Table of Contents

  1. Learning Outcomes of the University of Iowa College of Law
  2. Graduation Requirements for the J.D. Degree
  3. Course Enrollment
  4. Course Approval, Requirements, and Crediting
  5. Writing Requirements
  6. Grading
  7. Final Exams
  8. Policy on Eligibility Rules Adopted by Student Organizations
  9. Policy on Field Placement Programs
  10. Combined Degrees
  11. Withdrawal from the College of Law
  12. Retention Rules
  13. Policy on Misconduct
  14. Policy on Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
  15. Academic Awards and Honors
  16. Additional Policies Applicable to S.J.D. Students
  17. Miscellaneous Policies

Section Contents

  1. Learning Outcomes
  2. Course Approval and Crediting Policy
  3. Cross-Listing of Courses
  4. Clinical Crediting
  5. Guidelines for Small-Section Faculty
  6. First Year Legal Analysis, Writing & Research Guidelines
  7. Timeliness of Grading
  8. Videotaping Policy
  9. Limitations on resources students may consult on course work

A. Learning Outcomes

Adopted 10/2017; amended 10/2017.

The College of Law will publish its learning outcomes on its website, the Student Handbook, and other publications where the law school describes its mission and curriculum. The law school shall publish learning outcomes for any certificates or specialty tracks within the JD program in those places where the certificates or specialty tracks are described. Learning outcomes for individual courses must be published in the course syllabi.

B. Course Approval and Crediting Policy

Adopted 10/2016; amended 12/2022..

  1. Designation of courses
    1. The Registrar shall designate in the course registration materials:
      1. faculty instruction courses;
      2. experiential courses;
      3. courses through which a student may satisfy the upper-level writing requirements, whether the writing credits in those courses are faculty-supervised, and the number of writing credits available in those courses;
      4. professional responsibility courses;
      5. co-curricular courses;
      6. distance education courses; and
      7. courses that are independent studies, supplementary writing, or directed writing and research.
    2. LAWR-I shall not be designated an experiential course, nor shall the required Professional Responsibility course be designated an experiential course or an upper-level writing course.
  2. Course approval and assessment process
    • No College of Law course shall be offered for credit without first being approved by the faculty, ordinarily after a recommendation by the Curriculum Committee.
    • Whenever a new course is proposed and whenever an existing course is offered, the College of Law shall elicit information from the instructor as necessary to enable the faculty and administration to properly implement College of Law policies and ABA requirements.
    • New course proposals must include an explanation of how the course, as proposed, justifies the number of credits to be assigned to it, with reference to paragraph (3) of this policy.
  3. Crediting of courses

    1. Definition of “credit hour”

      In determining the appropriate number of credits to assign a course, the College of Law shall use the term “credit” or “credit hour” to correspond to an amount of work that reasonably approximates:

      1. not less than one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and two hours of out-of-class student work per week for fifteen weeks, or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; or
      2. at least an equivalent amount of work as required in subparagraph (A) of this definition for other academic activities as established by the College of Law, including simulation, field placement, clinical, co-curricular, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours.

      For purposes of this policy, fifty minutes suffices for one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction. An “hour” for out-of-class student work is sixty minutes. The fifteen-week period may include one week for a final examination. The College of Law may award credit hours for course work that extends over any period of time, if the course work entails no less than the minimum total amounts of classroom or direct faculty instruction and of out-of-class student work specified above.

      Each semester, the Dean or the Dean’s designate shall:

      1. ensure that the instructor(s) of each course confirm that they have reviewed Standard 310 and that, in their judgment, the work they expect to assign in their courses approximates the amount of work required per credit under that Standard,
      2. collect and review course syllabi from each course being offered to ensure compliance with that Standard, and
      3. document compliance with this policy.

      Nothing in this policy precludes the College of Law from requiring courses to comply with additional requirements or minimums.

    2. Crediting of co-curricular activities

      Adopted 12/2017.

      Credit hours may be awarded for the following co-curricular activities upon evaluation by a faculty member:

      1. Iowa Law Review, Journal of Corporation Law, Journal of Transnational Law & Contemporary Problems, and the Journal of Gender, Race & Justice as follows:
        1. Two credit hours for satisfactory completion of two writing units.
        2. Three credit hours for titled editors who have completed two credits as a writer, except that the Editor-in-Chief of the Iowa Law Review shall receive four credit hours.

