4. DEGREES -------------------------------------------------------------- DOCTOR OF JURISPRUDENCE To qualify for the Doctor of Jurisprudence degree (JD), a student must meet the following requirements: 1. The student must have completed a period of resident study equivalent to at least three academic years. 2. The student must have taken (and, if failed, repeated once) all courses required by the faculty of the School of Law at the time of the student's initial enrollment, except those that have been removed from the list of required courses since the student's initial enrollment. 3. Eighty-six semester hours are required for graduation. With the permission of the dean, a student may enroll in a course in another school or college of the University. To count toward graduation from the School of Law, the course must be a graduate course and must be related to a course of study offered in the School of Law. (Except in the School of Law, graduate courses at the University are identified by numbers with "8" or "9" as the second digit.) No more than six semester hours of such work may be counted. 4. The student must have a grade point average of at least 1.90 on all work taken in the School of Law. CURRICULUM Required Courses The following courses are required: Law 221, 321, 421, or 621; 323; 227, 327, or 527; 231, 331, or 531; 132, 232, or 332; 233, 333, or 533; 334 or 434; 181C, 281C, 381C, or 481C; 285 or 385; 197S, 297S, 397S, or 497S; and such other courses as the dean and faculty of the School of Law may specify. To avoid scholastic difficulty, the student should complete all required work except the seminar before the final semester. Seminars Seminars are classified either as "writing seminars" (Law 197S, 297S, 397S, or 497S) or as "nonwriting seminars" (Law 197N, 297N, 397N, or 497N). To graduate from the School of Law, a student must take and pass at least one section of Law 197S, 297S, 397S, or 497S during the second or third year. A seminar is classified as a writing seminar if the instructor requires that the student write an original paper that embodies the results of extensive research. The student must prepare at least one draft, which is meaningfully critiqued by the instructor; the student must then submit a final version of the paper, revised in light of the instructor's critique. A seminar is also classified as a writing seminar if the instructor requires the student to write at least three papers involving research. The papers must be of significant aggregate length and the instructor must critique both the style and the content of each paper. Writing seminars are limited to twelve students, unless the instructor agrees to admit additional students. Any course in which twenty or fewer students are enrolled may be counted as a writing seminar if a paper of seminar quality is completed as optional or required work. With the consent of the dean a student may elect a second seminar. The purpose of this program is to require demonstration of the ability to write an original paper embodying the results of extensive research. MASTER OF LAWS The degree of Master of Laws (LLM) is awarded to students who have completed a rigorous program of coursework and research. The program leading to the degree is designed for students of high ability seeking academic work beyond the Doctor of Jurisprudence degree or its equivalent. Specific information about the graduate program and application forms are available from the Director of Graduate Studies, School of Law, The University of Texas at Austin, 727 East 26th Street, Austin, Texas 78705-3299. ADMISSION TO CANDIDACY Applicants are considered for admission to candidacy for the degree by the Graduate Studies Committee of the School of Law. Complete applications must be submitted by April 1 prior to the fall semester in which the applicant seeks to begin the program. 1. The applicant must have earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree or its equivalent from a school that is a member of the Association of American Law Schools or is approved by the American Bar Association, or have earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree or its equivalent from an established foreign university. (See note below.) 2. The applicant must demonstrate outstanding ability to complete the requirements for the degree. 3. An applicant who graduated from a law school situated in a country whose official language is not English must present a satisfactory score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). This test is administered by the Educational Testing Service in the United States and other countries. Information about it is available from TOEFL Services, PO Box 6151, Princeton, New Jersey 08541-6151. NOTE: Those who have earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from a university outside the United States are not entitled to take the Texas Bar Examination, a prerequisite for the practice of law in Texas. Prospective candidates should consult the Rules of the Supreme Court of Texas on the eligibility of foreign lawyers to practice in Texas. DEGREE REQUIREMENTS For each candidate, a specific program of coursework and research is developed to meet degree requirements and the candidate's needs and interests. The program must include 1. Residence during one academic year, consisting of two long- session semesters. The residence requirement of two long-session semesters cannot be reduced by coursework taken in residence during the summer session. 2. Completion of a program of work in the School of Law and other divisions of the University that includes at least twenty-four semester hours of coursework, including a thesis. This program must be approved by the Graduate Studies Committee. 3. Preparation of a thesis that makes a substantial contribution to the literature of the chosen subject area, and approval of the thesis by the Graduate Studies Committee. Candidates must maintain a grade point average of at least 1.80 to continue in the program and must have an average of at least 1.90 at the end of the final semester to receive an LLM degree. They must complete the Master of Laws degree requirements within one calendar year of beginning graduate law study at the University unless, in unusual circumstances, the Graduate Studies Committee grants an extension. The University also has approval to offer the degree of Master of Comparative Jurisprudence, but this degree program is inactive. JOINT PROGRAMS The School of Law and the Graduate School of Business offer a joint program leading to the Doctor of Jurisprudence and the Master of Business Administration degrees. The program is designed to train qualified students for careers in business or the legal profession or both. Students must complete at least 118 semester hours of coursework to earn the two degrees. Generally, the first year of coursework is taken in the School of Law. The School of Law and the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs offer a joint program leading to the Doctor of Jurisprudence and the Master of Public Affairs degrees. This program is designed to train qualified students for careers at any level of government and in government-related areas of the private sector or the legal profession. Students register in one school during year I of the program and in the other during year II; in years III and IV the student may register in either school. The University also offers a joint program leading to the simultaneous award of the Doctor of Jurisprudence and the Master of Arts with a major in Latin American studies. This program is designed for students who wish to study law and Latin American issues in an integrated and interdisciplinary manner. Generally, a student with the requisite language background can obtain both degrees in eight semesters. A student admitted to the joint program must complete the normal first- year coursework in the law school during the first year of the program, before taking any courses in the joint program. For information about the joint programs, write to the School of Law, The University of Texas at Austin, 727 East 26th Street, Austin, Texas 78705-3299.