Program of Study

The first year curriculum is a fixed and required one, whether students are in the full time or part time division, and is reflected in the charts below:

1L Curriculum (Full Time)

1L Curriculum (Part Time)

1L Curriculum (Winter Start Full-Time Division)

The second year is when most students begin to take electives while continuing to meet mandatory graduation requirements, including both required and menu courses. The “Required Courses” listed below must be taken during the semester indicated. In addition, it is strongly recommended that students take the “Menu Courses” during the Winter 2L semester, as this is the only time they are guaranteed a seat in these course. Full-time students wait until their third year to take the menu courses run the risk that they may be full. The required and menu courses for students in their second year are as follows: (Please note, current part-time students must consult with Student Services for sequencing options, these part-time options reflect new sequencing for students starting in Fall 2018):

2L REQUIRED OFFERINGS (Full Time Division)

2L REQUIRED OFFERINGS (Part Time Division) Starting Fall 2018

2L REQUIRED OFFERINGS (Winter Start Full-Time Division)

Summer 2L Semester or Fall 3L

Menu Offerings (Full Time and Part Time Division)

You must select one from the following offerings. Although you must take only one of these two offerings in order to graduate, for full time, Fall start students, the only time when you will have a guaranteed seat in each of these instructional offerings is during the WINTER 2L SEMESTER (whether full time or part time). If you elect to take one of these instructional offerings in a later semester, you will have to wait until the All Student registration period or Drop/Add to see if a seat is available.

*There is no guarantee that you will be able to take one of these courses if you do not take it during this semester.*

• Family Law (3 Credits) LAW 0635 - Second year preference course for full-time students and part-time students.
• Wills and Trusts (4 Credits) LAW 0655 - Second year preference course for full-time students and part-time students.

OPTION: YOU MAY TAKE WILLS AND TRUSTS SEPARATELY IN YOUR 2L YEAR IF OFFERED IN THAT FORMAT IN ANY GIVEN ACADEMIC YEAR. THERE IS *NO GUARANTEE* THAT THE COURSE WILL BE OFFERED IN ANY PARTICULAR FORMAT IN ANY GIVEN SEMESTER:  

• Trusts (2 Credits) LAW 0956

• Wills (2 Credits) LAW 0955

3L REQUIRED Offerings (Full-Time Division)

The third year curriculum should focus on completing additional graduation requirements, preparing for the Bar exam, skill-building and substantive areas of interest. However, in the student’s last two semesters of law school, students are required to take the Multistate Bar Exam Lab and Florida Bar Exam Lab for a total of three credits.

3L REQUIRED Offerings (Part-Time Division)

It is strongly suggested that part time students take their menu courses during this year.

Fourth Year Curriculum (Part-Time Division)

In the last two semesters of law school, students are required to take Multistate Bar Exam Lab and Florida Bar Exam Lab for a total of three credits. More information is provided in Additional Graduation Requirements - All Students. There are no other required offerings in the fourth year for part-time students. The fourth year part time curriculum should focus on completing additional graduation requirements, preparing for the Bar exam, skills-building and substantive areas of interest

Beyond the required and menu first and second year core instructional offerings, each student is required to complete a series of additional instructional offerings designed to prepare the student for Bar passage, and instill the necessary skill sets for general or specialized practice upon graduation. These offerings are listed here in four categories. For full information on prerequisites and co-requisites, please consult the Course Descriptions.

a) The approved Upper Level Writing Requirement offerings (1 course required or the equivalent alternative allowed under the academic code)

b) Experiential Learning (6 credits required)
The Adults with Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities (AIDD) Clinic Full-Time (0022)
The Adults with Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities (AIDD) Clinic Part-Time (0023)

c) Professional Responsibility (1 required course)

d) Multistate Bar Exam Lab and Florida Bar Exam Lab (2 required courses or an exemption allowed under the academic code for non-Florida Bar exam takers)

(a) Students must complete an upper level writing requirement (satisfied through any approved writing requirement courses, or through approval of a Law Review/Journal paper. Students must earn a C+ or better for the writing requirement course, which can be completed any time in the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th year).

a) The approved Upper Level Writing Requirement offerings when taught by full-time faculty or emeritus faculty are:

• American Legal History Seminar (2 Credits) LAW 0794
• Animal Law Legislation Seminar (2 Credits) LAW 0795
• Appellate Practice Workshop (2 Credits) LAW 0874 (may use to satisfy the upper level writing requirement OR the experiential learning requirement but not both)
• Art Law Seminar (2 Credits) LAW 0643
• Bioethics Seminar (2 Credits) LAW 0897
• Business Planning Workshop (2 credits) LAW 0807 (may use to satisfy the upper level writing requirement OR the experiential learning requirement but not both)
• Caribbean Law Seminar (2 credits) LAW 4674
• Caribbean Law Seminar Online (2 credits) LAW XXXX
• Civil Rights Litigation Seminar (2 Credits) LAW 0615
• Comparative Corporate Governance Seminar (2 Credits) LAW 1060
• Comparative Law Seminar (2 Credits) LAW 0668
• Current Constitutional Issues Seminar (2 Credits) LAW 0796
• Elder Law Seminar (2 Credits) LAW 0737
• Environmental Enforcement Seminar (2 Credits) LAW 0780
• Estate Planning Workshop (3 credits) LAW 0725 (may use to satisfy the upper level writing requirement OR the experiential learning requirement but not both)
• Florida Land Development Workshop (2 Credits) LAW 1016 (may use to satisfy the upper level writing requirement OR the experiential learning requirement but not both)
• Jewish Law Seminar (2 Credits) LAW 1074
• Jurisprudence Seminar (2 Credits) LAW 0735
• Law, Finance and Markets Seminar (2 Credits) LAW 4678
• Law and Literature Seminar (2 Credits) LAW 0718
• Law and Medicine Seminar (2 Credits) LAW 0895
• Legislation Seminar (2 Credits) LAW 0859

b) Experiential Learning (6 Credits required)