      2. Appellate Advocacy I (LAW:9010), the Van Oosterhout/Baskerville Domestic Competition (LAW:9021) and the Jessup and Jessup International Moot Court Competitions (LAW:9038)

        These shall carry one credit hour unless otherwise approved by the faculty. Members of the Moot Court and Trial Advocacy Boards shall receive up to two credit hours.

      3. These credit hours shall be allocated between semesters at the student’s discretion except that students must be registered for some part of the expected credit hours in each semester in which they are substantially engaged in the activity.

  4. Approval of distance education courses

    Adopted 2/2022; amended 5/2022; 2/2024.

    1. Coverage.

      This section applies to any course that qualifies as a distance education course as defined in the policy on Distance Education Courses (Section II(I)(1) of the Academic Policies and Procedures) for any enrolled student, including hybrid courses that qualify as distance courses only for students at another institution.

    2. Distance course proposals.

      There are two steps in the process of offering a distance education course: (1) the approval of the course by the faculty, and (2) the decision by the Dean to offer the course in any particular semester. The course proposal process is designed to elicit information relevant to both steps. In any distance course proposal, the instructor shall, at a minimum, identify:

      1. the academic content of the course;
      2. the method of course delivery;
      3. the method of evaluating student performance;
      4. how the course will satisfy the requirements stated in Section II(I)(2) on regular and substantive interaction and on the use of technology and on support and training for technology;
      5. other planned teaching and assessment methods to suit the distance course format; and
      6. the pedagogical or curricular justification for offering the course as a distance course rather than in person.

    3. Course approval.

      No distance course shall be offered unless the College of Law faculty has first approved:

      1. the course’s academic content,
      2. the method of course delivery,
      3. the method of evaluating student performance, and
      4. the course’s compliance with the requirements stated in Section II(I)(2) on regular and substantive interaction and on the use of technology and on support and training for technology.

      This section applies to any previously approved course that is being taught as a distance education course for the first time. For purposes of course approval, a distance course shall be treated as a separate course from an in-person course on the same subject.

    4. Decision to offer a distance course.

      Once a distance course proposal is approved by the faculty, the decision whether to offer the course in any particular semester rests with the Dean, subject to the faculty’s final approval of each semester’s slate of course offerings. In determining whether to offer a distance course, the Dean should, at a minimum, take into account the following:

      1. the pedagogical or curricular justification for offering the course as a distance course rather than in person;
      2. the anticipated student interest in the course, the number of students likely to be served by the course, and anticipated student preference for in-person or distance formats;
      3. the extent to which the instructor has identified teaching and assessment methods suitable to the distance format;
      4. whether the benefit of offering the distance course outweighs the cost (including, for example, whether offering the distance course means offering fewer in-person courses); and
      5. the degree to which offering the distance course furthers the law school’s goals as stated in its Strategic Plan.

    5. Decision to re-offer a distance course.

      When a distance course that has already been approved and offered is to be offered again, the instructor shall notify the Dean of any changes to the information in the original course proposal. If the Dean determines that the changes are substantial, the course must undergo the course approval process identified in Section (IV)(B)(4)(c).

    6. Crediting.

      No credit may be given toward the J.D. degree for any distance education course except as permitted by this policy, relevant ABA Standards, and the College of Law’s graduation requirements.

    7. Distance Courses Offered Outside the College of Law

      Before enrollment. Distance courses taken by a student before enrolling at the College of Law may count toward the J.D. degree only if the Dean or Dean’s designate determines that the College of Law would have granted credit for those courses toward the J.D. if they were earned at the College of Law.

      After enrollment. Students taking distance courses outside the College of Law after enrolling in the College of Law must obtain the approval of the Dean or Dean’s Designate under the requirements in Sections II(H)(4) and II(I)(2) before credit for the course toward the J.D. can be granted. Students seeking credit for courses offered outside the College of Law should initiate the request through the College of Law Registrar. Students are strongly encouraged to obtain approval prior to taking the course to ensure that the credits will count toward the J.D.

C. Cross-Listing of Courses

Adopted 4/1994.

  1. In exercising its discretion whether to cross list a particular course, the faculty should take into account the following criteria.
    1. The course should be “law-related” in some significant respect that could not be said about every possible course.
    2. The course should be taught by someone with “law-related” credentials, in the form of a law degree, legal training, or a track record of successful teaching or scholarship in some area or areas of the law.
    3. The course should enhance the law school’s curriculum.
  2. Any decision to cross-list should be specifically limited to the particular faculty member who has requested the cross-listing.
  3. Any decision to cross-list should be specifically limited to the particular year or semester for which the cross-listing was requested. (This limitation would not preclude giving a general assurance of the likelihood for future cross-listing. But such an assurance would always be subject to the limitation that the course was effectively taught and that a course taught by a law faculty member in the future might reduce the contribution which the non-law school course was making to the law school’s curriculum.)

