Chapter 7:
Classes & Academic Calendar

Registration & Scheduling

Information about how to register for classes and course offerings can be found on the Registrar’s Office webpage. Every effort is made to schedule classes so that required courses and courses that typically have high enrollments do not conflict. Students should take special care to plan schedules for both semesters in each academic year to achieve their curricular objectives. The Planning Your Course of Study tool, also on the Registrar’s webpage, provides course selection advice specific to subject matter, employer type, and practice type.

During each registration period, the Registrar’s Office will manage the registration priority of all students in residential programs (JD, LLM, SJD) in the following manner: For general registration courses that are open to all students in residential programs, the Registrar’s Office will first open registration to 3L students for a designated period. The Registrar’s Office will then open registration with all remaining seats in general registration courses to the 2L students for a designated period. Following these periods when all JD students are eligible to register for classes, the Registrar’s Office will open registration for all students other than 1Ls. At this time, remaining students, including students in the LLM and SJD programs, as well as any visiting students will be able to register for classes.  A few classes may be designated as “LLM Only.”  Those classes will not be available to students in other programs and will be available to the LLM students during the open enrollment period when they begin registering for classes.

Add/Drop Policy

The first week of each semester is designated as an add/drop period, during which students may add or drop courses without first obtaining the approval of the instructors involved.

A student is not permitted to add or drop a course after the add/drop period absent unforeseen and exigent circumstances, and not without the permission of both the instructor and the Sr. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (or their designee).

If a course withdrawal is approved after the add/drop period, it will be reflected by a “W” for withdrawal on the student’s transcript. 

Once a final grade has been entered for a given course, retroactive drops/withdrawals will not be considered under any circumstances.

Auditing Courses

A graduate of an approved law school (AALS or approved by ABA) who wishes to audit a course at the School of Law may do so with the permission of the Sr. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (or their designee) and the professor teaching the course, and with the payment of an audit fee based upon a pro rata portion of tuition.

School of Law students who are full-time may audit any law course, with the permission of the Sr. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (or their designee) and the professor teaching the course. No additional charge will be made.

Others within or without the University may audit a course only if the Sr. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (or their designee) determines there is sufficient reason for such audit commensurate with the general purposes of the School of Law and then only with agreement of the professor teaching the course. There will be a fee charged for such audit unless waived by the Sr. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

School of Law students who wish to audit a course in another division of the University must obtain approval and information from the University Registrar’s office or, if a business school course, the School of Business Registrar’s Office. School of Law students may not register for any course in another division of the University via the Registration Portal.

Limits on Distance Education Courses

A “distance education” course is one in which students are separated from the faculty member or each other for more than one-third of the instruction and the instruction involves the use of technology to support regular and substantive interaction among students and between the students and the faculty member either synchronously or asynchronously. 

JD students are limited in their distance education courses only to the extent set forth in applicable ABA regulations (subject to any occasional variances approved for the School of Law). A student may count no more than one-third of the total credits required for graduation from distance courses. Some Bar jurisdictions allow fewer distance credits than the ABA Standard. Students should be familiar with the rules that apply in the jurisdiction(s) where they intend to practice.

International students, including those in the JD program who are attending on an F-1 visa, may be subject to additional limitations in distance education courses and should consult the Center for International Student and Scholar Services (ISS) for more information.

Restrictions on Dual Enrollments in Experiential Learning Courses

Students may not enroll in both a clinic and an externship, or two clinics, in the same semester without the express permission of both the Clinic Director and the Director of Field Placements. In the event a student is pursuing concurrent enrollment in two clinics, the student may not enroll without the express permission of both Clinic Directors. 

Concurrent enrollment in a clinic and an externship is rarely granted and students should expect to decide in advance on either a clinic or an externship in a semester rather than concurrent enrollment.

Class Attendance and Participation

To gain the maximum benefit from their legal education, students must attend class regularly and must be thoroughly prepared for each class. Regular and punctual attendance at scheduled classes, whether virtual or in person, is required by the law school, as well as by ABA law school standards. If a student is absent from class excessively, the professor may give the student a reduced or failing grade, or the professor may exclude the student from the course and/or the final exam, the result being that the student will receive no credit for the course. 

