Academic Requirements
Academic Requirements
The Sturm College of Law awards the degree of Juris Doctor to those students who successfully fulfill the following requirements:
- Completion of ninety [90] semester credit hours with passing grades. Only a grade of F constitutes a failing grade for purposes of this requirement. Students receive no credit hours toward graduation for courses in which they earn a grade of F.
- Maintenance of the required cumulative grade point average
- For students who enter the Sturm College of Law in the 2007 Fall, or any subsequent, semester: a cumulative GPA of 2.3 or higher
- For students who entered the Sturm College of Law before the 2007 Fall semester: a cumulative GPA of 2.2 or higher
- Successful completion of all required courses (as defined in the chart that follows this section). A student who receives a grade of F in a required course must retake the course and earn a passing grade. Both grades remain on the student’s transcript and affect the student’s cumulative GPA.
- Completion of the Upper Level Legal Writing requirement
- Completion of the Public Service requirement
- Resolution of all financial obligations to the University of Denver
- Completion of all credit hours within a specified time period following initial matriculation at law school. The American Bar Association requires law students to complete their legal educations within seven years. Full-time day-division students at the Sturm College of Law normally meet all JD requirements by the end of their fourth year. Part-time evening-division students at the Sturm College of Law normally complete all JD requirements by the end of their fifth year.
Good Standing
All students who enter the Sturm College of Law in the 2007 Fall, or any subsequent, semester must maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least a 2.3 to remain in good standing.
All students who entered the Sturm College of Law before the 2007 Fall semester must maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least a 2.2 to remain in good standing.
Students may check their Academic Progress Report on MyWeb. Students have the responsibility to check MyWeb carefully and to contact the Registrar’s Office if students note any discrepancy between their understanding and their Academic Progress Report. Students have the sole responsibility to ensure that they have completed all graduation requirements.
Required Courses
| – | Day Division | Evening Division |
| 1st Year Fall | Civil Procedure (4) Lawyering Process I (3) Two of the following 4-credit courses: Contracts, Criminal Law, Property,Torts (4) |
Civil Procedure (4) Lawyering Process I (3) One of the remaining 4-credit courses: Contracts, Criminal Law, Property, Torts (4) |
| 1st Year Spring | Lawyering Process II (3) Constitutional Law (4) Two of the following 4-credit courses: Contracts, Criminal Law, Property, Torts (4) |
Lawyering Process II (3) Two of the remaining 4-credit courses: Contracts, Criminal Law, Property ,Torts (4) |
| 2nd Year Fall | – | Constitutional Law (4) One remaining 4-credit courses: Contracts, Criminal Law, Property, Torts (4) |
| 2nd Year Spring | – | – |
Other Required Courses:
All students must successfully complete the following courses in any semester prior to graduation:
- Legal Profession (3)
- Evidence (4)
- Administrative Law (3)
- Perspective Elective (3)
[Students may fulfill the Perspective Elective requirement by successful completion of one of the following courses: American Legal History, Comparative Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution, International Law or Jurisprudence]
Other Graduation Requirements:
Completion of (1) the Upper Level Legal Writing Requirement and (2) the Public Service Requirement
Public Service Requirement
All law students must satisfy the public service requirement to graduate. To satisfy the requirement each student must perform a minimum of 50 hours of supervised, uncompensated, law-related public service work. Each student must complete the requirement between the end of the student’s first academic year and the end of the student’s next-to-last semester of law school.
After a student has completed a minimum of thirty (30) academic credit hours, the student can satisfy the Public Service Requirement by participation in one of the following:
- An approved Public Interest Practicum under the auspices of the Public Interest Office for one or zero academic credit. A practicum student must complete a minimum of 50 hours of supervised , uncompensated, law-related work (1) in a court or government office, (2) in a private law firm doing pro bono or low fee work, (3) in a non-profit organization or (4) in a pre-approved uncompensated research project (with a practical public service application) for a faculty member. The one credit hour Public Interest Practicum also includes a Public Interest Practicum Online Seminar that supplements the practical experience.
- A for-credit internship (1) in a government, judicial, non-profit setting, or (2) in a private law firm that does pro bono work under the auspices of the Pioneer Internship Office.