D. Clinical Crediting

Adopted 3/2016.

Clinic applications for six to nine credit hours during the fall and spring semesters will be given identical priority beginning in the fall of 2016.

Unless unanticipated circumstances prompt an earlier review, the clinic faculty will review enrollment figures in the fall of 2018 to determine whether it is feasible to continue to offer nine-credit enrollments.

In order to test and become familiar with this new system as it applies to fall-semester, second-year students, a total of four such students will be admitted to the clinic in the fall of 2016, each enrolling for six credit hours.

The experience gained from that semester should enable the clinic faculty to operate a full-scale clinic for such students beginning in the fall of 2017.

E. Guidelines for Small-Section Faculty

Adopted 5/2006.

  1. Fall – In the Fall small-section faculty are responsible for the following assignments:

    1. A practice essay examination question with individualized written or oral feedback; and
    2. An oral exercise that requires students to explain legal concepts in “plain English” (e.g., in a simulated client-counseling session).

    Both of these assignments shall be evaluated on a pass/fail basis by the small-section faculty members.

  2. Spring – In the Spring small-section courses, faculty are responsible for designing and conducting an oral exercise that is aimed at developing skills in one or more of the following areas:

    1. factual investigation;
    2. counseling;
    3. negotiation;
    4. oral advocacy; or
    5. other fundamental lawyering skills.

    The small-section faculty members shall evaluate the oral exercise on a pass/fail basis.

  3. Organizational meeting – Early in each semester (or in advance of the semester if feasible), the Program Coordinator shall call a meeting of all faculty teaching small-section courses, inviting others involved in the first year curriculum as appropriate, for the purpose of sharing their several plans for carrying out their responsibilities under these Guidelines.
  4. Workload – Small-section faculty should assume that the burden of writing in the LAWR courses will preclude long or frequent or time-consuming writing assignments in the small-section courses. Small-section faculty shall have the responsibility to schedule any writing assignments and practice examinations, so that they do not conflict with writing assignments in the LAWR courses.

F. First Year Legal Analysis, Writing & Research Guidelines

Adopted 5/2006; Amended 4/2020; 5/2023.

  1. Overview of the Program

    The Legal Analysis, Writing and Research Program (“LAWR”) at the College of Law is a two-semester first-year course, two credits in the Fall and three credits in the Spring, designed to equip students with effective skills in legal analysis, writing and research.

    Analysis – The program develops the students’ skills at legal analysis throughout the year in connection with every assignment. Analytical skills include the spotting of legal issues in a fact pattern, the identification of legally relevant facts, the synthesis of legal rules, principles, policies and purposes found in the legal materials (e.g., precedents and statutes), and the understanding and formation of legal arguments of different kinds. (All courses in the law college are involved in teaching legal analysis.)

    Written & Oral Communication – The program also develops the students’ skills at legal writing and oral advocacy. Legal writing centers on the effective communication of the legal analysis of a practical problem, whether the purpose is to predict what a court or other decision-maker will do, to persuade someone to agree with one’s conclusions, or to decide a case and explain one’s decision. Oral advocacy skills center on using legal analysis to persuade someone, such as a judge, to reach a particular conclusion.

    Research – Legal research supports legal analysis primarily by identifying the legal materials, especially legal authorities, that form the basis of effective legal arguments and legal conclusions.

  2. Program Goals

    Students are expected to achieve the following objectives during the first-year LAWR course:

    • Acquire the fundamentals of legal reasoning and analysis, including case analysis, fact analysis, application of law to facts, case synthesis, and analogizing and distinguishing cases;
    • Learn how to identify a legal problem and resolve it, as well as how to determine which facts in a fact pattern are legally significant;
    • Learn how to generate arguments and counter-arguments;
    • Develop and employ basic research skills within a limited universe of research tools in order to locate cases and statutes from citations, to find cases on a given subject, to determine the present status of a case, and to exercise judgment in selecting the most appropriate cases from a larger pool of cases (first semester);
    • Develop and employ a full range of research skills through assignments that place no limitations on the type of research necessary for their completion (second semester);
    • Develop the ability to write legal documents, including objective memoranda and persuasive briefs, that are clear, concise, analytically sound, and well organized;
    • Become familiar with how to cite properly legal authorities, and learn the appropriate style, tone, and diction for legal writing depending on one’s audience;
    • Write an appellate brief;
    • Learn argumentative and persuasive legal writing; and
    • Craft and present a persuasive oral argument.
  3. Required Writing in LAWR Courses
    1. Writing Assignments –

