The Office of Academic & Student Affairs

JD Graduation Requirements & Audit

ASA can serve as an advising resource to students who have questions about graduation requirements and their progress to fulfilling these graduation requirements.

JD Graduation Requirements

Class of 2022

*Please note: You may not use the same course to satisfy both the Experiential Education Requirement and the Upper-Level Writing Requirement. Meaning, you may not use a paper written in a course for your Experiential Education Requirement to also satisfy your Upper-Level Writing Requirement.

Reminders:

  • Credit Hour Policy
    • All Northeastern University School of Law courses shall be structured such that students are expected to devote at least 42.5 hours of work per credit to coursework, including time spent in class as well as time spent completing assigned readings, researching and writing papers, completing other assigned work, and preparing for and taking exams.
  • Except when approved by the Dean, students may not earn more than a total of six (6) credits of independent study toward the J.D. degree, and may not earn more than three (3) credits of independent study in any one (1) quarter
  • Students who do not transfer credits from non-ABA programs may earn up to twelve (12) credits that do not qualify for in-class instructional minutes for ABA purposes. (e.g., Independent Study, Moot Court and Legal Competitions, ALE, etc.)
    • Students who transfer credits from non-ABA programs may earn up to nine (9) credits that do not qualify for in-class instructional minutes for ABA purposes.
  • Coursework while on Co-op:
    • While on co-op, students may earn up to three (3) credits total for independent study, moot court, law review, and/or a synchronous, intensive course of up to two (2) credits that generally meets outside of regular business hours (a “Givelber-type” course).  The Co-op Office must approve the student’s registration in the Givelber-type course.  Students may not enroll in asynchronous online courses during a co-op term.

Class of 2023, 2024, & Beyond

*Please note: You may not use the same course to satisfy both the Experiential Education Requirement and the Upper-Level Writing Requirement. Meaning, you may not use a paper written in a course for your Experiential Education Requirement to also satisfy your Upper-Level Writing Requirement.

Class of 2023 and Class of 2024 students should refer to their Student Handbook to review all academic requirements and rules that govern their time at NUSL. Notably, there are some important course credit requirements and limits that students need to be aware of as they select their upper-level coursework and develop academic plans.

Course Credit Requirements and Limits

Minimum Number of In-Class Credits

Students must earn a minimum of sixty-seven (67) credits in courses that require attendance in regularly scheduled classroom sessions or direct faculty instruction, including online J.D. coursework (“in-class credits”).  Students may seek a waiver to reduce this threshold to sixty-four (64) credits by contacting the Assistant Dean for Academic and Student Affairs.

Online J.D. Coursework Limits

Students may earn no more than twelve (12) credits of online course credits toward the J.D. degree, and may not earn more than eight (8) credits in any one term. *Credits taken during COVID-impacted terms do not count towards this credit cap*

Non-In-Class & Non-Law Credit Limits

Non-in-class work includes: independent study, moot court, law review, lawyering fellow positions, research/teaching assistant positions, public interest externships, Applied Learning Experience (JD/MPH) credits, and all non-law coursework.  Unless granted a waiver to reduce the threshold for in-class credits to sixty-four (64) credits, students may earn no more than sixteen (16) credits of non-in-class work toward the J.D. degree in accordance with the following credit limits:

  • Independent Study Credit: Students may earn up to six (6) credits of independent study toward the J.D. degree, and may not earn more than three (3) credits of independent study in any one (1) upper-level academic term.
  • Moot Court Credit: Students may earn up to six (6) credits of moot court toward the J.D. degree.
  • Research Assistant Credit: Students may earn up to two (2) credits toward the J.D. degree for work as a research assistant.
  • Teaching Assistant Credit: Students may earn up to two (2) credits toward the J.D. degree for work as a teaching assistant.
  • Public Interest Externship Credit: Students may earn up to six (6) credits of public interest externships toward the J.D. degree.
  • Non-Law School Course Credit: Students may earn up to twelve (12) credit hours toward the J.D. degree by successfully completing non-law school, graduate-level offerings in other branches of the University.
  • Credit for Co-op: Students may earn up to eight (8) credit hours toward the J.D. degree for a co-op placement by completing the Reflections on Lawyering course. Specifically, students receive seven (7) credit hours for the co-op placement and one (1) credit hour for the Reflections course. The seven (7) credit hours for the co-op count as non-in-class credit subject to the sixteen (16) credit cap mentioned above. The one (1) credit hour for the Reflections course counts as in-class credit not subject to the sixteen (16) credit cap.

Taking Courses While on Co-op & Co-op For Credit

  • During their first co-op term, students may earn up to three (3) credits total for independent study, moot court, law review, and/or a synchronous, intensive course of up to two (2) credits that generally meets outside of regular business hours (a “Givelber-type” course).  The Co-op Office must approve the student’s registration in the Givelber-type course.  Students may not enroll in asynchronous online courses during their first co-op term.
  • During their second or third co-op terms, students may earn up to three (3) credits total for independent study, moot court, law review, a Givelber-type course (subject to Co-op Office approval), and/or an asynchronous online course, provided that they are not receiving credit for that co-op.  Students may enroll in a single asynchronous course of up to four (4) credits, provided that they are not receiving credit for that co-op and are not enrolled in any other credits while on co-op.[1]
    • [1] The four-credit allowance for a single asynchronous online course is in effect for the academic years 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24 and applies only to students entering in Fall 2020 or Fall 2021.
  • During any co-op term in which co-op field placement credits are offered, students may earn a total of seven (7) field placement credits for one co-op that is at least 10 weeks in length and entails at least 350 hours of work.[2]  Only co-ops that are for non-profit, government, or judicial employers are eligible for credit.  Students will be graded on a credit/unsatisfactory basis.  Students seeking to earn credit must enroll in a concurrent one (1) credit, asynchronous, reflective seminar subject to honorific grading.  A student who is completing a for-credit co-op along with a reflective seminar may not register for any additional credits during that term.
    • [2] The opportunity to earn field placement credit for co-op is not anticipated to begin until the 2022-2023 academic year.
  • The above limits do not apply to intensive courses for which scheduled classes do not overlap with the co-op employment period.  To illustrate, a student may enroll in a two-week course in May and then begin a co-op after Memorial Day.