Rule I-B: Requirements for the Hybrid Juris Doctor Degree

A. Definitions

  1. Degree - In all Academic Rules and Regulations, the term “Juris Doctor” or “J.D.” degree refers to both the residential and hybrid Juris Doctor programs, unless only one program is specified.
  2. Student - In all Academic Rules and Regulations, all references to students in a Juris Doctor or JD program refers to both students in the residential and hybrid Juris Doctor programs, unless only one type of student is specified.

B. Authority to Grant the Degree

Pursuant to authority granted by the State of New Hampshire, University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law (UNH Law) confers the Juris Doctor degree on candidates recommended by the faculty.

C. Eligibility to Receive the Degree

To be eligible for recommendation for the Juris Doctor degree, a student must complete the required curriculum by taking JD classes designated for the JD program in which a student is enrolled (hybrid) as follows:

  1. Undergraduate Degree - Receive an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university and submit an official transcript, which includes the date the baccalaureate degree was conferred, no later than October 15; and
  2. Grade Point Average - Achieve a grade point average equivalent to a C (2.00) or higher in all enrollment for credit toward the Juris Doctor degree; and
  3. (Reserved)
  4. Minimum Credits - Earn a minimum of eighty-five (85) credits not more than
    1. Nine (9) of which are earned at grades below C minus,
    2. Eighteen (18) of which are earned in clinical work,
    3. Caution: Some states set their own maximum and students should check for states where they are likely to take the bar exam.  (Revised by faculty 10/5/2017.)
    4. Eight (8) credits may be earned in Independent Study,
    5. Fifteen (15) credits may be earned from legal residencies,
    6. Twelve (12) credits may be earned in non-law, graduate-level work,
    7. Twenty-one (21) of which are earned in courses that do not qualify as “regularly scheduled class sessions” (as defined in ABA Standard 304(b), and Interpretation 304-3), which consists of the following coursework (or course opportunities) at UNH Law:
      1. Independent study;
      2. Clinical courses that do not have a mandatory classroom component;
      3. Legal Residencies;
      4. Non-law, graduate level work; and
      5. Co-curricular activities such as law review, moot court, and trial competitions.
         
  5. Curriculum - The required curriculum is set by the faculty and can only be altered by faculty vote. A curriculum table explaining all requirements can be found here: Juris Doctor: Hybrid (J.D.) Curriculum Requirements
  1. Upper Level Writing and Experiential Learning requirements: Separate Courses - Students must complete separate courses to fulfill the Upper-Level Writing and Experiential Learning requirements. A course may be designated as meeting each of the Upper-Level Writing and Experiential Learning requirements, but a student cannot fulfill both requirements by taking a single course. Courses that satisfy these requirements can be found in the online course schedule. 
  2. Upper Level Writing and Experiential Learning requirements: Timing - Students may complete courses fulfilling the Upper Level Writing and Experiential Learning requirements after they have earned at least 36 credits. Students are encouraged to start fulfilling the Upper Level Writing (minimum completion of 2 credit hours) and Experiential Learning (minimum completion of 6 credit hours) requirements no later than in the next-to-last semester of law school. Failure to do so could result in a delay in graduation. To enroll in a course meeting the Upper Level Writing requirement, a student must have satisfactorily completed LSK 921 Legal Analysis, Writing, and Research I & LSK 922 Legal Analysis, Writing, and Research II. Students enrolled in a course counting toward the Experiential learning requirement must complete any pre-requisites or be registered in any co-requisites for each Experiential learning and Upper Level Writing course.
  3. Preliminary Bar Exam - All Hybrid JD students, including transfer students, shall take a preliminary bar exam administered by UNH Law. This exam shall not count for course credit, GPA calculation, or class rank calculation. Scores on the preliminary bar exam shall not be recorded on students’ transcripts, although completion of the preliminary bar exam shall be noted on transcripts. Hybrid JD students will take the preliminary bar in the spring of their second year and, if required, retake in spring of their third year. Students who are unable to sit on the designated date due to an emergency, religious reason, or other circumstances beyond their control shall contact the Director of Academic Success as soon as possible upon realizing they will not be able to sit and will work with the Director to make arrangements to take the test at an alternate time that is reasonable both for the affected student and UNH Law. Students shall complete the preliminary bar exam requirement in one of the following ways:
    1. receiving a score at or above the level set by the Committee on Academic Standing and Success (CASS) and the Academic Success Program (ASP) when they first take the preliminary bar exam; or 
    2. students who do not receive a score at or above the level set by CASS and ASP in their first attempt must fulfill reasonable program requirements established by CASS and ASP to address specific weaknesses in substantive knowledge and / or skills. Additionally, these students must retake the preliminary bar exam in the following year. Students who first took the exam in the spring of their first year at UNH Law and do not achieve the set score in the spring of their second year shall have the option of re-taking the preliminary bar exam in the spring of their third year but shall not be required to take it. 
  4. Academic Probation - Be eligible to continue as a candidate for the Juris Doctor degree under Rule VI.A.(1) taking into account the semester immediately preceding graduation and have satisfied the terms of any applicable probation; and 
  5. Financial Responsibility - Satisfy outstanding financial obligations to UNH Law; and 
  6. Conduct Code Violation - Not be subject to a complaint of an alleged violation of the Conduct Code that if determined against the student could result in the suspension or dismissal of the student. 

