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Degree Requirements
A.
General Requirements
A candidate for the degree of Juris Doctor must be in good academic standing and
comply with the following requirements:
1.
A candidate must have completed at least three years of full-time study in law school or
have completed at least four years of part-time study in law school. A student in good
academic standing may, in extraordinary circumstances and with the permission of the
Dean of Students Office, complete an upper-class year of study at another ABA-
accredited law school (see policy on Visiting Out, Study Abroad, and Electives at Non-
Suffolk Programs.)
2.
A student admitted with advanced standing based on course work completed at another
ABA-accredited law school must complete at least two years (four semesters) of study at
Suffolk University Law School in order to receive the Juris Doctor degree from Suffolk
University. In exceptional circumstances this requirement may be reduced at the
discretion of an Associate Dean.
3.
A candidate’s complete law school record must (i) show a cumulative weighted average
of at least 2.00; and (ii) show unsatisfactory grades outstanding in no more than three
courses.
A student in good academic standing may convert an unsatisfactory grade into a
satisfactory grade for purposes of this Regulation I (A) (3) by means of the reexamination
procedure prescribed by Regulation III (G).
4.
The ABA, as a national accrediting authority for law schools, has established in ABA
Standard 311(a) that a law school shall require, as a condition for graduation, successful
completion of a course of study of not fewer than 83 credit hours, at least 64 of which
shall be in courses that require attendance in regularly scheduled classroom sessions or
direct faculty instruction at the law school. Suffolk University Law School requires all
students to complete at least 84 credit hours of study in order to be eligible to graduate.
The Law School adheres to the definition of “credit hour” established in ABA Standard
310(b), as set forth in Regulations I(B)(2) and I(C)(2).
5.
Any student who completed their first year prior to the 2016-2017 academic year with a
cumulative GPA of 2.670 or higher but less than 3.000 in the first year must take
Advanced Survey of Core Legal Principles in the student’s final semester. Any student
who completes their first year during the 2016-2017 academic year or later with a
cumulative GPA of 2.670 or higher but less than 3.000 must complete all of the following
courses in order to be able to graduate:
i.
Evidence;
j.
Trusts and Estates;
k.
Business Entity Fundamentals (formerly Corporations);