      1. Fall –

        In the Fall LAWR course, student writing assignments shall total between 28 to 33 pages (including the rewrites), and shall include the following assignments:

        1. An objective writing on a factual problem requiring close legal analysis that requires students to locate cases in the library using known citations;
        2. An objective writing on a factual problem requiring close legal analysis that requires students to identify appropriate cases from a “closed universe” of cases;
        3. Two rewrites; and
        4. Other writing assignments in the form of short exercises to hone student writing at the sentence level and to introduce students to various documents. Examples of these types of assignments include plain-language revision of judicial opinions, case holdings, case briefs, case syntheses, draft contracts, and client letters.

      2. Spring –

        In the Spring LAWR course, student writing assignments shall total between 30 and 40 pages (including the rewrites), and shall include the following assignments:

        1. Two writings on a factual problem requiring close legal analysis, one of which must be a persuasive writing; and
        2. Two rewrites.

        All assigned writings in the spring semester shall require the students to engage in independent research. At least one assignment shall involve more than one legal issue, and at least one assignment shall include close textual analysis of a statute or regulation. One of the writings shall be in the form of an appellate brief that forms the basis of the required appellate oral argument (described in section IV, below).

      3. Additional Rewrites –

        LAWR faculty members are strongly encouraged to identify those students who have writing difficulties and to work with them individually to address those concerns. To that end, LAWR faculty may require individual students to do additional rewrites which shall not count in the total page requirements stated in sections III.1.A. and III.1.B.

    2. Feedback and Grades

      1. Feedback –

        Regular feedback is essential to help students become effective legal writers. Thus, with regard to writing assignments other than those described in section III.1.A.4, LAWR faculty shall provide individual feedback for each student on each writing assignment. This individualized feedback may be delivered in a variety of formats, including written comments, conferences, and recorded audio comments. With regard to writing assignments described in section III.1.A.4, the manner and mode of feedback shall be in the LAWR faculty’s discretion. The feedback shall be designed to let the student know whether and how his or her performance met or did not meet the pedagogical objectives of the exercise. In addition, LAWR faculty shall hold individual conferences with each student at least once during each semester and as needed beyond that.

      2. Grades –

        The median grade in the LAWR course shall be between 3.2 and 3.4, with the following mandatory distribution:

        • 3.6–4.3 A+/A/A- — 15–35%
        • 3.3–3.5 B+ — 20–30%
        • 3.0–3.2 B — 20–30%
        • 2.9 and below B-/C+/C/D/F — 15–35%

        The Dean of the College of Law may approve deviations from the curve based upon a showing of good cause.

  4. Required Appellate Oral Argument in the Spring LAWR Course

    In the Spring LAWR course, each student shall make an oral presentation in the form of an appellate oral argument. The oral argument may be made during a regularly or specially scheduled time period, and it may be graded or not at the discretion of the LAWR faculty.

  5. In-class Instruction

    LAWR classes meet for up to two hours each week. LAWR faculty shall use in-class time to help students develop their analytical, writing and research skills by means of selected readings, exercises, and writing workshops. Course readings and writing exercises may come from required textbooks, selected by the LAWR faculty, or from material assembled by the LAWR faculty. The library staff shall join LAWR faculty in designing and implementing in-class research modules to give students experience in the use of both print and electronic research materials.

  6. General

    1. Coordination –

      Prior to the beginning of the semester, and as necessary throughout the semester, LAWR faculty shall coordinate with each other and with the Program Coordinator with regard to the design of research and writing assignments. LAWR faculty also coordinate with members of the library staff to arrange instruction for students in legal research. Finally, LAWR faculty may find it useful to consult with small-section faculty in designing writing assignments.

    2. Parity –

      While each LAWR faculty member has considerable flexibility in designing specific writing assignments for students in his or her course, it is necessary to ensure that there is general uniformity from one LAWR course to the next, both in terms of what we expect students to learn and the demands made on their time. Toward this end, LAWR faculty shall structure the substantive content of their courses so as to accomplish the goals listed above in section II and satisfy the required writing assignments outlined above in section III.

    3. Scheduling of Writing Assignments –

      Writing assignments shall be scheduled so that students submit the last paper at least two weeks before the last day of classes for the semester. Papers shall be returned to students within three weeks of being handed in to the faculty member, except that feedback on the final writing assignment in each semester shall be provided no later than the course grade deadline specified under the Timeliness of Grading policy.

