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Degree Programs
Juris Doctor Program
To be eligible for the Juris Doctor degree, students must satisfy the requirements set forth below:
1. Complete 86 semester units
2. Maintain a cumulative grade point average that places the student in academic good standing
3. Complete the required course of study
4. Complete the Supervised Analytical Writing Requirement
5. Have no pending question of academic dishonesty or moral turpitude that would preclude granting of the degree
6. Complete the equivalent of 45,000 minutes of regular classroom instruction
7. Complete the Professional Skills Requirement
8. File a completed petition to graduate with the Student Services Office
Full-time program
First-year full-time students are automatically registered for only the required courses offered in the first-year full-time curriculum. After the first year, full-time students are expected to enroll in no fewer than 12 units and no more than 17 units absent approval from the senior assistant dean for student services. Full-time students usually enroll in day courses but, space permitting, may elect evening offerings.
To be eligible for federal financial aid, students must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 units. For purposes of student loans and loan repayment, students taking 12 or more units per semester are considered full-time students.
Part-time program
First-year part-time students are automatically registered for only the required courses offered in the first-year part-time curriculum. After the first year, part-time students are expected to enroll in no fewer than 8 units and no more than 11 units absent approval from the senior assistant dean for student services. Part-time students usually enroll in evening courses, but space permitting, may elect daytime offerings.
To be eligible for federal financial aid, students must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 units. For purposes of student loans and loan repayment, students taking 6 to 11 units per semester are considered half-time students, and students taking fewer than 6 units per semester are considered less than half-time students.
Summer sessions
Summer session courses may be credited toward the professional degree. Students may find it advantageous to take one or more courses offered in the summer so they may elect advanced or specialized courses in the third or fourth years.
Summer session consists primarily of evening classes and usually includes several bar or required classes. On-campus and Summer Abroad courses are open to students who have completed one year of study at the law school and whose cumulative grade point average at the end of the immediately preceding academic period is at least 2.33. Students may enroll in a maximum of 8 units during a summer session.
Grades earned in on-campus summer sessions or overseas summer programs are not used in calculating a student’s cumulative grade point average for purposes of academic qualification or disqualification at the end of the immediately preceding academic year.
J.D./MBA or J.D./MSIS Program
Santa Clara Law and the Leavey School of Business offer two joint degree programs for eligible law students. The J.D./MBA and J.D./MSIS joint degree programs are designed to be primarily 3.5- to 4-year full-time programs. The programs are available only to SCU School of Law and Leavey School of Business students who have been accepted by both schools for participation in one of the programs. Law students must apply to the Leavey School of Business during their first year of law studies. Students must enter the program before they have completed 45 law school units.
1. While enrolled in the program, students must:
a. Maintain a satisfactory grade point average in each school
b. Satisfy the academic requirements of each school
c. Complete the same number of courses in the business school and semester units of credit in the law school as other recipients of the respective degrees
d. Complete all courses identified as required by both schools
e. Work out a specific, individualized academic program with the senior assistant dean for student services and the business school program director
2. With the approval of any such individualized academic program, permission may be granted to count certain specified courses for credit toward both degrees. Business School units must have grades of C or better and will transfer to the law transcript as CR/NC grades.
3. Under a typical schedule, students complete the program and receive both degrees in 3.5 or 4 years. The first year is spent exclusively in the law school. During the second year, students are required to take primarily business classes. Thereafter, work is taken concurrently in both schools.
4. To receive credit toward the J.D. degree from courses taken in the business school, students must have completed 78 units of law courses and be within two courses of completing the business degree.
5. In no event may students receive credit for more than 12 quarter units at the business school for which credit is also obtained at the law school, or more than 8 semester units at the law school for which credit is also obtained at the business school. (3 quarter units at the business school count as 2 semester units at the law school; 2 semester units at the law school count as 3 quarter units at the business school.)
LL.M. Program in United States Law
Students whose primary education was gained outside the United States may pursue a general study of United States law or elect to specialize in one of three areas of U.S. law, (a) intellectual property law, (b) human rights law, or (c) international and comparative law. These three specializations have distinct requirements.
Admission to the program is open to individuals who have
1. Obtained a degree in law from a non-U.S. educational institution that is accredited by the appropriate authority in that country
2. Graduated in the upper one-half of their law school class. If no such ranking is maintained by the school, a record that demonstrates above average or superior academic performance, or, alternatively, work experience, post graduate education, or standardized tests, which demonstrate the ability to undertake advanced legal studies.
