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LLM IN GLOBAL LAW AND TECHNOLOGY : RULES AND REGULATIONS
A candidate for the degree of Master of Laws (LL.M.) must be in good academic standing and comply with the following requirements:
I. DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
A candidate must satisfactorily have completed 24 credits in the Suffolk University Law School (SULS) LL.M. curriculum and have been a student at SULS for at least one academic year.
A candidate's complete LL.M. Law School record must show a cumulative weighted average of at least 2.00 in order to receive the degree of Master of Laws.
Degrees are awarded by the Trustees of Suffolk University on the recommendation of the Law Faculty. Recommendations may be withheld by the Faculty for good cause.
II. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS AND RULES
| A. |
Part time LL.M. students must enroll in a minimum of 4 (and a maximum of -8) credits per semester. Full-time LL.M students must enroll in a minimum of 9 (and a maximum of 12) credits per semester. With the approval of the Director up to 6 credits earned in summer school may be applied to reduce these semester requirements. |
| B. |
A Part time LL.M. student may not register for less than 4 credits per semester without the prior approval of the Director. A Full-time LL.M. student may not register for more than 14 credits in a semester without the prior approval of the Director and the Associate Deans. |
| C. |
LL.M. students who wish to transfer between the Part-time and Full-time Divisions must obtain the written approval of the Director and Associate Deans. Approval must be obtained prior to registration for the semester the transfer will take effect. |
| D. |
Credits for Advanced Standing may be granted at the discretion of the Director upon receipt of the appropriate form. No more than 6 credits shall be so granted to any one student. Applicants for Advanced Standing must demonstrate that they have earned substantially similar credits in substantially similar courses to the list of currently eligible courses. The Director's decision shall be final as to all issues of Advanced Standing. Advanced Standing for an International Internship shall be limited to 3 credits. Advanced Standing for the satisfactory completion of the Certificate in International Legal Practice shall be limited to 5 credits. |
| E. |
No more than 6 credits may be accepted as Transfer Credits from another similarly accredited LL.M. Program or Summer School towards the LLM IN GLOBAL LAW AND TECHNOLOGY at Suffolk University Law School. Such Transfer Credits must have been earned after the completion of a basic law degree, within a reasonable period of time before acceptance into the LL.M., and not already counted towards another program or degree. The content of courses for Transfer Credits must be substantially equivalent to LL.M. Core Courses and the grade must be the equivalent of a B-. The award of Transfer Credits shall be at the discretion of the Director and the Associate Deans. |
| F. |
Admission to the LL.M. Program does not entail admission to the J.D. degree program. Advanced Standing for the J.D. degree program is a separate decision to be made by the Dean of Admissions and the Associate Deans of the Law School. |
| G. |
The LL.M. degree alone will not normally suffice for eligibility to sit for the Massachusetts bar exam. Bar exam requirements vary from state to state. It shall be the responsibility of each student to determine for themselves their eligibility to sit for a bar exam or gain admission to practice law in any jurisdiction. |
III. COURSE REQUIREMENTS
| A. |
All students must satisfactorily complete a Required Course, "Emerging Issues in Law, Information Technology and Transnational Business." In addition, International LL.M. students must complete a required course in "Introduction to U.S. Law, Legal Reasoning and Writing." |
| B. |
All students are encouraged to complete at least 3 Courses offered from within the list of LL.M. Core Courses.
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C.
D.
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Students may take up to 11 credits from the JD curriculum upon application in writing to the Director of the LL.M. Program and with the approval of an Associate Dean.
Students who wish to earn a Specialization Certificate by concentrating in one of the Program's four tracks, i.e. Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law, Biotechnology and Health Law, or International Law and Business must satisfactorily complete at least five courses listed within that particular track. Students who wish to earn a Specialization Certificate in U.S. Law and Legal Methods must satisfactorily complete 12 approved credits from the JD curriculum. Courses taken as part of the Core Course requirement may count towards satisfaction of this requirement. Courses may count towards more than one area of Specialization. Only one Advanced Standing course may count towards Specialization. Students may not earn more than two Specializations.