D. Determination of Class Membership

For purposes of determining eligibility for the Juris Doctor degree under subdivision B of this rule, a student shall be a member of the class with which the student completes the majority of the courses then required in the second semester of the first-year Juris Doctorate curriculum.

E. Residency

  1.  Residency – “Residency” is defined as time spent enrolled as a student at the law school. 
    1. Have no semester-long geographic residency requirement. 
    2. Must complete a minimum of eight (8) semesters of enrollment. 
    3. Must attend the required immersion periods for each semester enrolled until required immersion periods have been attended. These Immersions must be completed in person, at the Concord campus or at a location designated by the law school. ​
      1. Students who complete the program in eight (8) semesters of enrollment must attend eleven (11) immersions. 
      2. Students who complete the program in nine (9) semesters of enrollment must attend twelve (12) immersions. 
      3. Students who complete the program in ten (10) or more semesters of enrollment must attend fourteen (14) immersions.
    4. ​Immersions attended remotely through an approved accommodation count toward your total required number of immersions. 
    5. Immersions missed without an approved accommodation must be made up before program completion. 
      1. Students who miss an immersion may arrange through the Hybrid JD Office to make up the missed immersion by attending a January intersession course or the Intellectual Property Summer Institute . 
      2. Students who miss an immersion may need to complete immersion requirements even if all other coursework is complete.
    6. ​Complete the requirements for obtaining the Juris Doctor Degree no later than 84 months after commencing the Juris Doctor degree program at UNH Law.
  2. Transfer Students
    1. ​Students transferring into the Hybrid JD program may reduce the number of credits spent in residency at Franklin Pierce by two semesters. Thus, Hybrid JD students a minimum of six (6) semesters in residency.
    2. Complete the requirements for obtaining the Juris Doctor Degree no later than 84 months after commencing the Juris Doctor degree program at UNH Law or a law school from which UNH Law has accepted transfer credit.
  3. ​Definition of "Semester" - A “semester” is one of three terms in an academic year. Each semester contains at least eleven (11) weeks of continuous classes, subject to holidays and vacations, followed by reading and examination periods. Semesters may vary in length.
  4. Definition of "Intersession" - Intersession is any course that begins and ends between the fall and spring semesters and will be considered as part of the subsequent term.   Summer courses for hybrid programs are part of the set degree requirements. Attendance at an intersession course counts toward required in-person instruction (per ABA variance). 
  5. Definition of “Full Time Enrollment” for Hybrid JD students - A Hybrid JD student is enrolled “full time” if the student is enrolled in a minimum of seven (7) credits each semester and no more than a maximum of twelve (12) credits. 
    1. Students may be allowed to exceed the 12-credit semester maximum by special permission of the Dean or their designee, in accordance with an approved plan of study.
  6. Definition of “Part Time Enrollment” for a Hybrid JD student - A Hybrid JD student is enrolled “part time” if the student is enrolled in less than seven (7) credits.
  7. Continuous Enrollment for Hybrid JD Students - A student must complete the hybrid JD with a minimum of eight (8) semesters of continued enrollment. Students are presumptively enrolled as full-time students with a minimum of seven (7) credits for ten (10) semesters. Deviation from this expectation is allowed as follows:  
    1. Declaration of Part-Time Status for a given semester;
    2. Approval from the Dean or her designee to take more than 12 credits as part of an approved plan of study per section E.5.1;
    3. A leave of absence as provided in Rule XI; 
    4. The suspension of a student as a probationary term prescribed by the Academic Standing Committee under subdivision A(3) of Rule VII;
    5. A short-term accommodation in an extraordinary situation beyond the control or responsibility of the student; 
    6. A short- or long-term accommodation based on disability; or
    7. The failure of a student who has registered for full-time enrollment to complete full-time enrollment because of receiving an F or U grade in one or more offerings.