Grading Policies
Incompletes: Students in the LL.M. in U.S. Law program will follow the same rules as J.D. students regarding “Incomplete” grades. The rules regarding “Incomplete” grades are located in the Chase Student Handbook. https://chaselaw.nku.edu/current-students/resources/handbook.html
Grading: All students in the LL.M. in U.S. Law program will receive grades consistent with the NKU Graduate grading scale (A-C-, F). The students’ exams will be graded separately from the J.D. students’ exams, and the students’ exams will not be factored into grade curves or grade distributions.
Good Standing and Graduation: The NKU graduate student good standing and graduation policies apply to the LL.M. in U.S. Law program, with one exception. Students in the LL.M. in U.S. Law program must maintain a 2.33 GPA; where the NKU Graduate Catalog refers to a 3.00 requirement, that number should be replaced with a 2.33 for students in the LL.M. in U.S. Law program.
If a student is academically dismissed from the LL.M. in U.S. Law program, he/she can re-apply to the program at any time. If the student is re-admitted, the student must meet with the Associate Dean for Academics to discuss an academic plan for completion of the program.
Grade Appeals: Students in the LL.M. in U.S. Law program will follow the same policies as J.D. students with respect to grade appeals. The Chase grade appeal policy is located in the Chase Student Handbook. https://chaselaw.nku.edu/current-students/resources/handbook.html
Transferring to the J.D. Program
Transfer Between LL.M. and J.D. Programs
Students who enroll in the LL.M. in U.S. Law program may transfer to the J.D. program, but they must apply to the J.D. program. Credit hours earned in the LL.M. in U.S. Law program can transfer to the J.D. program, but grades earned while in the LL.M. program will not be counted in the student’s J.D. grade point average. Students who transfer to the J.D. program will start the J.D. program with a 0.0 grade point average.
Credit Applied to Degree; Non-degree Credit; Transfer Credit
Ordinarily, students in the LL.M. in U.S. Law program cannot apply non-Chase credit-hours earned prior to enrolling in the program. This applies to J.D. credits earned at another law school and all other non-Chase credits earned prior to enrolling in the LL.M. program. Despite this rule, at the discretion of the Associate Dean for Academics, some credits might be transferable from another school’s LL.M. program to the LL.M. in U.S. Law program.
Students in the LL.M. in U.S. Law program must receive permission from the Associate Dean for Academics to register for courses at other law schools and have those credits apply to the LL.M. in U.S. Law degree.
Additional LL.M. Policies
Visiting Students; Undergraduate Students Taking Chase Courses; LL.M. Students Taking Undergraduate Courses
Chase College of Law will allow students seeking an LL.M. degree at another institution to be a visiting student at Chase, as long as the student can provide documentation that the student’s degree-granting institution will accept transfer credit from Chase.
No undergraduate student will be permitted to take any NKU Chase courses, unless the student receives permission from both the Associate Dean for Academics and the professor teaching the course the undergraduate student wishes to take.
Students in the LL.M. in U.S. Law program may take a maximum of six credit hours at NKU’s other colleges and receive credit toward the LL.M. degree for that coursework. The remaining twenty-four credit hours must be earned at Chase College of Law (or possibly at another law school). Students must receive permission from Chase’s Associate Dean for Academics before registering for non-Chase coursework at NKU.
Independent Study / Readings Courses / Special Topics Courses
Students in the LL.M. in U.S. Law program will not participate in Readings Courses or Special Topics Courses. Students in the LL.M. in U.S. Law program will be able to participate in a Supervised Independent Research project, but they must first seek approval from the Associate Dean for Academics. Chase College of Law has its own policies and requirements for a Supervised Independent Research project, and those policies apply to students in the LL.M. in U.S. Law program.
Degree Time Limits
Students in the LL.M. in U.S. Law program are expected to complete their degree requirements within one academic year. Students must receive permission from the Associate Dean for Academics to take more than one year to earn the degree.
Audits and Course Loads
In order to audit a course, students in the LL.M. in U.S. Law program must receive permission from the Associate Dean for Academics and the faculty member teaching the course the students wish to audit.
Students are expected to enroll in fifteen hours per semester. Students need permission from the Associate Dean for Academics to enroll in fewer than fifteen hours per semester.
Student Appeals
If the student is appealing a Chase-specific issue (other than a grade appeal), the student must appeal to the Associate Dean for Academics, who will either resolve the appeal or designate another administrator or committee to resolve the appeal. The student will have the opportunity to appeal the first decision to the Dean, whose decision will be final.
If the student is appealing a non-Chase-specific issue, the student should follow the appeal process outlined in the Northern Kentucky University Graduate Catalog.
Graduation
No student in the LL.M. in U.S. Law program will be able to graduate if he/she is not in good academic standing at the time he/she wishes to graduate (see previous policy regarding academic standing).
Students in the LL.M. in U.S. Law program will be eligible to walk in the Chase College of Law graduation ceremony. Students in the LL.M. in U.S. Law program will receive a diploma from the Chase College of Law.
Administration of the LL.M. in U.S. Law Program
The LL.M. in U.S. Law program is overseen primarily by the Chase College of Law. Students in the LL.M. in U.S. Law program should first consult with Chase’s Associate Dean for Academics if they have questions regarding the LL.M. in U.S. Law program.
Graduate Council
The Chase College of Law oversees and interprets the Chase-specific policies for the LL.M. in U.S. Law program. The NKU Office of Graduate Education oversees the non-Chase-specific policies in this program.
Miscellaneous Policies
Students in the LL.M. in U.S. Law program will follow the Chase College of Law’s academic calendar.
Students in the LL.M. in U.S. Law program will follow the registration instructions provided by Chase’s Associate Dean for Academics.
For students in the LL.M. in U.S. Law program, all course withdrawals and additions will follow the rules applicable to J.D. students. The applicable rules and relevant dates are located on the Chase website.
Students in the LL.M. in U.S. Law program must follow the same attendance policies as J.D. students. Each professor will follow his/her own attendance policies, which will be set forth in the course syllabus.
Students in the LL.M. in U.S. Law program are bound by these policies, the LL.M. policies set forth in the NKU Graduate Catalog, the Chase Student Handbook (where applicable), and by the Chase Student Honor Code. The Chase Student Handbook is found at https://chaselaw.nku.edu/current-students/resources/handbook.html.
Students in the LL.M. in U.S. Law program are also bound by NKU policies regarding student conduct and academic integrity. Situations involving a conflict between the Chase policies and the NKU policies will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Information regarding the Greater Cincinnati Consortium of Colleges and Universities is not applicable to students in the LL.M. in U.S. Law program.
