J.D./Grado Dual-Degree Program The College of Law, in cooperation with the University of Granada in Granada, Spain, offers a J.D./Grado dual-degree program. Students who complete the program will receive both a J.D. degree from the College of Law and a Spanish law degree, called a Grado, from the University of Granada. A student may become a candidate for the J.D./Grado program only after that student has applied to and been accepted at Stetson University College of Law, and be acceptable for admission to Granada. A Granada student applying for the dual-degree program will be required to be admitted to both Granada and Stetson. A. Home School, Host School, and Enrollment: A student s home school under the dual-degree program is the law school into which he or she was accepted first. The other law school will then be known as the student s host school. Except as explained below, a student who is admitted into the dual-degree program must enroll in both schools, and remain enrolled in both schools in each year of the program. B. Eligibility and Application Process 1. For Stetson and prospective Stetson students seeking admission into the program: A student must be accepted at Stetson and be acceptable for admission to Granada. Because of the unique curricular requirements and program length, only students who are accepted into and enroll in the full-time J.D. program are eligible to be considered for the J.D./Grado program. a. Admissions factors: Admission decisions for the J.D./Grado program encompass all factors of regular full-time J.D. admission at Stetson Law. In addition, the applicant must (i) be fluent in written and verbal Spanish, as measured by attaining at least an intermediate level in the DELE test (70%) at the time of application; (ii) have demonstrated acceptable levels of academic performance, professionalism, maturity, and judgment to study abroad; and (iii) meet all admissions requirements for the University of Granada. An applicant need not take the Selectividad, which is the entrance examination required for admission to a Spanish law school. Either or both law schools may require the applicant to participate in an in-person, telephonic, or video interview. An applicant will not be admitted to one school simply because he or she was admitted to the other.
b. Admission into Stetson, the dual-degree program, and Granada: Applicants to the J.D./Grado program must file separate applications with both institutions and be admitted to Stetson, and be acceptable for admission to Granada. For a student or prospective student whose home school is or will be Stetson and who wishes to enter the program, he or she must first complete Stetson s J.D. application and a supplement for the J.D./Grado program. At Stetson, the applicant initially will be considered for admission into the full-time J.D. program by the Admissions and Entering Student Awards Committee; if accepted, the applicant will then be considered for acceptance into the dual-degree program by the Office of International Programs. An applicant should seek admission to the University of Granada only after being admitted into Stetson s full-time J.D. program and the dual-degree program; Stetson will provide directions about how to apply to Granada. For admission to the University of Granada, an applicant must complete an application to the University of Granada in Spanish and supply any additional documentation required by that University. An applicant may obtain details about the University of Granada s application process from Stetson s Office of International Programs. At substantially the same time that the applicant submits his or her application and supporting materials to Granada, the applicant should supply both a copy of the Spanish versions of these documents and an English translation of these documents to Stetson s Office of International Programs. These materials may be reviewed for consistency with the applicant s Stetson application materials and may be kept on file either in the Office of International Programs or the Office of the Registrar. Material differences in the applications may impact an applicant s admission into the program, and could lead to withdrawal of an offer of admission to both the J.D. and dual-degree programs. A student or prospective student whose home school is or will be Stetson may not circumvent the J.D./Grado admissions process by independently seeking admission to the University of Granada. c. Timing of applications: Normally, an applicant should seek admission into the dual-degree program at or shortly after the time he or she applies for admission into the J.D. program. On a space-available basis, a current Stetson Law student may apply for the program no later than January 15 of his or her first year in law school. A J.D. student accepted into Stetson as a transfer student after one year of law school may apply for admission into the dual-degree program at the same time that he or she seeks transfer into Stetson s J.D. program. Under extraordinary circumstances and on a space-available basis, the Associate Dean for International and Cooperative Programs, in consultation with the Dean and Associate Dean for Academics, may consider applications from students who have completed more than one year of law school. If accepted at that later point, the candidate understands that he or she may have to complete additional courses to fulfill the special curriculum for the program, which 2
