Juris Doctor Total Required Hours: 86
86 credit hours (of which 65 must be for a W&M Law letter grade). Additionally, the American Bar Association specifies that no more than 20 percent of the required credit hours may be taken in any one semester. At William & Mary, this means students may not take more than 17 credits in any one semester.
Concentrations (optional)
Introduction
This policy provides overall requirements and guidance for students who pursue a concentration as part of the J.D. program at the Law School. Concentrations indicate focused coursework and experiential learning or independent research in a particular area of study beyond the required curriculum. Students who successfully complete the concentration will receive a notation on their Law School transcripts.
Requirements
The requirements for particular concentrations are included in the Appendices and may be revised from time to time, depending on the course and instructor availability.
Each concentration requires successful completion of (1) two or more foundational courses, (2) three or more approved courses, and (3) an independent research paper or an experiential course. The number of courses required in (1) and (2) is specific to the individual concentration being pursued; students must meet their particular concentration’s requirements as noted in the Appendices. Students may petition the Vice Dean to approve, in his or her discretion, courses not included in the Appendices if the course is substantially related to the area of concentration.
A student will be deemed to have satisfied the requirements for completion of the concentration only upon approval of the Concentration Completion Form by the Assistant Dean for Academic Services. The Form must be submitted by February 1 for May graduates, by May 1 for August graduates, and by September 1 for December graduates. The Assistant Dean for Academic Services may provisionally approve completion if the Form indicates that the concentration’s requirements will be completed through pending coursework or a pending research paper.
Other Policies
Students pursuing a concentration register for courses in the same manner as other students and do not receive priority registration in a course. Accordingly, students are encouraged to consider in a timely manner course selection and plans for fulfilling concentration requirements and to prioritize concentration courses in their registration process.
Students may pursue a maximum of two concentrations. Students who pursue two concentrations must complete the requirements for each independently and may not count a single course or experience as satisfying two concentrations.
Students may use a single course to satisfy both the Law School’s six-credit experiential learning requirement and the experiential course option in Group C of a concentration.
Students may elect the third year student P/F grade conversion option for a graded course that meets a concentration requirement.
Students are responsible for ensuring that they have met all concentration requirements. Any questions or concerns in this regard, or any identification of errors or ambiguities in the Appendices, should be brought to the Assistant Dean for Academic Services as soon as possible.
The Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs may, in his or her discretion, interpret this Policy as required. Amendments to the Appendices, including additions to or removal of available concentrations, may be affected by the Assistant Dean for Academic Services in consultation with faculty teaching in the concentration. Not all courses will be available each year. In the sole discretion of the Assistant Dean for Academic Services, a course other than those listed in Groups B and C may be counted toward those requirements.
