Program Overview

Introduction to the Hybrid Juris Doctor Degree Program

The University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law (UNH Law) offers a Hybrid Juris Doctor (JD) degree program, which is designed to provide students with a flexible and innovative approach to legal education. The program is tailored to meet the needs of students who require a more flexible schedule, while still providing a comprehensive and rigorous legal education.

Definitions and Authority

• Degree: The term "Juris Doctor" or "J.D." degree refers to both the residential and hybrid Juris Doctor programs, unless only one program is specified.
• Student: All references to students in a Juris Doctor or JD program refer to both students in the residential and hybrid Juris Doctor programs, unless only one type of student is specified.
• Authority to Grant the Degree: UNH Law confers the Juris Doctor degree on candidates recommended by the faculty, pursuant to authority granted by the State of New Hampshire.

Eligibility to Receive the Degree

To be eligible for recommendation for the Juris Doctor degree, a student must complete the required curriculum by taking JD classes designated for the JD program in which a student is enrolled (hybrid) as follows:

• Receive an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university and submit an official transcript, which includes the date the baccalaureate degree was conferred, no later than October 15.
• Achieve a grade point average equivalent to a C (2.00) or higher in all enrollment for credit toward the Juris Doctor degree.
• Earn a minimum of eighty-five (85) credits, with specific limitations on credits earned at grades below C minus, in clinical work, in independent study, in legal residencies, in non-law graduate-level work, and in courses that do not qualify as regularly scheduled class sessions.
• Complete the required curriculum, which can only be altered by faculty vote.
• Fulfill the Upper-Level Writing and Experiential Learning requirements through separate courses.
• Complete the preliminary bar exam requirement, which includes taking a preliminary bar exam administered by UNH Law and fulfilling reasonable program requirements established by the Committee on Academic Standing and Success (CASS) and the Academic Success Program (ASP) if the student does not receive a score at or above the level set by CASS and ASP.

Determination of Class Membership

For purposes of determining eligibility for the Juris Doctor degree, a student shall be a member of the class with which the student completes the majority of the courses then required in the second semester of the first-year Juris Doctorate curriculum.

Residency Requirements

• Residency: Residency is defined as time spent enrolled as a student at the law school.
• Geographic Residency Requirement: The Hybrid JD program has no semester-long geographic residency requirement.
• Minimum Semesters of Enrollment: Students must complete a minimum of eight (8) semesters of enrollment.
• Immersion Periods: Students must attend the required immersion periods for each semester enrolled until required immersion periods have been attended.
• Definition of "Semester": A semester is one of three terms in an academic year, containing at least eleven (11) weeks of continuous classes, subject to holidays and vacations, followed by reading and examination periods.
• Definition of "Intersession": Intersession is any course that begins and ends between the fall and spring semesters and will be considered as part of the subsequent term.
• Definition of "Full Time Enrollment": A Hybrid JD student is enrolled full-time if the student is enrolled in a minimum of seven (7) credits each semester and no more than a maximum of twelve (12) credits.
• Definition of "Part Time Enrollment": A Hybrid JD student is enrolled part-time if the student is enrolled in less than seven (7) credits.
• Continuous Enrollment: A student must complete the hybrid JD with a minimum of eight (8) semesters of continued enrollment, with provisions for part-time status, leave of absence, and accommodations.

Academic Probation and Financial Responsibility

• Academic Probation: Students must be eligible to continue as a candidate for the Juris Doctor degree under Rule VI.A.(1), taking into account the semester immediately preceding graduation, and have satisfied the terms of any applicable probation.
• Financial Responsibility: Students must satisfy outstanding financial obligations to UNH Law.

Conduct Code Violation

Students must not be subject to a complaint of an alleged violation of the Conduct Code that, if determined against the student, could result in the suspension or dismissal of the student.