Academics: FAQs

Courses

  • What are the requirements to receive a degree from King Hall?
  • Please see the degree requirements page.
  • Where can I find course descriptions?
  • Course descriptions are available at the course descriptions page.
  • How can I decide which classes to take?
  • Please see the course advising page for information on courses, requirements, and recommendations. You may also make an individual appointment with the Dean for Student Affairs to discuss your course planning. Contact the Dean's Office Assistant (530) 752-0243 to schedule an appointment. And don't forget to seek out your professors - they can be the best source of advice!
  • Where can I find information about registering for classes?
  • Please see the registration page.
  • Where do I find information about studying abroad at a King Hall exchange program during the academic year?
  • Please see the exchange programs page.
  • How might I get credit for studying at another ABA accredited law school?
  • Students who want to take classes outside of King Hall must obtain approval from the Dean of Student Affairs, before registering for the course. To apply, students must complete the Dean’s Approval for Outside Units , attach copies of the course descriptions for each course the student wants to take and turn the completed form and course descriptions in to the law school Registrar’s Office.

    During the summer, you may take courses at other ABA accredited law schools in the U.S. which have summer programs or an ABA accredited summer abroad program.

    Students must earn grades of C or better in each course taken at an ABA accredited law school (whether in the U.S. or abroad) in order to have the credits applied to their King Hall J.D. Grades earned in courses at other ABA approvals are not computed in the student’s King Hall grade point average.
  • Summer sessions and each summer course must be a minimum of 3 weeks long.
  • In order to take courses at other ABA accredited law schools during the academic year, students must be in their 2nd or 3rd year of study and the student’s grade point average at King Hall must be 2.3 or above. The Dean may set a maximum number of credits for the courses.

    To have credit applied to their King Hall J.D., students must earn grades of B- or better in each course taken at an ABA accredited law school. Grades earned in courses at the other school are not computed in the student’s King Hall grade point average. Only units are applied toward the required 88 units for graduation from King Hall. No more than 31 units from other law schools will be applied towards the King Hall J.D.

Forms

  • Where do I find academic forms?
  • Academic forms may be found at the registrar's forms page.
  • Where do I submit forms requiring the Dean for Student Affairs signature?
  • All the forms that can be found at the registrar's forms page which require Dean for Student Affair's signature may be faxed, mailed, submitted in person to the Law Registrar's Office, or electronically submitted via email. If submitting via email, the email must be sent from the requesting person's "@ucdavis.edu" address which will serve as an electronic signature in place of the student signature requested on the form. Please fill-out, save, and send the form as an attachment to registrar@law.ucdavis.edu.

Units

  • How may I receive credit for units taken outside King Hall?
  • You must submit the Dean's Approval for Outside Units form  (.pdf) to the Registrar's Office for Dean for Student Affair's approval.
  • May I take more than 17 units in a semester?
  • No. The ABA Standards and Rules of Procedure for Approval of Law Schools prohibits law students from taking more than 20% of a law school's required coursework for graduation in a single semester, and schools are not allowed to “round up” when calculating this figure. King Hall students may not take more than 17 units per semester.
  • Is it possible to pursue another degree while getting my J.D. from King Hall?
  • Please see the joint degree program page.

