Full & Part-Time Programs
The School of Law offers classes for both full-time and part-time students.
The admission requirements are the same for these two programs.
Full-Time Program
Full-time students generally carry a twelve-unit course load per semester and attend assigned weekday, daytime classes. (Scheduling may require attendance in evening classes as well.)
Advanced full-time students are permitted to take some electives that are only offered in the evening. This program takes three years to complete, including summer sessions. Students who attend school on a full-time basis should plan to devote all of their time to their studies.
Part-Time Program
UWLA's largest enrollment is in the part-time program where students take a minimum of nine units each semester and at least one course each summer. The program is designed to accommodate students who must work or who otherwise have limited time to devote to their studies. Part-time students may attend in the day or the evening. The part-time program takes four years to complete, including three summers.
A student who must work while in school should apply as a part-time student. Although there are no restrictions on outside employment, students who work long hours may need to adjust their work schedules in order to have adequate study time.
Change Of Status
Students who begin in one program but desire to change their status may do so by submitting a Petition for Special Action to the Academic Council.
Full-time students who find the courseload to be oppressive or desire full-time employment may drop to part-time status. Such students are encouraged to seek counseling to discuss the impact, both financially and in terms of the length of the program, before filing a request to change their status.
Part-time students who have substantially reduced their employment obligations may petition to become full-time students. Students desiring to change to full-time must have achieved a specified minimum grade point average as outlined in the Student Information Handbook.
Students contemplating status changes are encouraged to make an appointment with the Associate Dean.
Academic Year
The School of Law admits students in the fall, spring and summer. The School publishes a sequence of courses for each entering class that ensures the timely accumulation of the necessary units and course requirements for graduation.
The School of Law operates on a semester basis. The fall semester commences in August and the spring semester in January. Each semester consists of fifteen weeks plus examination periods. The summer session lasts eight weeks, starting in early June and finishing in late July. Students may enter law school at the beginning of any term.
Students enrolled in either the full- or part-time program are required to attend summer sessions in order to complete the prescribed program for the Juris Doctor Degree. The summer program also affords an opportunity for full-time students to lighten the workload normally carried during the regular school year or to broaden their legal background by taking additional electives in areas of interest.
Projected Schedules
A typical first-year, three-year fall entrant schedule is as follows:
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Fall
|
|
|
|
|
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Introduction to Legal Study
|
3 Units
|
|
|
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Torts I
|
3 Units
|
|
|
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Contracts I
|
3 Units
|
|
|
|
Property I
|
3 Units
|
|
|
|
|
12 Units
|
|
|
Spring
|
|
|
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Criminal Law
|
3 Units
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|
|
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Torts II
|
3 Units
|
|
|
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Contracts II
|
3 Units
|
|
|
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Property II
|
3 Units
|
|
|
|
|
12 Units
|
24 Total Units
|
A typical first-year, four-year fall entrant schedule is as follows:
|
Fall
|
|
|
|
|
|
Introduction to Legal Study
|
3 Units
|
|
|
|
Torts I
|
3 Units
|
|
|
|
Contracts I
|
3 Units
|
|
|
|
|
9 Units
|
|
|
Spring
|
|
|
|
|
|
Criminal Law
|
3 Units
|
|
|
|
Torts II
|
3 Units
|
|
|
|
Contracts II
|
3 Units
|
|
|
|
|
9 Units
|
18 Total Units
|