3. Achieved an acceptable score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) administered by the Educational Testing Service within the past two years. If the applicant’s legal education was received primarily in English or if the applicant can demonstrate English fluency, the TOEFL test, on application, may be waived (a written request must be submitted with the application for admission). As all classes and examinations are in English, students must be reasonably fluent in written and spoken English.
Applicants must submit:
1. A completed application for admission to the program
2. A nonrefundable application processing fee. See the current application for fee details.
3. Documentation certified for authenticity, of the following three requirements
a. degree(s) earned
b. academic rank or performance indicators, including official transcripts of all academic work (to be official, the transcript must be received by an SCU official in a sealed envelope from the university of its origin). Transcripts may be received through the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) Credential Assembly Service (CAS).
c. official TOEFL scores submitted directly from Educational Testing Service (ETS) or through the LSAC-CAS
4. Two letters of recommendation from persons familiar with the applicant’s professional or academic work
Applications must be mailed to:
Office of Graduate Legal Programs
Santa Clara University School of Law
500 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, CA 95053-0424
Within 30 days of admission, a nonrefundable deposit of $1,000 is due and credited toward the student’s full tuition amount. Courses are billed per unit, payable in advance of each semester by the financial clearance deadline. The rules regarding refunds are the same as those for the J.D. degree.
To complete the program, students must successfully complete 24 semester units of credit from the approved curriculum. These units may be completed over two regular semesters at the law school, plus the required summer course preceding the first semester, Introduction to United States Law. All graduation requirements must be completed in a maximum of two years from the date of matriculation. Some courses may be completed at one of the law school’s summer abroad programs taken in the summer following the student’s second semester. All students must successfully complete the following:
1. Introduction to United States Law (3 units). This is a three week intensive course beginning in late July or early August that provides a background to the legal system of the United States, instruction on legal research in the United States, reasoning and analysis under the common law, and an overview of core areas of U.S. law such as: civil procedure, constitutional law, contracts, torts, real estate, corporate law, intellectual property law and antitrust. Students visit state and federal courts.
2. An international or comparative law course (2-3 units). Students may select any course in the area of international or comparative law from the list of courses previously approved by the faculty for students seeking an International Law Certificate. Course selection must be approved in advance by the director of graduate legal programs. This requirement may be satisfied at one of the law school’s summer study abroad programs with prior approval from the director.
3. LL.M. Writing Requirement (2-3 units). Students must prepare an in depth research paper on an aspect of law related to their degree. To accomplish this, a student may enroll in a course approved by the director of graduate legal programs that requires a paper or the student may enroll in a 2-3 unit directed study. Students seeking a specialty designation will be expected to do their paper in the area of their specialization. Students are encouraged to submit their completed work to one of the law school's scholarly journals.
The balance of the units required for graduation may be selected from upper division courses offered at the law school. The academic program proposed by the student must be approved in advance by the director.
Students may focus their degree in one of three areas, (a) intellectual property, (b) human rights law, or (c) international and comparative law. Students should designate their intent to pursue a specialization prior to the beginning of the program. Prior to the beginning of the spring semester, students must confirm with the director that all requirements for the specialization are being satisfied.
Intellectual property specialization
In addition to the three required classes listed above students specializing in United States intellectual property law must successfully complete four classes (12 units) approved by the faculty for students seeking the High Tech Law Certificate. Two of those courses must be from the following: Patents (232); Copyright Law (385); Trade Secret Law & Policy (478) or Trademarks & Unfair Competition (227). The remaining units are from electives, subject to approval from the director of graduate legal programs. The paper for the LL.M. writing requirement must be in an approved area of intellectual property law.
Human rights specialization
In addition to the three required classes listed above students specializing in human rights law must take 12 units of social justice courses from lists “A”, “B”, and “C”, found at: law.scu.edu/socialjustice/certificate-and-curriculum.cfm with at least one of those courses coming from list “B”. Students are also strongly encouraged to undertake no less than fifteen hours of pro bono or clinical work during their residency. The remaining units are from electives, subject to approval from the director of graduate legal programs. The paper for the LL.M. writing requirement must be in an area of human rights law.