BEING ABSENT FOR MORE THAN 15% OF SCHEDULED CLASSES IS PRESUMED TO BE EXCESSIVE.

Professors are required to determine how best to assure compliance with this policy. If the professor decides to deduct grade points for inadequate classroom attendance or performance or impose some other penalty, the professor must notify the class within the first two weeks.

Cancelling Classes Because of Weather

The Dean has the discretion to cancel, reschedule or move classes to a remote modality, if inclement weather would prevent a significant number of students and faculty from attending class in-person or if the inclement weather might prove unreasonably dangerous. The ordinary practice of the School of Law is to follow the class cancellation policy for the University. Students should monitor their Wake Forest e-mail accounts for cancellation notices; text and voice messages are also sent to phone numbers registered for this purpose with the University.  

Using and Misusing Computer and Other Electronic Devices in Class

In legal education (and in the practice of law generally) it is necessary to make good use of technology. The School of Law recognizes this fact by requiring all students to possess laptop computers. The laptop computer and other electronic devices can be valuable educational tools; however, these machines can also be misused. Computer games and other technologically enabled distractions can affect the classroom negatively and hamper education.

If a professor allows laptops or other technology in the classroom, it is the student’s responsibility to use the technology in an appropriate manner and for class purposes only.

Professors may determine the best method of assuring compliance with this policy in their courses. If a professor finds that a student is misusing a laptop computer or other electronic device in class, the professor may take appropriate action. The following measures, among others, may be appropriate: the professor may require the student to leave the class for the day or may require the student to discontinue using the computer or device in the class or in other classes during that semester. The professor may also establish a policy of deducting points from a student’s final grade for technology misuse. Professors who wish to establish a policy of deducting points from a student’s final grade for technology misuse must advise their class of the policy during the first two weeks of the semester.

Smartphone and Electronic Device Sounds

All students must silence smartphones or electronic devices when in law school classes or programs.

Dismissal of Classes

Professors have the discretion to dismiss any class meeting in a course the professor is teaching, provided such professor is in a position through make-up classes or other work to certify that the students have had instruction that substantially meets the requirements of the ABA and AALS.

The Dean decides whether classes should be dismissed for activities outside the School of Law, and dismissal will be approved only on the basis of the utility of the program in relation to the educational program of the School of Law or University.

If a professor does not arrive for class at the scheduled time, a class representative should consult with the Sr. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, or the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs before students leave the class.

Class Size (Enrollment Minimum)

Unless approved by the Sr. Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, a course will not be taught in which fewer than eight students have enrolled. These limitations do not apply to clinical programs, field placements, or to independent study courses.

Student Assessment of Courses and Faculty

Student assessments of courses and faculty are compulsory in every semester for all courses. Assessments are conducted in the last few weeks of class. To ensure student anonymity, the assessments are administered online and not released until professors submit their grades to the Registrar. Individual responses remain anonymous after release to the professors.

Student assessments are taken into account in the evaluation of faculty for promotion, tenure, and salary. The integrity of the student assessment process requires that the student give serious and careful consideration to the judgments made in assessing courses and faculty.

Recording Class Lectures

Electronic recording of class sessions and reproducing them is not permitted without the express approval of the instructor. Doing so without express permission of the instructor is a violation the Student Code of Conduct, which could be reported to the Bar. Please refer to each course syllabus for more on recordings and distribution.

The Law School schedules recordings of all classes. It is at the discretion of each faculty member whether those recordings will be made available through the Class Recordings section of each course Canvas page.

Academic Calendars

The academic calender for the Juris Doctor, Master of Laws (LLM), and Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) degrees is available on the School of Law Registrar's Office website and is contained below. The academic year for the JD, LLM, and SJD begins with the fall semester and concludes with the summer term the following calendar year.

Juris Doctor (JD), Master of Laws (LLM), Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) Academic Calendar

Fall 2024

Spring 2025

Summer 2025

Master of Studies in Law (MSL) Academic Calendar

The academic calendar for the Master of Studies in Law (MSL) degree is available below and on the School of Law Registrar's Office website. The academic year for the MSL begins with the fall semester and concludes with the summer term the following calendar year.

Fall 2024

Spring 2025

Summer 2025