Certificate in International and Comparative Law
A student who completes the following requirements may be awarded a Certificate in International and Comparative Law. Students must complete at least 20 credit hours from the courses. The course requirements are listed in the International and Comparative Law Certificate Worksheet. Students must maintain an overall minimum GPA of 3.0 in all courses in the certificate program to complete the certificate requirements. Additionally, students must earn at least a grade of C+ in any individual course that is counted toward the certificate.
WRITING REQUIREMENT
In addition to the 20 hours of credits, a student must complete the writing requirement for the J.D. on a topic that is related to International or Comparative Law. Unless the paper is completed in a course included in the list of electives for the Certificate, the topic must be approved by the Faculty Advisor for the Certificate. A course in the list of electives for the Certificate in which a writing requirement for the Certificate is fulfilled may not be counted in satisfaction of the electives requirement.
Learning Outcomes
1. Students will demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the substantive and procedural law related to international and comparative law by completing the certificate course requirements;
2. Students will demonstrate the ability to properly apply the accepted standards of professional and ethical responsibility in both a domestic and international setting;
3. Students will demonstrate effective written communication by conducting comprehensive research on matters of international and comparative law and producing a substantial written work based on that research on a topic approved by the certificate advisor; and
4. Students will demonstrate their ability to analyze and apply international and comparative law concepts and provide legal advice in an experiential setting including classroom simulations or field placement, such as intern or externships in the area of international or comparative law.
PARTICIPATION IN MC LAW STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM
Participation in at least one MC Law Study Abroad Program is required. Students may elect to participate in one or more of the following programs currently offered:
- Berlin, Germany
- Lille, France
- Merida, Mexico
- China/Korea
- Cuba
EXCHANGE PROGRAM, LILLE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY
Students who participate in the MC Law exchange program with Lille Catholic University may count courses taken at Lille Catholic as credits toward the certificate’s elective requirements based on the number of hours of credit awarded by MC Law toward the J.D. degree. Students may request the Director or Co-Director to permit substitution, with the consent of the Associate Dean, of an appropriate course taken at Lille Catholic for either International Law or International Business Transactions to satisfy the required course component of the certificate.
(Additional foreign law schools may be added to the exchange program, and credits earned at such partner institutions will be treated in the same way as credits earned at Lille Catholic University.)
APPLICATION REQUIREMENT
Students must apply for admission to the Certificate Program with the Faculty Advisor for the Certificate. A student may apply for admission beginning with the registration period for the third semester of law school. However, no application may be made after the drop/add period in the students final semester.
