Course Selection
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First Year
First-year JD students are assigned sections and automatically registered for their first semester courses. In the second semester, with the exception of Advocacy, first-year JD students must register themselves for the first-year required full-time or part-time courses listed on the Schedule of Classes. JD students requiring an irregular schedule should contact the Assistant Dean for Student and Academic Affairs.
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Second Year and Beyond
After the first year, JD students are encouraged to elect courses that will provide a strong foundation in the law. Courses should be in areas of law that are of interest, will provide intellectual value, and/or meet professional objectives for your legal career. JD students should not focus on specializing in one area of law. Legal trends change and law students are expected to be generalists in their legal education and training.
Therefore, students should consider their personal areas of interest within the law and professional objectives when making course selections beyond the required courses for graduation.
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Course Descriptions and Requirements
JD students should carefully review course descriptions to determine if pre-requisites are listed or if faculty approval is required. Course requirements will often dictate a student's course schedule. For example: If a student has a strong interest in business law many electives in this area require Business Enterprises. If a student has a strong interest in regulatory law, Administrative Law can provide the background for agency regulations and legislative procedures discussed in regulatory law courses.
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Scheduling Electives
Students should also note the course options for electives changes every year as new or visiting faculty join the College of Law and current faculty expand their course offerings. Some of these courses become a regular part of the curriculum while other courses are infrequently offered. Therefore, students are encouraged to take a class when it is offered rather than risk missing the one-time only offering of the course.
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Preparing for the Bar Exam
JD students should also begin preparing for the Bar exam when they select courses (see ABA Academic Standard below). Students should review which subjects are tested on the Bar exam in the jurisdiction they will be applying to and check for these in the course schedule. For more information on State Bar requirements please visit www.ncbex.org and click on "Bar Admission Offices."
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Professional Responsibility and the MPRE
Students should keep the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE) in mind when registering for Professional Responsibility. Verify if the MPRE is required for the jurisdiction where you plan to take the Bar and when you are allowed to register for and take the MPRE. Example: Some jurisdictions have time restrictions as to when bar candidates can take the MPRE, such as within 1 year before or after he/she sits for the Bar exam. Visit the National Conference of Bar Examiners website at www.ncbex.org for more information on State Bar requirements.
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Advising
Academic advising for JD and LL.M. ALS students is housed in the Office of Student Affairs. Students are encouraged to discuss their academic planning with the academic advisors there.
Academic advising for Global Food Law students is housed in the Office of Graduate and International Programs. -
Course Selection for Non-JD Students
Graduate students and other non-JD programs (including guest students taking classes within any program managed with the Office for Graduate and International Programs (“OGIP”)) are responsible for enrolling in all classes and are responsible for ensuring that their course selections will maintain adequate progress toward degree or program completion.
Updated: July 20, 2021