1. Juris Doctor degree. Boston University confers the degree of Juris Doctor (hereinafter, “JD”) upon candidates recommended by the Faculty of the School of Law and approved by the President and Trustees of the University.
2. Requirements. All candidates for the JD degree must:
a. Pursue legal study through an ABA/AALS-approved law school for at least three academic years or the equivalent. Unless the Dean or the Dean’s designate has permitted otherwise, at least two years of this study must have been completed in residence at Boston University School of Law (hereinafter “BU Law” or “the School”).
b. Pass all first-year doctrinal courses and the first-year Lawyering Program’s course requirements.
c. Take at least 26 units in each year and 12 units in each term, except as otherwise permitted by the Dean or the Dean’s designate.
d. Satisfy the upper-class writing requirement, the professional responsibility requirement, and a minimum of 6 units of experiential courses. No single course can be used to fulfill more than one of the degree requirements listed in 2(d).
e. Complete Business Fundamentals.
f. Earn at least 85 passing units.
g. Fail not more than 5 units in courses and seminars taken during the second and third years.
h. Earn a final average of at least 2.3.
i. (1) Complete the JD program in no more than five years from its commencement (including any leaves of absence) and (2) take at least 10 units in each of at least four terms. Requirements (1) and (2) of this paragraph are fundamental requirements of the JD program. This paragraph does not affect the requirement, stated in paragraph (c) above, that a student who seeks to take fewer than 12 units in any term, or fewer than 26 units in any year, must obtain permission from the Dean or the Dean’s designate.
Note: Satisfying the BU Law graduation requirements does not necessarily insure that a student has satisfied the requirements for the bar examination for any given state. Students should check the bar examination requirements of the states where the student may wish to sit for the bar examination to make certain that the student is satisfying those states’ requirements. In addition to a bar examination, there are character, fitness, and other qualifications for admission to the bar in every US jurisdiction. Applicants are encouraged to determine the requirements for any jurisdiction in which they intend to seek admission by contacting the jurisdiction. Addresses for all relevant agencies are available through the National Conference of Bar Examiners.
3. Honors. The JD degree with honors, including cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude, will be awarded on the basis of cumulative average. Any student graduating with an average in the top one-third of the class shall receive a degree cum laude, and any student graduating with an average in the top 10% of the class shall receive a degree magna cum laude. The Registrar shall present to the Faculty the names and averages of any students graduating with an average in the top 1% of the class, so that the Faculty may consider whether to award any such students degrees summa cum laude. All policies concerning honors may be changed by vote of the Faculty, and such changes are binding on all who have not yet received their degrees.
1. First-year program. The first-year program includes (1) required first-year doctrinal courses; and (2) the first-year Lawyering Skills course, with moot court. As provided in Article I, paragraph 2(b), no student may earn a JD degree without passing each part of the first-year program.
2. Continuation. Students will be administratively dismissed from the School if (1) they earn an average below 2.0 in a completed first-year program, or (2) they fail more than six first-year units. Such students may petition for reinstatement under Article X. Other students may continue, subject to the provisions of section 3 below and, for students whose average is not above 2.7, subject to any conditions or academic support program that the Academic Standards Committee may prescribe.
3. Retaking failed parts of the first-year program. A student eligible for continuation under section 2 above, but who has failed any part of the first-year program, must retake any failed part of that program during the next year. If practicable, the student will be assigned to a section taught by a different instructor. Both the original grade and the grade earned on retaking will appear on the student’s transcript, and both will be counted in the student’s average. Students who fail a retaken part of the first-year program will be administratively dismissed from the School and must petition for reinstatement under Article X.