- A Sturm College of Law Student Law Clinic under the auspices of the Student Law Office, Environmental Law Clinical Partnership, or the Child Advocacy Externship.
- A pre-approved Sturm College of Law course offered by a faculty member that contains a practical public service component.
Students can find further details about the requirement here »
The Public Service Requirement has the following goals:
- To educate the students about their responsibility as members of the legal profession to perform public service work.
- To help students develop practical lawyering skills by supervision in actual work situations and to teach students how to integrate theory into law practice.
- To raise student awareness of career and public service opportunities
Upper Level Legal Writing Requirement
All law students must satisfy the Upper Level Legal Writing requirement prior to graduation. The requirement provides students additional instruction and practice in research, organization and expression.
To satisfy the requirement, each student must:
- Complete a written product of at least ten (10) pages on an appropriate legal subject determined by a professor and the student.
- Secure the professor’s written comments as to the substance and style of the student’s written project
- Prepare a second draft of the written project in response to the professor’s comments to the professor’s satisfaction.
Students may satisfy the Upper Level Legal Writing requirement in the following ways:
- Advanced Legal Writing Course
A student can enroll in and successfully complete the upper level legal writing course entitled “Advanced Legal Writing.” - Designated Seminar Classes or Clinics
A student can enroll in and successfully complete a seminar that satisfies the Upper Level Legal Writing requirement. The student also can enroll in and successfully complete a clinical course that satisfies the Upper Level Legal Writing requirement. Clinics and seminars do not necessarily satisfy the Upper Level Legal Writing requirement. Students must clarify with individual professors whether the seminar or clinic will satisfy the Upper Level Legal Writing requirement. A student who elects to fulfill the Upper Level Legal Writing requirement under this option must make certain that the Registrar’s Office receives certification from the professor that the student successfully fulfilled the Upper Level Legal Writing requirement. Only after the Registrar’s Office has received official certification has the student completed this graduation requirement. - Directed Research Projects
The student may enroll in and successfully complete a 2-3 credit hour Directed Research Project with a full-time faculty member. If the student successfully completes a Directed Research project that fulfills the Upper Level Legal Writing requirement, the professor must certify to the Registrar that the student has completed the Upper Level Legal Writing requirement. A student who elects to fulfill the Upper Level Legal Wring requirement under this option must make certain that the Registrar’s Office receives certification from the professor that the student successfully fulfilled the Upper Level Legal Writing requirement. Only after the Registrar’s Office has received official certification has the student completed this graduation requirement. - Certification by Professor
Any full-time or adjunct professor can offer a student the opportunity to complete the Upper Level Legal Writing requirement within the course taught by the professor or independently of the course taught by the professor. Upon successful completion of the Upper Level Legal Writing requirement, the professor must certify to the Registrar that the student has completed the requirement. A student who elects to fulfill the Upper Level Legal Writing requirement under this option must make certain that the Registrar’s Office receives certification from the professor that the student successfully fulfilled the Upper Level Legal Writing requirement. Only after the Registrar’s Office has received official certification has the student completed this graduation requirement.
Course of Study
The Semester System
The Sturm College of Law schedules classes on the semester system. Each Fall and Spring semester contains approximately fourteen (14) weeks. whereas the summer term contains only seven (7) weeks.
Unit Assignments
The Sturm College of Law assigns all incoming first year students to units. Students must attend only the classes scheduled for their assigned units. First year students cannot alter assigned units or class schedules. Full-time day division first year students who enter the Sturm College of Law must expect to take classes Monday through Friday from 8:00 am until 5:30 pm and have an obligation to arrange their schedules accordingly. Part-time evening division first year students who enter the Sturm College of Law must expect to take classes Monday through Friday from 5:00 pm until 10:00 pm and have an obligation to arrange their schedules accordingly.
Normal Schedule
First year full-time day division students take fifteen (15) credit hours during the first semester and fifteen (15) credit hours during the second semester. After the first year, full-time day students must complete an additional sixty (60) credits.
