Externship Policy
With the approval of a sponsoring faculty member, students may register for up to 3 hours of Externship credit to be earned in a field placement program that meets the following conditions:
- The field placement program must be in conjunction with a Seminar or Research in a Selected Field and should be considered a component of such seminar or research project.
- An Externship proposal (see attached form) must detail 1) how the field placement will contribute to the student's educational experience, including how it relates to the associated seminar or research project, and 2) the communication plan (see #3 below) during the Externship. The Externship proposal must be approved by the sponsoring faculty member and filed with the Dean's Office.
- The sponsoring faculty member, the student, and any field placement supervisor must maintain regular communication by journal, electronic mail, teleconference, or scheduled meeting. A communication plan should be part of the Externship proposal.
- Students may register for only one Externship during their course of study at the Law College. The Externship can be from one to three credit hours. Unless a student is enrolled in a joint degree program, a student may not receive more than 12 hours of total credit from courses in Externship, Research in a Selected Field, and non-law school courses.
- Each Externship credit hour shall involve at least 40 hours of field experience which shall be verified by the supervising faculty member in consultation with the field placement supervisor.
- Credit earned in an Externship shall be awarded on a Pass/Fail basis. Credit shall be awarded by the sponsoring faculty member in consultation with the field placement supervisor. Credit in the associated Seminar or Research in a Selected Field will be on a graded basis. Credit may not be earned in Externship unless and until the associated Seminar or Research in a Selected Field is completed successfully.
- To the extent possible, the Externship and the associated Seminar or Research in a Selected Field should be taken contemporaneously or consecutively.
- A student may not receive Externship credit for participation in a field placement program for which the student receives compensation.
- Students may not register for Externship until they have successfully completed at least one academic year of study (33 credit hours). MLS students may not receive credit for Externship.