Students who complete this Specialization requirement will receive at graduation, in addition to their degree, a certificate noting their area or areas of specialization. No student may be designated as having concentrated in more than two areas of Specialization.
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| E. |
Students must complete a substantial piece of written work for the LL.M., which must be certified as satisfactory by the Faculty member teaching the course or supervising the directed study for which it was written. The requirements for the Legal Writing Requirement, as prescribed by Regulation II. H of the Rules and Regulations for the J.D. program shall apply.
Alternatively, LL.M. students may complete a Thesis for 2 credits, which must be of publishable quality. The Thesis must be directly supervised by a Faculty Member, approved by the Associate Deans and certified by the Director. The Thesis will be defended in an oral examination open to all Faculty.
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IV. CREDIT REQUIREMENTS
| A. |
No more than 5 credits from any ungraded activities may be counted toward the LL.M. degree. Ungraded activities include an LL.M. Internship, Directed Study, Research Assistant, and participation on the Journal of High Technology Law. |
V. GRADING AND EXAMINATIONS
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| A. |
LL.M. students must choose between the alternative grading system (see V B, below) or the numerical scale of 0.00 to 4.00 for every class in which they are registered, and for every semester of the program. Faculty may request a half-step grade increase for a student's class participation provided such participation was not already accounted for in the original grade submitted. Faculty must submit to the Registrar a list of students receiving grade increases at the time of, or prior to, submission of grades.
Reports of grades are made as follows: |
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A |
4.00 |
Satisfactory |
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C |
2.00 |
Satisfactory |
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A- |
3.67 |
Satisfactory |
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C- |
1.67 |
Unsatisfactory |
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B+ |
3.33 |
Satisfactory |
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D+ |
1.33 |
Unsatisfactory |
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B |
3.00 |
Satisfactory |
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D |
1.00 |
Unsatisfactory |
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B- |
2.67 |
Satisfactory |
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D- |
0.67 |
Unsatisfactory |
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C+ |
2.33 |
Satisfactory |
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F |
0.00 |
Fail |
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| B. |
| As an alternative to the numerical grading system described above in V.A., LL.M. students may elect to have a grade in a course or courses for which a numerical grade is ordinarily assigned, recorded in accordance with the following alternative grading system: |
| HH |
High Honors |
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| H |
Honors |
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| P |
Pass |
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| F |
Fail |
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| A student's election of the alternative grading system must be made prior to the examination period for the relevant semester by timely submission of the LL.M. Student Grade Election form to the Law Registrar. When an LL.M. student elects the alternative grading system the Law Registrar will translate the assigned grade as follows: |
| A, A-, B+ |
HH |
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| B, B- |
H |
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| C+, C, C-, D+, D, D- |
P |
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| F |
F |
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| C. |
Grades |
| 1. |
LL.M. students' grades will not be factored into the recommended curve for the purposes of grading in the J.D. program. LL.M. students will not be given a class rank. Cumulative and yearly grade point averages (GPAs) will be computed and recorded by a 0.00 to 4.00 system.
A student's official transcript will also show the letter grades awarded for all courses taken and will translate those letter grades into yearly and final cumulative GPAs, unless a student has chosen the alternative grading system in all courses.
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| 2. |
All ungraded activities shall be graded on a Pass/Fail basis, which shall result in Credit or No Credit.