may delay completion of the program. 2. For Granada students and prospective students: a. Admissions factors: Admission decisions for the J.D./Grado program encompass all factors of regular full-time J.D. admission at Stetson Law, except that applicants need not take the LSAT; instead, the applicant must score an acceptable grade on the Selectividad, which is the entrance examination required for admission to a Spanish law school. In addition, the applicant must provide Stetson an authenticated copy of his or her score on the Selectividad. Applicants must arrange for the original composite scores of the Selectividad to be provided directly to Stetson by the University of Granada. In addition, the applicant must (i) be fluent in written and verbal English, as measured by attaining at least 100 points on the TOEFL test, or an reliable and comparable alternative test; (ii) have demonstrated acceptable levels of academic performance, professionalism, maturity, and judgment to study abroad; and (iii) have previously been accepted into both the law program and the dual-degree program by the University of Granada. Either or both law schools may require the applicant to participate in an in-person, telephonic, or video interview.. b. Admission into Granada, the dual-degree program, and Stetson: Applicants to the J.D./Grado program must file separate applications with both law schools. After an applicant has been admitted into the law program and approved for the dual-degree program by the University of Granada, the applicant must complete, in English, Stetson s J.D. application and J.D./Grado supplement. At Stetson, the applicant initially will be considered for admission into the dual-degree program by the Office of International Programs; if accepted, the applicant will then be considered for admission into the full-time J.D. program by the Admissions and Entering Student Awards Committee. In addition, and before being accepted by Stetson, the applicant must supply to Stetson s Office of International Programs a copy of his or her application to the University of Granada (supporting documents and any supplemental application for the dual-degree program) and an English translation of these documents. These materials may be reviewed for consistency with the applicant s Stetson application materials and may be kept on file either in the Office of International Programs or the Office of the Registrar. Material differences in the applications may impact an applicant s admission into the program, and could lead to withdrawal of an offer of admission to both the J.D. and dual-degree programs. A student or prospective student whose home school is or will be Granada may not circumvent the J.D./Grado admissions process by independently seeking admission to Stetson University College of Law. 3
c. Timing of applications: Normally, an applicant should seek admission into the dual-degree program at or shortly after the time he or she applies for admission into the Grado program. Deviations in timing will be determined by the University of Granada; however, if a candidate is accepted into the dual-degree program at a later point, the candidate understands that he or she may have to complete additional courses to fulfill the special curriculum for the program, which may delay completion of the program. 3. For All Applicants and Admitted Students, Regardless of Home School: The following eligibility and other requirements apply to all applicants to, and students admitted into the dual-degree program, regardless of the applicant s or student s home school. a. Additional factors for initial and continuing eligibility: i. An applicant may not be admitted into the dual-degree program, and an admitted student may not continue in the program, if he or she (a) is not at all times in at least the top 75% of his or her class at Stetson Law, (b) is placed on academic probation, (c) becomes eligible for exclusion or is excluded, (d) must participate in the Further Required Curriculum, (e) is placed on disciplinary probation or subjected to other discipline that limits or prohibits travel, or (f) is limited in his or her ability to travel as a result of pending or resolved criminal charges. Comparable restrictions for admissions and continuation imposed by Granada will be equally applicable. ii. iii. Admission into the dual-degree program is conditional in that accepted candidates must, during enrollment, demonstrate acceptable levels of academic performance, maturity, professionalism, and judgment to successfully study abroad. Dualdegree students who fail to do so, or are suspended, expelled, have their admission revoked (or the equivalent of these sanctions at the University of Granada), or who withdraw from one degree program, may not continue in the dual-degree program. If a student repeatedly engages in disruptive, immature, unprofessional, or other conduct that does not rise to the level of a disciplinary-code violation or violation of law but nonetheless is indicative of the student s lack of maturity, professionalism, or judgment, the student may be removed from the program and directed to return to his or her home institution. Such conduct would include but is not limited to, abuse of alcohol or prescription medication or use of illegal drugs. 4
b. Limited space: Applicants should be aware that, in most years, only two students from each school will be accepted into this dual-degree program. Thus, an applicant who meets the various admissions factors may not be offered a space in the program. Applications for the dual-degree program will be processed and reviewed on a rolling basis at Stetson; review of applications normally begins during the fourth week of January of the year in which the applicant seeks to begin law school (e.g., January 2010 for admission in August 2010). University of Granada will establish its own schedule for reviewing applications. C. Tuition, Fees, and Financial Aid 1. Tuition: In each semester or term of the program, a student will pay tuition directly to his or her home school, on the schedule and in the amount set by the home school. For students whose home school is Stetson, the tuition for each year will be the same as that paid by students in the full-time J.D. program. 