Doctor of Juridical Science in Animal Law

Note: Admitted Animal Law SJD students should also refer the Animal Law SJD program guide sent to them as part of the matriculation process for additional details regarding course registration and the Animal Law SJD program as a whole. Animal Law SJD students should also review the What’s What Law Student Handbook, as all general law school policies applicable to JD students also apply to SJD students, except where noted.

General Program Requirements:

The Master in Animal Law (SJD) program is designed for U.S. and international advanced legal degree holders (LLM in any subject) seeking to dedicate their careers to animal law research, scholarship, teaching, or policy.

Animal Law SJD students must complete 30 credits to obtain the degree, which is designed to be completed in three years, the first two of which must be undertaken in residence. International candidates without a prior background in U.S. law must take Intro to U.S. Legal Studies, which is offered in an online format that precedes and runs into the beginning of regular Fall courses, during their first semester in the program.

In addition, SJD students must meet the following graduation requirements and expectations:

• • Year One:
    • Animal Law SJD Seminar I & II
    • Animal Law Fundamentals
      • May be waived if equivalent has been taken
    • 2 legal research courses:
      • Must include Legal Research: Animal Law (if offered)
  • Year Two:
    • Dissertation Hours
    • Satisfactory completion of a dissertation chapter in Spring
      • If the chapter fails to meet expected standards, candidates will be granted a period of time to address the concerns and rewrite the chapter. If the chapter adequately addresses the concerns raised, candidates will be allowed to continue pursuing the SJD; if the chapter does not, candidates are ineligible to continue and will be withdrawn from the SJD program.
  • Year Three:
    • Dissertation Hours
    • Successful defense of the dissertation in Spring
      • In certain instances, candidates who fail to successfully defend the dissertation may be afforded a second attempt at doing so. If the requested revisions and other concerns regarding the dissertation are not adequately addressed or if a second attempt to defend the dissertation fails, candidates are ineligible to continue and will be withdrawn from the SJD program.

An SJD student may petition to undertake a fourth year to complete the dissertation. An extension is granted only under exceptional circumstances. SJD students may not petition for additional time beyond a fourth year, if granted.

Course Load and Timing:

Animal Law SJD students must register for a minimum of 5 credits each semester, except for Summer and their final semester if fewer than 5 credits are needed to complete the degree. If an Animal Law SJD student wishes to take fewer than 5 credits in any semester that is not Summer or their final semester, they must request permission to “underload” from the Director of the Animal Law Program. Note that Animal Law SJD students must be registered for at least 5 credits each semester in order to be considered a full-time student. Being less than a full-time student may impact the ability to defer loan repayments (depending on the lender), so please plan accordingly.

In addition to the above, some scholarships may have course load and timing parameters that are more stringent than the above.

Grading Policy:

Animal Law SJD students are evaluated on a Credit (CR) / No Credit (NC) / Honors (HR) basis, with a course grade of B+ or higher making them eligible for an Honors (HR) designation. Consistent with this policy, they do not receive letter grades for their courses, even if they receive letter or numerical grades on assignments.

Academic Standing:

Animal Law SJD students who receive two “No Credit” designations must petition the Director and Assistant Dean of the Animal Law Program to continue in the program. Students must provide a written explanation that demonstrates a change in circumstances that indicate the potential for success. Students who receive 3 or more “No Credit” designations are ineligible to continue in the program and will be dismissed.

Tuition

Animal Law SJD students are charged tuition by the credit hour. Animal Law SJD students also pay a Student Activity and Building Fee per year. For additional information on tuition and fees, consult the Law School’s Tuition and Fee page or contact the Animal Law Program Coordinator, Danielle Lopez, at 503-768-6960 or cals@lclark.edu.

Leave of Absence

Students who need to take a temporary leave of absence from the program must request a leave in writing from the Director of the Animal Law Program. The request must specify the basis for the requested leave and the estimated length of the leave. In the absence of unusual circumstances, any leave that is approved would be granted for one semester only.

If the time taken off for a permitted leave is requested and granted prior to the start of the published first day of a term or semester, the student will not be required to pay tuition for that term or semester. If the leave of absence is requested and granted on or after the published first day of the term or semester, charges will be prorated according to the Policy of Charge Adjustment found elsewhere in the What’s What Law Student Handbook.

Withdrawal

If an Animal Law SJD student wishes to fully withdraw from the Animal Law Program (i.e., not complete the program), they must notify both the Director of the Animal Law Program and Registrar as far in advance as possible prior to the withdrawal. The withdrawal is effective as of the date the student notifies the Director of the Animal Law Program and Registrar. Students who withdraw prior to the start of the published first day of the term or semester will not be required to pay tuition for that term or semester. For students who completely withdraw from the Animal Law Program on or after the published first day of the semester, charges will be prorated according to the Policy of Charge Adjustment found elsewhere in the What’s What Law Student Handbook and below.

Add/Drop

Animal Law SJD students may add and drop courses during the Fall and Spring add/drop period without penalty. The initial billing will be based on the number of credits registered for at the time of billing. To avoid late charges on tuition, Animal Law SJD students should pay tuition by the time it is due regardless of possible schedule changes. Animal Law SJD student accounts will be adjusted if they change their schedule within the add/drop period after paying tuition for the Fall and Spring semesters. Please refer to the summer registration page and calendar for details on the add/drop timelines for summer courses.

PLEASE NOTE the following policy on tuition adjustments for schedule changes (not withdrawals): Dropping classes during the add/drop period: Tuition reversed at 100% for dropped credits (as long as student is not dropping all credits). Dropping classes after the add/drop period ends: no reversal of tuition charges for schedule adjustment.

Health Insurance

Animal Law SJD students are subject to the same student health insurance policies as JD students and must be registered as a student to be eligible for the college’s insurance.

Contact and Additional Information

For more information, please visit the Animal Law SJD program website.

Additional questions about the Animal Law SJD program may be directed to the Animal Law Program Coordinator, Danielle Lopez, at 503-768-6960 or cals@lclark.edu.