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| 3. |
The instructor in any non-anonymously graded course may elect to grade the course on an Honors/ Pass/Low Pass/Fail basis. The instructor must notify the students at the first meeting of the course if the instructor is going to elect the Honors/Pass/Low Pass/Fail basis of grading. |
| 4. |
Activities graded on a Pass/Fail; Honors/Pass/Low Pass/Fail; Credit/No Credit basis or under the alternative grading system (see VI, B.) will not be calculated into a student's cumulative grade point average, except as noted in IV. G. below. For all purposes under these Regulations, the grades of Honors, Pass, Low Pass, and Credit shall be satisfactory grades. |
| 5. |
A student shall not be granted credit for a grade of No Credit or Fail. Grades of No Credit and Fail shall be equivalent to a grade of an F. In this instance the numerical equivalent of an F will be calculated into the student's GPA. |
| 6. |
Attendance and assignments for courses in the LL.M. Program shall be governed by Regulation II. B of the Rules and Regulations for the J.D. Program. |
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| D. |
Elective Add/Drop Period |
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During the first week of classes a student who has registered for an elective LL.M. course or courses may add or drop the course or courses. Course changes are not allowed before the first day of classes or after the close of the designated add/drop period, except with the permission of the Associate Deans. Failure to withdraw within the add/drop period may result in a grade of No Credit (F). |
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| E. |
Extensions Beyond End of Semester |
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Any paper or other project required for a final grade in a course must be submitted no later than the end of the examination period for the semester in which the course is taken. If, for compelling reasons, the instructor allows an extension of time to complete the paper or project, the extension may be for a period no longer than 90 days from the end of the examination period. No further extension may be granted. During any extension, the course grade will be recorded temporarily as "Incomplete." However, if by the end of the examination period or extension the paper or project has not been submitted, a grade of No credit (F) will be recorded. |
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| F. |
Examinations |
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Regulations III. D. (Examination Numbers), E. (Failure to Take Examinations), and H. (Privacy) of the Rules and Regulations for the J.D. Program shall apply. |
VI. ACADEMIC STANDARDS
| A. |
A single "F" grade under either the numerical or alternative grading system (see V. B. Alternative Grading System) shall result in an LL.M. student coming before the LL.M Academic Standing Committee for a review of the student's performance. Two grades of less than "C" under the numerical grading system shall result in a student coming before the LL.M. Academic Standing Committee for a review of the student's performance.
A cumulative grade point average of below 2.00 at the end of a semester shall result in an LL.M. student coming before the LL.M. Academic Standing Committee for a review of the student's performance.
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| B. |
The Committee may impose one or more conditions for continued study upon the student, including but not limited to repeating a course, reexamination in accordance with Regulation II.F. of the JD Rules and Regulations governing reexamination, an assistance program prescribed by the Committee, limitations on employment or extracurricular activities, or taking a semester or year's leave of absence prior to continuing.
The Committee may dismiss an LL.M. student when in the Committee's judgment imposing conditions for continued study are not reasonably likely to lead to the student's successful completion of the program or if the student fails to satisfy previously imposed conditions.
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| C. |
The LL.M. Academic Standing Committee shall be appointed by the Dean and consist of an Associate Dean and 3 members of the resident faculty. The Director will serve on the Committee as an ex officio member.
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VII. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Any violation of academic integrity shall be viewed as a serious infraction of the Rules and Regulations of the Law School. Violations of academic integrity shall include, but are not limited to, dishonesty in the examination process, harassment and plagiarism in written work, as defined in the Regulation II. F. of the Rules and Regulations for the J.D. Program.
VIII. LEAVES OF ABSENCE AND WITHDRAWALS
| A. |
Leave of Absence |
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If a student is currently unable to continue the study of law, an Associate Dean may grant the student a leave of absence for up to one year. The student must request a leave of absence by writing a letter to the Associate Dean specifying the reason for the requested leave and the anticipated return date. A student granted a leave of absence is entitled to return to the Law School's LL.M. program at the end of the term of the leave without reapplying for admission. A leave of absence will be granted to a student during the first semester of study in the LL.M. program only under extraordinary circumstances. |
| B. |
Withdrawals |
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A student who wishes to withdraw from the Law School's LL.M. Program must file a written request to do so and obtain permission from an Associate Dean. No student may withdraw after the examination period begins or while consideration of his or her academic standing is pending. A student who withdraws from the Law School's LL.M. Program must reapply for admission to the LL.M. program if he or she wishes to return. |
IX. SEXUAL HARASSMENT POLICY
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Regulation X of the Rules and Regulations for the J.D. Program shall apply. |
X. STUDENT CONDUCT AND DISCIPLINE
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Regulations XI of the Rules and Regulations for the J.D. Program shall apply. |
XI. CHANGES TO REGULATIONS
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The Law Faculty reserves the right to change the schedule of classes, the program of instruction, the requirements for credits or degrees, and any rule or regulation established for the government of the student body in the school. Any such change may be made applicable to students already enrolled in the Law School |
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