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1. Am I required to choose and
complete a focus area?
No. Students are not required to choose or complete any focus area
-- it is entirely optional. You can use the focus-area information
simply for guidance and planning.
2. Does the focus-area curriculum
change any of the requirements for graduation?
No. Upper-division students are still required to take
Constitutional Law, Legal Writing II, Evidence, and Professional
Responsibility. The focus-area curriculum does not increase or
decrease the requirements for graduation.
3. I have just completed my first year
of law school. Do I have time to complete a focus area before I
graduate?
Yes, if you plan accordingly. This curriculum is designed to allow
students who are in their first year to complete a focus area by
the time they graduate.
4. I have just completed my second
year of law school. Do I have time to complete a focus area before
I graduate?
Probably not. The focus-area curriculum is designed to be spread
out over the second and third years. You can, however, still use
the focus-area information to plan your third-year curriculum and
your career path. In addition, even if you can't complete a focus
area before you graduate, focus-area faculty is available to advise
you on course selection and career planning.
5. If I complete a focus area, is this
noted on my transcript?
No. Students who complete a focus area can note this on their
resumes and discuss its significance in cover letters or within
interviews. Students can also ask faculty who act as references to
include information about the focus-area concept and its value in
letters of recommendation.
6. Does choosing a focus area increase
the number of prerequisite courses (courses that students must
complete before taking designated courses)?
Yes. While some of the focus areas consist of course clusters and
few or no prerequisites, others are more vertical in design and
require that courses be taken in a particular order. For example,
courses that involve administrative concepts in a particular
substantive setting have Administrative Law as a prerequisite. The
goal is to offer a coherent curriculum in which courses build on
each other and to provide a more in-depth and integrated learning
experience. If you are interested in an area that has a number of
prerequisite courses, you should plan to take those prerequisite
courses during your second year in order to give you maximum
flexibility in your third year.
7. Will every course listed within the
focus area be offered every year or before I graduate?
No. We are reasonably certain that we can provide sufficient
courses for day students to complete the focus areas offered, but
you may need to take electives that are not your first choices or
that are offered only in the evening. We will try to minimize
scheduling conflicts, but they will undoubtedly occur.
8. If I am completing a focus area, am
I given lottery priority for courses within that focus
area?
No. We try to anticipate changes in enrollment patterns and have
sufficient offerings, but we do not give lottery priority to
students who are pursuing a particular focus area.
9. If I am an evening student beginning my second
year, will I be able to complete a focus area?
It depends. It is difficult to provide the same number of focus-area opportunities
for evening students because the number of course offerings in the evening is
smaller, by necessity, than during the day when there are more hours. We hope
that evening students will have the opportunity to choose from two or three
focus areas, but we can't guarantee that this will be possible. If you can take
occasional day classes, it will greatly increase the likelihood that you will
be able to complete a focus area.