Law Studies Abroad
- International Exchange Programs
- Student-Initiated Study Abroad
- January Term Abroad
- External Studies Projects
International Exchange Programs
 |
| Bucerius Law School |
Second- and third-year students may participate in six international exchange programs: the University of Auckland in New Zealand; Bucerius Law School in Hamburg, Germany; the University of Melbourne in Australia; the University of Nottingham in England; Tel Aviv University Law School in Israel and Waseda University in Tokyo. Students who participate in these exchange programs will be abroad either in the fall semester of their third year (Auckland, Bucerius, Melbourne, Nottingham, Waseda) or in the spring semester of their second year (Tel Aviv). Students who attend Bucerius earn 13 transfer credits and one residency semester. Students who attend Auckland, Melbourne, Nottingham,Tel Aviv or Waseda earn 12 transfer credits and one residency semester. Students who wish to earn additional credits may concurrently enroll in independent research projects at Virginia while on exchange.
In addition, the Law School offers rising third-year students the opportunity to obtain a combined degree from University Paris 1 Pantheon - Sorbonne Law School and Sciences Po/Paris. Students who successfully complete this program earn 27 transfer credits, two residency semesters, a French law degree (entitling them to sit for the French bar exam) and a J.D. degree from Virginia. Interested students should contact the Sciences Po/Paris Web site.
Transfer students awarded two residency semesters at entrance are not eligible to participate in these international exchange programs.
Language Requirements
Bucerius offers over a dozen courses in English, Tel Aviv offers approximately a dozen, and Waseda offers eight (an increase from the four courses listed on the Waseda Web site). Therefore at these schools proficiency in the local language is beneficial, but not required. However, students enrolling in the dual-degree program at Sciences Po must demonstrate that they are highly proficient in French, as all classes are conducted in French, and students must submit papers and exams written in French.
How to Apply
Information sessions for students interested in study abroad will be held early in the fall and spring semesters. Students who wish to apply for the exchange programs or the dual-degree program should submit to the faculty International Relations Committee (via Professor Paul Stephan) a resume, transcript and a 1-2 page statement of background and interest. The deadline for the fall 2009 programs is Oct. 27, 2008, and the deadline for the spring 2010 program at Tel Aviv will be early in the spring semester of 2009.
Interested students should contact Professor Paul Stephan for further information.
Up to 20 law students may enroll in the Law School's January term option in Paris during Jan. 4-15, 2009. Participants will take a one-credit intensive course on French Public and Private Law, taught in English by Professor Marie Goré of the law faculty of the University of Paris II (Panthéon-Assas). They will also benefit from a speaker series and visit sites in Paris. These sessions, which are intended to permit a direct experience of the French legal culture and French institutions, will be conducted in English. The 2009 January term in Paris is a pilot project. If successful, the Law School may expand the program to additional locations in the future. More
Student-Initiated Study Abroad
Under the student-initiated study abroad program a student may spend one semester away from the Law School studying law in a foreign university law school or law department, for which the student will receive up to 15 credits (up to 12 transfer credits for coursework completed at the foreign law school and three graded credits for a research paper to be written as part of the study abroad experience) and one semester of residence credit toward the J.D. degree. Program requirements and application procedures are available in Academic Policies.
Under the external studies program, students may spend one semester abroad in a supervised setting combining academic legal research and work experience, for which students receive 12 credits. Past host organizations include the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Association for Water and Rural Development in South Africa, National Public Radio, the Center for Implementing Public Policies on Equity and Growth in Buenos Aires, and the War Crimes Chamber of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Program
requirements and application procedures
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Student Records Office
434-924-7347
lawsro@virginia.edu
See also: Academic Policies