International and comparative law specialization
In addition to the Introduction to U.S. Law course and the LL.M. writing requirement, students specializing in international and comparative law must (a) successfully complete the academic portion of at least one School of Law Summer Abroad program or (b) enroll as a full-time law student for one semester at a law school with which the School of Law has a cooperative agreement.
Students must take at least one course from each of the following categories of classes:
- Public international law
- Private international law
- Comparative law
For the current list of courses, visit law.scu.edu/international/international-law-certificate.cfm. The remaining units are from electives, subject to approval from the director of graduate legal programs. The paper for the LL.M. writing requirement must be in an approved area of international and comparative law.
Students who begin one of the areas of specialization may elect at any time to transfer to the non-specialized LL.M. program in United States law.
With prior approval of the director, students may take up to six units toward their LL.M degree by successfully completing one of the law school’s summer abroad programs. This may be accomplished in the summer following the student’s second semester of on campus residency. Where appropriate, the summer course may also satisfy elements of the specialization requirements. e.g.; a summer program in human rights in Seoul, Costa Rica, or Geneva/Strasbourg may satisfy a social justice/human rights specialization requirement, or a program in intellectual property in Munich or Sydney may satisfy an intellectual property specialization requirement.
Students in the LL.M. Program in United States Law are graded on a Pass/No Pass basis only.
For more information
Office of Graduate Legal Programs
llmadmissions@scu.edu or 408-551-1963
law.scu.edu/international/llm-in-us-law.cfm
LL.M. Program in Intellectual Property Law
The Master of Law in Intellectual Property is for graduates of accredited law schools in the United States. The program builds not only on the extensive course offerings and rich curriculum in intellectual property (IP) law offered at the School of Law, but also on the knowledge of leading scholars in the field. Through the program participants may enroll in courses offered by the law school’s world renowned faculty, visiting scholars, and leading practitioners from the Silicon Valley legal community.
Students may enroll on a full- or part-time basis, but must complete the degree within two calendar years from the date of matriculation. This time limit may be extended for good cause with the approval of the director of graduate legal programs.
To be eligible for federal financial aid, students must be enrolled in a minimum of 6 units. For purposes of student loans and loan repayment, students taking 12 or more units per semester are considered full-time students, students taking 6 to 11 units per semester are considered half-time students, and students taking fewer than 6 units per semester are considered less than half-time students.
Admission to the program is open to individuals who have shown by their educational and experiential background that they will be able to fully participate in and successfully complete the program requirements. Admission is open to individuals who have
1. Obtained their J.D degree from an educational institution in the U. S. that is accredited by the American Bar Association, or the State of California
2. Strong academic credentials or demonstrated equivalent qualifications through work experience and their profession
Applicants must submit:
1. A completed application for admission to the program
2. A nonrefundable application processing fee. See the current application for fee details
3. Two letters of recommendation from persons familiar with the applicant's professional or academic work
4. Official transcripts of all academic work (to be official, the transcript must be received by an SCU official in a sealed envelope from the university of its origin)
Applications must be mailed to:
Office of Graduate Legal Programs
Santa Clara University School of Law
500 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, CA 95053-0424
Individuals who obtained a degree in law from a non-U.S. educational institution accredited by the appropriate authority in that country and who are interested in a specialization in intellectual property law should apply for the LL.M. program in United States Law. (See description of the LL.M program in United States Law earlier in this Bulletin).
Within 30 days of admission, a nonrefundable deposit of $1,000 is due and credited toward the student’s full tuition amount. Courses are billed per unit, payable in advance of each semester by the financial clearance deadline. The rules regarding refunds are the same as those for the J.D. degree.
To complete the program, students must complete 24 semester units of credit from the approved curriculum. There are three required courses:
- 385. Copyright Law (3 units)
- 237. Patent Law (3 units)
- 227. Trademarks and Unfair Competition (3 units)
In addition, students must complete an LL.M. writing requirement (2-3 units). This may be accomplished by enrolling in a course with a paper requirement that has been approved by the director of graduate legal programs or by enrolling in a 2-3 unit directed study. Each student must prepare an in depth research paper on an aspect of law related to their degree. Students are encouraged to submit their completed work to one of the law school's scholarly journals.
The remaining elective units may be taken in any of the IP courses offered as LL.M. courses at the law school.
Students who have received at least a B- grade in any of the three required courses as part of their J.D. program within five years of beginning the LL.M. program need not retake the course(s). These students may substitute elective courses deemed appropriate by the director of graduate legal programs. In addition, as part of their LL.M. curriculum, students may not take the same or equivalent courses previously taken for which they received a B- or better.