1. Minimum units in a year or term. No student may register for fewer than 26 units in an academic year, and no fewer than 12 units in the fall or spring term, without advance permission from the Dean or the Dean’s designate. Such permission will be granted only in extraordinary circumstances, unless the Academic Standards Committee has approved summer units under Article IV, Sec. 6. Any student who fails to meet the minimum units registration requirements without attaining advance permission from the Dean or the Dean’s designate by the end of the add/drop period of the final term in the student’s academic year will not be in good standing with the School of Law. Students not in good standing may be subject to sanctions and/or loss of institutional aid for failing to maintain full-time enrollment/good standing. Any student who, without permission, fails to take at least 12 units during the fall or spring terms will be administratively dismissed from the School and required to petition for reinstatement under Article X.
2. Maximum units in a term. No student may register for more than 17 JD-degree-applicable units a term.
3. Maximum Units from Non–Grade Point Average Sources, Independent Studies, Moot Court, and Externship Fieldwork. Some sources of units do not produce grades that are included in a student’s grade point average, even if grades appear on the transcript. These sources include: study abroad programs; externship fieldwork (including fieldwork in the term-in-practice program); non-law courses taken elsewhere in the University or at other universities or law schools; coursework taken on a Units/No Units basis; and non-graded units for work on law journals. A student may not apply more than 17 units from such sources, independent studies, and moot court toward the total number of units required for graduation. This limit may be waived by the Academic Standards Committee on a showing of good cause, but the Committee shall not allow more than 21 units from all such sources to be applied toward the graduation requirement in any case other than those involving students who have been in a full-year study abroad program. Non–grade point average units earned at another law school which Boston University School of Law accepts for an incoming transfer student do not count toward the 17-unit maximum.
4. Continuation for second- and third-year students. Second- or third-year students will be administratively dismissed from the School if (1) they fail to earn an average of at least 2.0 in second-year courses and seminars; (2) they fail to earn a cumulative average, at the end of the second year, of at least 2.3; (3) they fail a retaken required course; or (4) they fail more than five units after the first year. Such students must petition for reinstatement under Article X. Other students may continue, except that continuation for students whose cumulative average at the end of the second year is not above 2.7 is subject to any conditions or academic support programs that the Academic Standards Committee may prescribe.
5. Professional responsibility requirement. In the second or third year, all students must pass one of the following: (1) a course in professional responsibility offered to JD students generally, (2) a course in professional responsibility offered in conjunction with the School’s civil or criminal clinics, or (3) the School’s Legal and Judicial Externship programs. Unless the Faculty directs otherwise under Article IV, paragraph 4(b), a student who fails a course or program listed above, but who is nonetheless in good standing, must take or retake a professional responsibility course offered to JD students generally at BU Law. Both the failing grade and the grade in the second professional responsibility course will appear on the student’s transcript, and both will be counted in the student’s average. Students who fail a second course in professional responsibility will be administratively dismissed from the School and must petition for reinstatement under Article X. No course used to fulfill the professional responsibility requirement can be applied to the experiential education or upper-class writing requirement.
6. Upper-Class Writing Requirement. In addition to the First-Year Lawyering Program, students must satisfy the Upper-Class Writing Requirement during their second or third years. The central goal of the Upper-Class Writing Requirement is to provide each student with a rigorous writing experience that will assist the student in developing superior writing skills in a legal context. While the content and format of the writing experience may vary, to meet the requirement, the student must write a paper or series of papers involving substantial legal analysis and research, multiple drafts, and review by a member of the full-time faculty, or, with the approval of the Dean’s designate, a part-time faculty member. The final product must demonstrate analytical and writing ability of a high professional caliber.
As a condition for registration for the final two terms, a student who has not yet satisfied the Upper-Class Writing Requirement must specify how they intend to satisfy the requirement and must obtain the approval of the supervising faculty member. Upon the student’s satisfactory completion of the work, the faculty member shall certify to the Registrar that the student has satisfied the Upper-Class Writing Requirement.
Students who do not complete the Upper-Class Writing Requirement prior to their final term must produce a first draft, compliant with all requirements, to their faculty advisor no later than the last class day of the fourth week of the student’s final term.