Full-time day students generally take fifteen (15) hours per semester during the last two (2) years of law school. More than fifteen (15) hours in any Fall or Spring semester constitutes an academic overload that requires approval from the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and a cumulative GPA that exceeds 2.6.
First year part-time evening division students take eleven (11) credit hours each of the first two (2) semesters. After the first year, part-time evening students must complete an additional seventy (68) credits.
After the first year, part-time evening students generally take eleven to twelve (11-12) credit hours per semester . More than twelve (12) credit hours in any Fall or Spring semester constitutes an academic overload that requires approval from the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and a cumulative GPA that exceeds 2.6.
No student, in the full-time or in the part-time program, who works more than 20 hours per week can take more than fourteen (14) credit hours in any Fall or Spring semester.
In order to maintain eligibility for federal loans, students must take at least eight (8) credit hours per semester for the Federal Direct Loan Program, and at least four (4) credit hours for the Federal Perkins Loan Program.
Online Courses
No student may take an on-line course for JD credit until the student has earned at least 28 credit hours of JD credits.
Academic Overload
All students must obtain the written approval of the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs to register for an academic overload. The Assistant Dean will not approve an overload in any semester or summer term for a student with a GPA of 2.6 or below. The Assistant Dean cannot approve more than 14 credit hours during a Fall or Spring semester for any student employed more than 20 hours per week.
An academic overload for full-time day students in any Fall or Spring semester means more than fifteen (15) credit hours. Under no circumstances can a full-time day student take more than eighteen (18) credit hours in any Fall or Spring semester.
An academic overload for part-time evening students in any Fall or Spring semester means more than twelve (12) credit hours. Under no circumstances can a part-time evening student take more than fifteen (15) credit hours per Fall or Spring semester.
No student will receive permission to take an overload during the first year.
During the summer term, an academic overload means more than eight (8) credit hours. Under no circumstances may a student request more than twelve (12) credit hours during the summer term. During the summer term, the Assistant Dean cannot permit a student to take courses that result in more than 12 hours of class time during the week, if that student works more than 20 hours a week.
To petition for an academic overload, a student must complete an Overload Petition available in the Office of Student Affairs or online. The Assistant Dean of Student Affairs must approve the Overload Petition.
Transfer Between Evening and Day Divisions
A student student in good standing may transfer from one division to another in August. A student must submit a written request to transfer between divisions to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for approval. Please note that the American Bar Association requires day students to limit their employment to no more than twenty (20) hours per week during the academic year. Students can find transfer forms in the Dean’s Suite or online.
Withdrawal/Leave of Absence
Any student in good standing may request a leave of absence for up to three (3) years. A student who plans to take a leave of absence or withdraw from the College of Law must submit a petition to the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs prior to withdrawal from classes or the school. Students who receive approval for a leave of absence must comply with the American Bar Association’s seven (7) year rule. This rule requires students to meet all of the requirements for their JD degrees no later than the end of the seventh year following their initial registration.
Employment
Day Division classes run from 8:00 am through 5:30 pm, Monday through Friday. Each Day Division student must assure that outside employment does not interfere with his or her academic performance or regular class attendance. In order to comply with the American Bar Association Standard 304 (f), no student who works more than twenty (20) hours per week can take more than 14 credit hours during any Fall or Spring semester. In accordance with this standard, students must fully and completely disclose employment information during any semester they attend the Sturm College of Law. Further, the Sturm College of Law shall not employ or compensate any student in excess of 280 hours per semester. The Sturm College of Law will not adjust class or course schedules or examination times to accommodate outside employment.
The Sturm College of Law strongly discourages Day Division students from participation in outside employment while they engage in full-time study. First-year day division students frequently find satisfactory grades impossible to achieve while engaged in outside employment. The faculty of the College of Law strongly urges first-year students to devote their full time to the study of law.
Evening Division classes run from approximately 5:00 pm through 10:00 pm, Monday through Friday and sometimes on Saturdays. Evening division students may hold full-time outside employment, provided they have at least thirty (30) hours per week available for study and provided they do not take more than 14 credit hours in any Fall or Spring semester. Due to work and/or family responsibilities, evening division students should not expect, or try, to complete their law school education in less than four (4) years.