008 or later)
    Civil Procedure I & II
    Constitutional Law I & II
    Contracts I & II
    Criminal Law
    Evidence
    Professional Responsibility
    Property
    Research, Writing & Advocacy I & II
    Torts
  7. Satisfy the Upper-Level Writing Requirement.
  8. Completion of at least one course that satisifies the professional skills requirement.
  9. Pay all mandatory charges and fees.

Refer to the Student Handbook (PDF) for more detailed information regarding graduation requirements.

Once students fulfill all of these requirements, a J.D. degree can be conferred, regardless of the stage of progression toward the Ottawa LL.B.. If a student decides to receive a J.D. degree before completing the LL.B. program at Ottawa, there may be adverse consequences involving the financial aid received as an MSU Law student. For example, once a student receives a J.D. from MSU Law, the University classifies the student as a Lifelong Education student, which means the student is not working toward a degree. MSU Lifelong Education students are not eligible for financial aid through University processes. There are many collateral concerns, such as timing for the bar exam and immigration issues, that should be studied carefully in connection with a choice to receive a J.D. degree before completion of the J.D./LL.B. program.

Students should plan their program carefully and should be aware that the requirements to earn a J.D. from MSU Law are governed by rules enacted by the Faculty of the Law College and by the standards of the American Bar Association. Joint Degree students should, for instance, scrutinize with care the rules listed below under the heading Fulfilling MSU Law Requirements With Ottawa Classes, to ascertain which courses must be taken at MSU Law to fulfill MSU Law curriculum requirements. Advance planning is critical. Students should not expect to graduate within their anticipated timetable if, at the projected date of graduation, they have failed to fulfill the core requirements of an MSU J.D. degree. Students should not assume that waivers of core requirements can be obtained as a result of failure to take a course that is required to be taken at MSU Law.

There are two kinds of credits: MSU Law credits and transfer credits. MSU Law credits are those earned in classes taken at MSU Law or in an MSU Law study abroad program, such as the MSU Law study abroad program in Mexico. Transfer credits are those earned in classes taken from other law schools, such as those taken at another school by students who transfer to MSU in their second year, those taken at Ottawa by J.D./LL.B. students, ABA summer programs sponsored by other law schools, etc.

Not every course taken at Ottawa will transfer and count toward an MSU Law degree. Specifically, courses taken at Ottawa do not transfer where (1) a grade below "C" was earned; (2) it would be redundant with an MSU Law course on the student's transcript; or (2) the 88-credit requirement is exceeded. Requirements for (2) and (3) are explained in more detail below. (See “Redundancy” and “Administrative Issues.”)

Grades, Class Rank, and Class Honors

Transfer credits (including those earned at Ottawa) will be ungraded and will not appear on an MSU Law transcript or factored into an MSU Law GPA, class rank, or graduation honors. Only MSU Law credits will be factored in for these purposes.

To receive a final class rank upon graduation, a student must have received at least 70 graded credits at MSU Law. This excludes credits awarded as pass/fail or credit/no-credit, and also excludes credits awarded at other schools. As a result, students in the joint-degree program will ordinarily not receive a final class rank.

To receive an interim class rank (i.e., a cumulative rank reported after each semester), a student’s first year must have been completed at MSU Law. Joint-degree students who start at MSU Law will receive interim class ranks each semester they earn graded credits at MSU Law (this does not include pass/fail or credit/no credit grades).

Students who do not receive class ranks can nevertheless get MSU Law grade comparisons with their MSU Law classmates for the same time period. The Registrar will generate semester reports of the GPAs of those students included in class-rank calculations, indicating decile cutoffs. In lieu of a class rank, those students excluded from class rank calculations can determine the decile in which their MSU Law GPA falls.

To be eligible for Class Honors (cum laude, magna cum laude and summa cum laude) upon graduation, a student must have earned at least 53 graded credits at MSU Law. In other words, as with class rank, this excludes credits awarded as pass/fail or credit/no-credit, and also excludes credits awarded at other schools (such as Ottawa).

Fulfilling MSU Law Requirements with Ottawa Classes

Some courses taken at Ottawa can fulfill MSU Law requirements:

  1. Students whose first year in the joint-degree program is at Ottawa will take the regular first-year curriculum there, including Torts, Contracts, and Property. Doing so will fulfill the MSU Law requirement of Torts, Contracts I, Contracts II, and Property.
  2. All students may take Business Organizations at Ottawa to fulfill the MSU Law requirement of Business Enterprises (not required for students admitted to MSU Law in fall 2008 or later).
  3. Students whose first year in the joint-degree program is at MSU Law must take all first-year required courses.

All students must satisfy the Upper Level Writing Requirement (ULWR) of MSU Law by writing a paper at MSU Law and fully complying with the rules for receiving ULWR credit.

All students are required to take Research, Writing and Advocacy I and II at MSU Law.

Extracurricular Activities at MSU Law: Students in the J.D./LL.B. program may not participate in some extracurricular activities, including certain certificate programs and Law College journals. For example, students in the J.D./LL.B. program are not eligible for the MSU Law Review, the Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute, or Moot Court. For information on restrictions affecting other extracurricular activities, students should contact the director of the pertinent program or journal.

Redundancy

Students in the joint-degree program may transfer up to 29 credits from Ottawa in order to satisfy MSU Law's 88-credit graduation requirement. Because students will be spending two years at Ottawa and taking the equivalent of 60 credits there, this should not be difficult.

There are, however, issues of timing. Some students – particularly those who start with two years at MSU Law – may wish to finish their 88 credits and earn their J.D. as soon as possible. As a result, students must carefully consider which classes at Ottawa will count toward MSU Law credits.