Examinations and Grades

  • I'd like to improve my academic performance. Who should I talk to?
  • If you are in your first year, talk to your TAs. They are there to help you! You should also consider talking to your professors, Dean for Student Affairs, and the Director of Academic Success. The Academic Success website is full of additional tips to help you do your best. The Academic Success department also holds workshops during the year you can attend to help you succeed in law school and on the bar exam.
  • Where can I find information about exams?
  • Please see the examination information page.
  • How do I appeal a grade?
  • Law School Regulation 3.6: All grades except Incomplete or In Progress are final when filed by the instructor. The petition of a student seeking to have a grade changed shall be referred to an ad hoc committee of the faculty for decision without appeal. A grade may be changed only for the correction of a clerical or procedural error. No change of grade may be made on the basis of reassessment of the quality of a student's work or, with the exception of Incomplete or In Progress grades, the completion of additional work. No term grade except Incomplete may be revised by reexamination. The ad hoc committee shall be comprised of three faculty members, selected by random drawing from the voting faculty (excluding the instructor involved). After hearing the matter and making its determination, the ad hoc committee shall report its action to the faculty and shall thereupon be discharged.
  • I have another question about grades.
  • Please see the grades page.
  • I have a question about class rank.
  • The rank in class is provided in 5% increments based on the cumulative GPA after each semester. In February and July each year, students are notified when their updated class rank is available. The School of Law does not provide individual class rank nor does it post class rank on transcripts. Law School class ranking information is available the Law School Intranet (click on the "Course Tools" tab, then select "Graduation Checklist").

Clinics and Externships

  • How do I become a certified law student?
  • A law student must work with their potential supervising attorney, their law school, and the California State Bar to be certified. Before applying to the Practical Training of Law Students (PTLS) program, as it is called in California, an applicant must first be registered as a law student with The State Bar of California’s Office of Admissions. Law students must pay a registration fee at the time they submit their Application for Registration. To apply for PTLS certification, new applicants must submit four forms to the California State Bar together with a non-refundable application fee made payable to The State Bar of California. Please see the Practical Training of Law Students program page at the California state bar website for more information, including amounts of applicable fees.
  • Can I get credit for a summer externship?
  • King Hall does not have a summer program or summer classes. However, students have two options:

    Most major cities have one or more ABA accredited law schools which have summer sessions and which offer externships during those summer sessions. You can apply as a summer visiting student and, if accepted, enroll in the ABA accredited school's summer session and pay that school's summer fees. Please check with the King Hall financial aid office to find out whether financial aid will be available for you.
    • Students who take classes at other ABA accredited schools must earn grades of C or better for the units to be accepted towards the King Hall J.D. Externships are generally graded Pass/Fail or Credit/No Credit. You must find out how the school you attend defines "Pass" or "Credit". If the school defines these terms as the equivalent of a C or better, the law school will accept a grade of "Pass," "Credit" or "Satisfactory" and apply your externship units. If the school defines "Pass," "Credit" or "Satisfactory" as the equivalent of a D- or better (which is the custom of many schools), the law school cannot accept grades of "Pass," "Credit" or "Satisfactory." Instead, the professor overseeing your externship must agree to write a letter saying that your performance in the externship is the equivalent of a C or better (assuming that is true after you have completed the externship). Some schools are willing to write such letters while others are not. Be sure to learn the school's policy on this before enrolling at the school.
       
    • Students who want to take classes outside of King Hall must obtain approval from the Dean for Student Affairs before registering for the course. To apply, students must complete the Dean's Approval for Outside Units , attach copies of the course descriptions for each course the student wants to take and turn the completed form and course descriptions in to the Registrar's Office.

      You simply work during the summer at the placement without enrolling in a summer session. In the fall, you enroll at King Hall for a Law 499 (independent research project) under the supervision of a King Hall faculty member and write a paper on a topic that interested you at your summer placement. You can write a paper based on legal issues you learned about while working or use something you wrote at your job as a starting point for your King Hall paper. The choice of topic would be up to you and the supervising King Hall professor. The Law 499 can be either graded or S/U. Note that you would not be getting credit for your work at the externship itself but for a separate project based on your work there. This means that you cannot write something at your job, bring it to a King Hall professor and say "here's my Law 499 project, please grade it." Your Law 499 project must be new work you create under the supervision of the King Hall professor. If you think you might already have ideas for a paper before you start your externship, or you develop an idea during the summer, you can find a professor who agrees to supervise your and begin working on your paper during the summer if you like.
  • I have a question about a clinic.
  • Please see the clinics overview page.
  • I have a question about an externship.
  • Please see the externships page.

Commencement and Bar Exams

Career Planning and Job Search