To receive the LL.M. degree students must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 (B-) or better on all graded course work taken toward the degree. In addition, LL.M. students receive credit for a course only if a grade of C or better is earned.
Santa Clara School of Law graduates who received a High Tech Law Certificate (HTLC) within five years of beginning the LL.M. program may apply all 9 units of the core IP courses toward their LL.M. in Intellectual Property Law degree. Thus, recipients of the HTLC may receive this LL.M. by successfully completing 15 units, exclusive of the core IP courses.
LL.M. program students have full access to the resources available through Law Career Services. Graduates of the LL.M. program in Intellectual Property Law pay a fee of $700 per unit for post-graduation law courses attended for a CLE certificate. Full LL.M. tuition is charged for courses that are audited and recorded on a student's transcript.
For more information
Office of Graduate Legal Programs
llmadmissions@scu.edu; 408-551-1963
law.scu.edu/admissions/llm-intellectual-property.cfm
LL.M. Program in International and Comparative Law
Admission to this Master of Law program is open to those individuals who have shown by their educational and experiential background that they will be able to fully participate in and successfully complete the program requirements. Admission, therefore, is open only to those individuals who have:
1. Obtained their first law degree from an institution accredited by the American Bar Association or graduated, with distinction, from a law school accredited by the State of California
2. Demonstrated by their academic record and other experience their ability to benefit from and contribute positively to the program
Applicants must submit:
1. A completed application for admission to the program
2. A nonrefundable application processing fee. See the current application for fee details
3. Two letters of recommendation from persons familiar with the applicant's professional or academic work
4. Official transcripts of all academic work (to be official, the transcript must be received by an SCU official in a sealed envelope from the university of its origin)
Students with degrees from law schools outside the United States may also be candidates for this degree, but different admission, and somewhat different course requirements are imposed on non-U.S. trained candidates.
Applicants who received their law degree from a non-U.S. school must apply for the LL.M. in United States Law and declare a specialization in International and Comparative Law. The applicant must also submit documentation certified for authenticity, of the following three requirements:
a. degree(s) earned
b. academic rank or performance indicators, including official transcripts of all academic work (transcripts must be received by an SCU official in a sealed envelope from the university of its origin)
c. official TOEFL scores from ETS (scores may be submitted through LSAC-CAS)
Applications must be mailed to:
Office of Graduate Legal Programs
Santa Clara University School of Law
500 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, CA 95053-0424
Admission is competitive. Those admitted tend to have very strong law school records together with strong academic records and/or professional recommendations. The Admissions Committee also considers evidence of significant professional accomplishments.
A nonrefundable application processing fee is required at the time of application for the program. See the current application for fee details. Within 30 days of admission, a nonrefundable deposit of $1,000 is due and credited toward the student’s full tuition amount. Courses are billed per unit, payable in advance of each semester by the financial clearance deadline. The rules regarding refunds are the same as those for the J.D. degree.
Participants seeking the LL.M. degree must complete 24 semester hours of credit. Within these units, students must (a) successfully complete the academic portion of at least one School of Law Summer Abroad program or (b) enroll as a full-time law student for one semester at a law school with which the School of Law has a cooperative agreement. Students must complete the degree within two years from the date of matriculation.
Students must take at least one course from each of the following categories of classes:
- Public international law
- Private international law
- Comparative law
For the current list of courses, visit law.scu.edu/international/international-law-certificate.cfm.
In addition, students must complete an LL.M. writing requirement (2-3 units). This may be accomplished by enrolling in a course with a paper requirement that has been approved by the director of graduate legal programs or by enrolling in a 2-3 unit directed study. Each student must prepare an in depth research paper on an aspect of law related to their degree. Students are encouraged to submit their completed work to one of the law school's scholarly journals.
Students select the remaining units from upper-division courses in international and comparative law which may be offered in a regular academic year at the School of Law. In terms of electives, most upper-division courses are open to enrollment by LL.M. students, subject to approval from the director of graduate legal programs. Students may take up to 7 units of course credit toward their degree in the School of Law Summer Abroad programs.
For more information
Office of Graduate Legal Programs
llmadmissions@scu.edu or 408-551-1963
law.scu.edu/international/llm-icl.cfm