    4. Texts –

      Each LAWR faculty member shall decide what text or texts he or she wishes to use in the course. However, to the extent possible, LAWR faculty are encouraged to use the same text or texts where it makes sense to do so.

    5. Notice –

      At the beginning of the semester, each LAWR faculty member shall provide his or her students with a statement in writing referring to the First-Year Legal Analysis, Writing, & Research Guidelines in the Student Handbook and describing the schedule of student assignments, the basis of the final grade in the course, and whether writing assignments shall be graded anonymously.

    6. Exceptions –

      For good cause, the Program Coordinator may approve exceptions to these Guidelines.

G. Timeliness of Grading

Adopted 5/2023.

  1. Introduction

    The College of Law faculty recognizes its obligation to assess student work carefully and thoroughly and to give priority to those efforts so that the results of those assessments are available to students as soon as reasonably possible. Prompt assessment of student work and prompt submission of course grades are important for educational purposes, graduation and job placement timelines, student morale, notice to students who are subject to the Retention Rules, and compliance with University requirements, as well as to show respect for students.

  2. Deadlines for submission of course grades

    In general, instructors should strive to submit course grades to the Registrar as promptly as reasonably possible after the course has concluded. Course grades submitted by the following deadlines will be considered timely:

    1. Non-intersession courses.

      The College of Law Registrar shall designate a grading deadline each semester that will be no earlier than three weeks after the last day of the exam period (including the regularly scheduled make-up days). This deadline applies to all non-intersession courses, even if the course does not include a final exam, including, but not limited to, seminars, clinical courses, field placements, LAWR, co-curricular courses, independent research, tutorials, and pass/fail courses. Each summer session shall be treated as a separate semester for purposes of this rule.

    2. Intersession courses.

      The College of Law Registrar shall designate a grading deadline for each intersession week that will be no earlier than three weeks from the last day of the course, including any exam day.

    3. Courses that extend beyond the dates set in paragraphs (a) and (b).

      When specified in the course approval, or with the permission of the Dean or Dean’s designate, a course may permit students to submit final course work after the regular exam period or intersession week. In such instances, the College of Law Registrar shall designate a grading deadline of no earlier than three weeks after all student work is due, and the instructor shall notify the students at the beginning of the course of when course grades can be expected. This paragraph does not apply when individual students receive permission to submit late work; such a case is governed by subsection (4), below.

  3. Delivery of completed exams to the instructor

    The exam staff shall strive to deliver completed exams to the instructor as soon as possible after the designated exam date for the course. When one or more students will be taking the exam on a regularly scheduled make-up day that occurs after the designated exam date, the exam staff shall hold back two exams to include with the make-up exams in order to help preserve the anonymity of the students taking the make-up exam.

  4. Delayed-receipt exams

    Ordinarily, all the students in a course will take the final exam either on the date designated for that exam or on one of the regularly scheduled make-up days that are part of the exam period. In such instances, the grading deadline is unaffected.

    When a student receives permission to take a make-up exam after the regularly scheduled make-up exam days are over, such a “delayed-receipt” exam is not subject to the regular grading deadline. In such a case, the instructor may enter a course grade of “Incomplete” for that student by the deadline set in subsection (2); the instructor shall then submit a final course grade for that student no later than three weeks after the date of that make-up exam. In such a case, the instructor shall nevertheless enter course grades for the other students in the course by the deadline set in subsection (2). In doing so, the instructor shall comply with the mandatory curve (if applicable) as to those students, and should then strive to grade any delayed-receipt exam in a way that is fair relative to the other grades already given.

    The rules in this subsection shall also apply when a student receives permission to submit other final course work (such as a seminar paper) after the conclusion of the exam period.

H. Videotaping Policy

Adopted 5/2002.

Unless a professor grants his or her express permission, tapes of classes will not be made available to students not enrolled in the class.

I. Limitations on resources students may consult on course work

Adopted 3/2025.

  1. Exams.

    On in-class exams, students may not consult or receive help or information from other people or use written material or electronic resources unless the exam instructions expressly permit them to do so.

  2. Other academic work.

    When instructors assign work as part of any College of Law course, they may restrict the extent to which students may consult or receive help or information from other people or via electronic resources. Instructors may also require students to disclose the degree to which they have consulted such resources and what information they obtained as a result. Instructors must make any such restrictions or disclosure rules clear, in writing, either in the course syllabus or in the instructions to the assignment itself.