I. Academic Policies and Procedures

The information contained on this website is for informational purposes only. The Graduate Record represents the official repository for academic program requirements. These publications may be found at www.virginia.edu/registrar/catalog/grad.html.

E. Degree Requirements

JURIS DOCTOR (J.D.) DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Candidates for the J.D. degree must satisfy the following to earn their degrees. 

1) REQUIRED COURSES In addition to successfully completing the basic first-year required courses (Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, Legal Research and Writing I and II, Property and Torts), J.D. degree candidates must successfully complete a professional ethics course and obtain at least six (6) credits from one or more designated professional skills courses.

Students entering the J.D. program in fall 2023 and thereafter must (i) participate in the 1L orientation training session on bias, cross-cultural competency and racism, and (ii) successfully complete at least one course designated by the faculty as reinforcing the skill of cultural competency and the obligation of lawyers to work to eliminate racism in the legal profession.

2) ACADEMIC RECORD During each academic year of enrollment all degree candidates must earn a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.7 and accumulate fewer than three exclusion points (see section I.J).

3) CREDITS J.D. degree candidates must successfully earn a minimum of 86 degree credits. At least 64 of the 86 credits must be in courses that require attendance in regularly scheduled classroom sessions or direct faculty instruction. Additional information about the courses that satisfy this requirement may be obtained from the Student Records Office. See section I.P for the Law School's credit hour policy.

4) RESIDENCY J.D. degree candidates must complete six semesters in residence. A semester in residence is one in which a student enrolls in a minimum of 12 credits toward the degree and receives passing grades for at least nine of those 12 credits. Transfer students must complete at least 24 hours of classroom study at an accredited law school prior to enrolling at Virginia, for which they are awarded two semesters in residence at entrance.

5) WRITING REQUIREMENT In accordance with American Bar Association standards, all J.D. degree candidates must satisfy the Law School’s upper-level writing requirement by completing at least one substantial research paper after the first year (see section I.M).

6) CONDUCT All degree candidates must conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the Law School's academic and non-academic student conduct requirements (see section VII).

7) DURATION OF PROGRAM REQUIREMENT: In accordance with American Bar Association standards, the course of study for the J.D. degree must be completed no later than 84 months after a student has commenced law study at Virginia Law or another law school from which the student transferred, except in extraordinary circumstances.

MASTER OF LAWS (LL.M.) DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Candidates for the LL.M. degree must satisfy the following to earn their degrees. NOTE: LL.M. degree candidates intending to sit for a bar exam may have additional course requirements specific to the jurisdiction of admission and should review carefully that jurisdiction’s policies (consult the Graduate Studies Office for details).

1) ACADEMIC RECORD During each academic year of enrollment all degree candidates must earn a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.7 and accumulate fewer than three exclusion points (see section I.I).

2) CREDITS LL.M. degree candidates must successfully earn a minimum of 24 semester credits. See section I.P for the Law School's credit hour policy.

3) RESIDENCY LL.M. degree candidates must complete two semesters in residence. A semester in residence is one in which a student enrolls in a minimum of 12 credits toward the degree and receives passing grades for at least nine of those 12 credits.

4) WRITING REQUIREMENT LL.M. degree candidates must satisfy the Law School’s upper-level writing requirement by completing at least one substantial research paper (see section I.M).

5) CONDUCT All degree candidates must conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the Law School's academic and non-academic student conduct requirements (see section VII).

DOCTOR OF JURIDICAL SCIENCE (S.J.D.) DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

In accordance with Law School policy, the course of study for the S.J.D. degree must be completed within five years of admittance to candidacy. Candidates for the S.J.D. degree must satisfy the following to earn their degrees.

1) CREDITS S.J.D. degree candidates must successfully earn a minimum of 30 semester credits. These credits are earned through completion of the student’s first year study plan, dissertation work in residence, and attendance at the S.J.D. colloquium. Please note that S.J.D. students who pay tuition at the research rate may not enroll in classes for credit, but may audit up to two classes with the instructor’s permission.

2) ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS S.J.D. degree candidates must complete a dissertation approved by the Graduate Committee and successfully defend the dissertation in an oral examination. In order for the candidate to proceed to the dissertation stage, his or her supervisor must certify successful completion of the first-year program of study. The candidate must also submit a revised dissertation proposal at the end of the year, approved by the supervisor and the Graduate Studies Committee. The candidate must deposit a final version of the dissertation with the Law Library. The dissertation must make an original contribution to legal literature and demonstrate mastery of the principles of scholarly research and critical analysis. It is expected that the dissertation will be publishable as a book or a series of law review articles.

The oral examination will be conducted by a committee consisting of the dissertation supervisor and two other faculty members. After the examination, the committee will report to the faculty its opinion of the candidate’s work and fitness for the degree. The dissertation may be submitted and the oral exam held at any time within five years of the student’s admission to the S.J.D. program. This period may be extended if the student shows good cause submitted in writing to the Graduate Studies Committee.

3) CONDUCT All degree candidates must conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the Law School's academic and non-academic student conduct requirements (see section VII).

Index

Academic Policies (continued)