A student may satisfy the Upper-Class Writing Requirement in a number of different ways, as long as the option chosen satisfies the requirements and expectations specified above. The available options for satisfying the requirement are as follows:
a. A paper involving legal analysis and research, at least 6,000 words in length, not counting footnotes, written in conjunction with an upper-class law school course, seminar, or independent study.
b. A combination of shorter papers involving legal analysis and research written in conjunction with an upper-class law school course, seminar, or independent study that in the aggregate satisfies the length requirement of 6,000 words, not counting footnotes.
c. Two shorter papers in different courses, seminars, or independent studies involving legal analysis and research of at least 3,000 words each: students may satisfy the requirement by completing two shorter papers in different seminars, courses, clinics, or independent studies. One such paper must be a paper involving substantial research.
d. A paper based on a draft written for one of the law school’s journals, including:
i. a completed note draft, subject to the following requirements: in order to satisfy the requirement using a journal draft, the student must obtain the approval of a faculty member to register for a no-unit independent study, in which the faculty member will review the student’s draft and require at least one revision based on the faculty member’s comments.
ii. The final paper must be at least 6,000 words in length, not counting footnotes. If the faculty member has already worked with the student in development of the journal draft, such that the faculty member is satisfied that the student has already done at least one revision under their direction and thereby produced a paper of sufficient quality to satisfy the Upper-Class Writing Requirement, then the faculty member may certify the completion of the independent study as if the earlier work had been done for the independent study.
e. A moot court problem and bench memo at least 6,000 words in length, not counting footnotes, written by the moot court directors for one of the law school’s intramural moot court competitions. Competition briefs are not eligible for certification.
f. A paper written in conjunction with a clinical program that:
i. is at least 6,000 words in length, not counting footnotes, or a combination of shorter papers that, in the aggregate, satisfies the 6,000 words length requirement; and
ii. in the judgment of the clinical professor, involves substantial legal analysis and research, multiple drafts, and review by the clinical professor.
g. One shorter research paper and one professional writing course: students may satisfy the requirement by satisfying both of the following:
i. complete with a grade of B or better a designated professional writing course, in which professional legal writing is the primary focus and in which assignments totaling at least 3,000 words are required, with feedback and revision and
ii. complete one shorter research paper of 3,000 words or more involving substantial legal analysis and research written in a seminar, course, clinic, or independent study.
h. A dedicated research and writing course: students may be able to satisfy the writing requirement by receiving a B or above in a dedicated research and writing course, provided that research is a significant part of the course, that the assignments require a minimum of 6,000 words of final output, and that supervision and feedback satisfy the requirements of Article IV.
7. Experiential Education. Every student is required to take one or more experiential courses, earning a minimum of six units of experiential education, prior to graduation. No course used to fulfill the experiential education requirement can be applied to the professional responsibility or upper-class writing requirement.
8. Business Fundamentals Requirement. All JD students must complete and pass the non-unit online Business Fundamentals (JD 605) course. This requirement may be fulfilled during the summer after the first year or thereafter. Students are encouraged to complete this requirement as early as possible and strongly encouraged to do so prior to their final term.
9. Units/No Units/Honors Option. Second- and third-year students may elect to register for up to eight units of non-required coursework on a Units/No Units/Honors basis after first year if the coursework qualifies. Any graded course or seminar is eligible for registration on a Units/No Units/Honors basis unless the instructor has listed the course as unavailable for such enrollment. Students wishing to take a graded course or seminar on a Units/No Units/Honors basis must exercise that option by the end of the add/drop period for the term in question. A student, however, can elect to reverse this decision and take the course on a graded basis for an additional two-week period after the end of the add/drop period.
10. Failure to satisfy degree requirements. Any student who, at the end of the third year, has failed to satisfy the requirements for the JD degree must petition the Academic Standards Committee with a specific proposal for completing outstanding requirements. The Committee will report the matter to the Faculty with a recommendation. Upon receipt of the Committee’s report and recommendation, the Faculty may direct either that the students be administratively dismissed from the School or, where appropriate, that the student complete specified work to satisfy degree requirements.
Graduation Requirements Worksheets are also available online.