In addition, students should be aware of possible adverse consequences for financing further legal studies should they choose to graduate with a J.D. from MSU Law before completing the requirements for the LL.B. Once a student receives a J.D. from MSU Law, the University classifies the student as a Lifelong Education student. Lifelong Education students are not eligible for financial aid through University processes.

MSU Law will scrutinize any course with the same or similar name as an MSU course, and may disallow the transfer of some credits from Ottawa. Some commonly recurring courses will be excepted. For instance, students must take civil procedure, constitutional law, criminal law, and basic research courses at both schools, yet the material in the Ottawa classes is sufficiently distinct from the material in the MSU Law classes that MSU Law will transfer credit for the Ottawa classes and count them toward the 88-credit requirement. There are no doubt numerous examples among upper-level electives of courses that sound the same but whose content is different. But other courses, such as international law, jurisprudence, etc., are redundant and will not transfer. Relatedly, if a student took a course in Ottawa and subsequently attempts to take a similar course at MSU Law, the student will be precluded from applying the second course for credit towards the J.D. degree at MSU Law. In no event will the student receive credit toward the MSU Law degree for having taken such a duplicative course. Students should be prepared to respond to a request to distinguish two similar-sounding courses if they want credit for the second one. To receive credit, it is the student’s responsibility to obtain permission from the Senior Associate Dean before enrolling in any course similar to that previously taken at the University of Ottawa. To avoid redundancy, students who take Property at both schools, may only transfer two credits from the Ottawa course to MSU Law.

Administrative Issues

Understanding some general principles of administration and communication will help if questions or concerns arise.

Tuition is paid to the school where a student starts and the financial relationship is with this school until both programs have been completed. During all four years of the program, financial aid is administered through the school where the student is first admitted. Even though students who begin at MSU Law pay MSU Law tuition to MSU Law throughout their law school career (even while at Ottawa), they pay a reduced rate of 50% after paying for 88 credits. (Because tuition is generally paid at the beginning of a semester, students who begin a semester short of their 88 credits – perhaps because their last semester's grades are not in yet – will have to pay full tuition, and will then be entitled to a refund of the excess once the completion of 88 credits has been verified.) MSU Law scholarships only cover up to 88 credits.

Students who begin at Ottawa continue paying Ottawa tuition to Ottawa while they attend classes at MSU Law. However, if Ottawa students take a course at an MSU college other than the Law College they will pay MSU tuition at the rate charged by that other college, because MSU Law is financially separate from the rest of the university. All MSU Law students who enroll in courses at other MSU colleges pay the tuition rate charged by the MSU college.

Students in the joint-degree program have the advantage of drawing on two sets of administrators and staff to meet their needs. For the sake of efficiency and effectiveness, students should contact the administrators at the school best placed to help them. For instance, while students have access to career services at both schools, students who are looking for jobs in the United States should contact the MSU Law Career Services office, even if they are currently at Ottawa. Issues concerning visas should be directed to the appropriate international law school advisor: MSU Law for visas to get into the U.S. and Ottawa for visas to get into Canada. However, students originally enrolled in Ottawa are also required to communicate with the MSU Law Admissions Office, International Law Student Advisor, prior to attending classes at MSU Law.

To keep each school up to date on the progress of its students studying at the other, the schools will regularly exchange transcripts and other relevant information concerning academic performance. Students can elect to sign a form to authorize the automatic release of all information in their student file to the other school.

Until a J.D. degree is issued, students remain subject to the MSU Law Code of Student Discipline. Students also remain accountable to MSU Law while they are in Ottawa. Students are responsible for complying with MSU Law standards for academic integrity with respect to all course work in Ottawa and for other conduct subject to the MSU Law Code of Student Discipline. Specifically, the Code of Student Discipline provides: “The provisions of this Code also extend to conduct which occurs while an MSU Law student is enrolled at another institution of higher learning, whether as a visitor at another law school, as a candidate for a joint degree or pursuant to permission to take elective credits in a graduate department at MSU.”

The primary administrative contact at MSU Law is Connell Alsup, Associate Dean for Student Affairs, particularly for students in Ottawa who need a local voice at MSU Law. However, students who have a question, concern, or problem relating to MSU Law should first contact the appropriate office (e.g., Registrar, Financial Aid, Career Services, Admissions, etc.). Dean Alsup can offer assistance for those situations when this initial contact is insufficient to resolve an issue. In addition, students must remain in contact with the Admissions Office International Law Student Advisor to ensure timely processing of their visas and student status. The primary administrative contact at the U of Ottawa is Karen Jensen, Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs. For more advanced concerns, students should contact Michael A. Lawrence, Associate Dean for Graduate, International and Interdisciplinary Programs and Professor of Law at MSU Law.

It is important for all students in the joint-degree program to maintain links to MSU Law while in Ottawa. This can be difficult to do at a distance, making it crucial that students maintain regular access to their MSU email addresses. Below is a list of contacts to assist students in locating information or services.

MSU Law Contact Information:

Associate Dean Michael A. Lawrence
517/432-6905
michael.lawrence@law.msu.edu

Associate Dean Connell Alsup
517/432-6806
alsupc@law.msu.edu

Registrar
517/432-6820
regist@law.msu.edu

Financial Aid
517/432-6810
finaid@law.msu.edu

Career Services
517/432-6830
career@law.msu.edu

Admissions (International Student Advisor)
517/432-0222
or 800/844-9352
admiss@law.msu.edu

Assistant Dean Karen Jensen
613/562-5800 ext. 3321
karen.jensen@uOttawa.ca