• Advanced Trial Advocacy (3 Credits) LAW 0893
• Appellate Practice Workshop (2 Credits) LAW 0874 (may use to satisfy the upper level writing requirement OR the experiential learning requirement but not both)
• Bankruptcy Workshop (2 Credits) LAW 0601
• Business Planning Workshop (2 credits) LAW 0807 (may use to satisfy the upper level writing requirement OR the experiential learning requirement but not both)
• Charitable Organizations Workshop (2 Credits) LAW 1051
• Children and Families Clinic - Full-Time (6-12 Credits) LAW 0929
• Civil Field Placement Clinic Full Time (6-12 Credits) LAW 0829
• Civil Pre-Trial Practice (3 Credits) LAW 0517
• Consumer Bankruptcy Field Placement (4-5 Credits) LAW 1851
• Consumer Protection Internship Clinic (3 Credits) LAW 0929
• Criminal Justice Field Placement Clinic (9 Credits) LAW 0853
• Criminal Pre-Trial Practice (2 Credits) LAW 0711
• Criminal Procedure II Workshop, (2 Credits) LAW 0634
• Death Penalty Workshop (2 Credits) LAW 0018
• Dependency Workshop (2 Credits) LAW 2001
• Dispute Resolution Clinic Placement (8 Credits) LAW 0844
• Drafting and Negotiating Intellectual Property Licenses (2 Credits) LAW 0600
• Electronic Discovery, Digital Evidence and Information Governance Workshop (2 Credits) LAW 0200
• Estate Planning Workshop (3 credits) LAW 0725 (may use to satisfy the upper level writing requirement OR the experiential learning requirement but not both)
• Family Law Litigation Workshop (3 Credits) LAW 0686
• Florida Land Development Workshop (2 Credits) LAW 1016 (may use to satisfy the upper level writing requirement OR the experiential learning requirement but not both)
• Health Law Workshop (3 credits) LAW 1044
• Interviewing and Counseling (2 Credits) LAW 1062
• Interviewing, Counseling, and Negotiating (3 Credits) LAW 0665
• Judicial Field Placement (3 Credits) LAW 0799
• Landlord Tenant Workshop (2 Credits) LAW 1070
• Law Office Management Workshop (2 Credits) LAW 0651
• Law Practice Business and Technology (2 Credits) LAW 0092
• Lawyers as Advocates: Rhetoric, Modes of Persuasion & Public Policy Campaigns (2 Credits) LAW 1000
• Legal Drafting Workshop (2 credits) LAW 0752
• Mediation Workshop (2 Credits) LAW 0522
• Negotiating Workshop (2 Credits) LAW 0672 or online LAW 4672
• Patent Prosecution (2 Credits) LAW 0819
• Post-Conviction Relief Workshop (2 Credits) LAW 1001
• Probate Law Workshop (2 Credits) LAW 0713
• Real Property Closing Workshop (3 Credits) LAW 0751
• SEC Enforcement Workshop (3 Credits) LAW 0511
• Sentencing Workshop (2 Credits) LAW 1076
• Street Law Workshop (2 Credits) LAW 1005
• Trial Advocacy (3 Credits) LAW 0890
• Will Drafting Workshop (2 Credits) LAW 0524

c. Professional Responsibility (1 course)

All students are required to take the course Professional Responsibility (3 Credits) LAW 0649 during any semester AFTER their first year. This is a fundamental, foundational course examining the lawyer's professional role and social responsibilities, and emphasizing the Model Rules of Professional Conduct. Topics include disclosure and confidentiality, conflicts of interest, fees, advertising, group legal services, corporate counsel, and pro bono representation. The course also introduces students to the Code of Judicial Conduct. It impacts every area of study. Students should consider when they plan to sit for the national Multi-state Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE) (available August and November to students completing their first year of law school) and plan the course into their schedule accordingly. Students should note that under the rules of admission to the Florida Bar, a valid passing MPRE score must be obtained within 25 months of passing the Florida Bar examination, or sit for the MPRE again. Students sitting for a bar exam in another jurisdiction must check their local bar rules for the time period in which a passing MPRE score may be obtained.

d. Multistate Bar Exam Lab and Florida Bar Exam Lab (2 courses)

NSU Law requires two mandatory courses to give students the skills needed to prepare for the bar exam. One course focuses on the subjects tested on the Multistate portion of the bar exam, while the second required course focuses on the subjects tested on the Florida portion of the bar exam. Students are required to take these two courses in the last two semesters before graduation. These courses are available in person, and in certain instances, on-line. Students registered to sit for a bar exam in a state other than Florida may be exempt from taking the Florida Bar Exam Lab upon the approval in writing of the Associate Dean for the Academic Success and Professionalism Program. The courses are listed in the course catalog.

Students should consult the Code of Academic Regulations for more information about which semester during their last two semesters to take each course, options for part-time and clinic students, as well as special options for students sitting for another state’s Bar exam.

3L/4L Academic Success and Professionalism Program (ASP) Curriculum

Options for Second, Third & Fourth Years: Curriculum Planning By Subject Matter Area

This section is designed to provide additional guidance to students attempting to plan a “roadmap” of their course selection, and is organized based on general subject matter. Because course selection and sequencing can involve many variables unique to each student and situation, these suggestions should be considered in that context, and students are encouraged to discuss their choices with individual faculty members, whose perspectives on these choices could vary.

The NSU Shepard Broad College of Law Honors Program provides exclusive recognition and professional experiences to select entering students and those who have performed near the top of their first-year law school class.

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