2. Fees a. Application fees: Each applicant will pay the normal fee to apply for Stetson s J.D. program. Fee waivers are available under certain circumstances, and are determined by the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid. Stetson will not charge a separate application fee to apply for the J.D./Grado program. The University of Granada may charge a separate application fee. b. Activity and similar fees: A student in the dual-degree program will pay activity and similar fees at the school in which they are physically present for the year; they will be exempt from paying activity and similar fees at the other school for that year. c. Bar preparation fee: Students whose home school is Stetson will pay the bar preparation fee in the first year they attend Stetson. Students whose home institution is Granada will not pay this fee unless they indicate, at the time of admission to Stetson, that they intend to take a U.S. bar exam. 3. Financial Aid a. Scholarships for students whose home school is Stetson: If a student whose home school is Stetson has been awarded a scholarship that normally could be renewed for three years if all conditions are satisfied, the student may be eligible for renewal of all, or part, of the scholarship for the fourth year of the program. The decision whether to extend the scholarship will be made by the Dean of Stetson University College of Law, after receiving the joint, unanimous recommendation of the Associate Dean of International Programs and the Executive Director of 5
Admissions and Financial Aid. Factors considered will include outstanding academic performance, leadership in a broad sense, service to the community, mentoring other students in the program, and whether the student s performance at both institutions advances Stetson s reputation and goals of the dual-degree program. Alternatively, a student may elect to have the scholarship they have been awarded for the three-year J.D. program prorated over the four years of the dual-degree program. This election must be made when accepting the scholarship. Once made, the election is irrevocable, even if the student fails to complete the dualdegree program b. Scholarships for students whose home school is Granada: Stetson will not award a scholarship to a student whose home school is Granada. D. Curriculum and Academic Matters 1. Program overview: Students in the J.D./Grado dual-degree program will participate in a mixed U.S./Spanish legal curriculum. The integrated four-year curriculum was established jointly by Stetson and Granada to provide a depth of coursework considered acceptable to confer both the J.D. and the Grado. Students will follow a prescribed curriculum. Under this curriculum, most courses in the first two years are required and must be taken in a particular sequence. In the last two years, students have some opportunity to select elective coursework, but the range of approved courses is more limited than it would be in either degree program separately. Because of the unique curricular requirements, students may be granted priority registration at both institutions to insure that requirements are met. Students who successfully complete all courses in the fouryear approved curriculum will be deemed to have satisfied all area requirements and the residency requirement for conferral of the J.D. degree. Although students generally will complete the program in four years, they must complete the program within the timeframe of Stetson s Maximum Time to Complete the J.D. policy. 2. Program locations: Students will spend two years at each school, and will start at their home school. The sequence of years will be determined jointly by the two participating institutions. Once the schedule is established, any deviation from this schedule must be approved in writing by the Associate Deans for Academics (or Granada equivalent) at both institutions, and will be granted only in extraordinary circumstances. 3. Coursework and co-curricular activities outside the dual-degree curriculum a. Other elective courses: Students may pursue additional coursework, such as Stetson clinics, internships, courses related to topics tested on the Florida Bar examination, and other electives, if they are able to do so without exceeding any maximum course load restrictions. Students may 6
take the Multistate Strategies course via electronic education for credit (if they do not exceed the maximum course load for a semester) or on an audit basis. b. Co-curricular activities: Students are also eligible to be considered for other academic programs, such as law journals, advocacy teams and boards, and the Honors Program, if they meet the criteria for those programs and can participate without exceeding maximum course load restrictions. Normal participation rules for these co-curricular programs will be modified with the approval of Stetson s Associate Dean for Academics as reasonably necessary to accommodate the student s absences from the Stetson campus while studying in Granada. c. Certificate of concentration: Students may pursue a Certificate of Concentration in International Law at Stetson. But due to the curricular requirements and the American Bar Association s limits on transfer credits and credits earned outside the classroom, students may not pursue a Certificate of Concentration in any other area. d. Other study-abroad programs: Students may not participate in any other study-abroad programs. This includes any Stetson or non-stetson semester-long study-abroad programs, summer-abroad programs, and winter-break programs. e. Other dual-degree programs: Students are not eligible to pursue other dual-degree programs, such as the J.D./M.B.A., J.D./M.D., and J.D./M.P.H. 4. Completing both programs: Until a student completes the requirements for both degrees, neither degree will be awarded. Special degree requirements have been established for program participants. If a student withdraws from, leaves, abandons, or is dismissed from the dual-degree program, not more than one semester of credit hours may be awarded as elective credit on the transcript at the student s home institution (e.g., 17 credit hours at Stetson). The transfer credits cannot be used to satisfy Stetson s area requirements. After leaving this program, additional transfer credits from a study-abroad program are limited by applicable policies. 5. Cross-crediting: Except as noted in the prior subsection, Stetson will accept up to 29 transfer credits from Granada toward the required 88 hours for the J.D., if the credits are an approved part of the dual-degree curriculum and if the student earns a grade equivalent to at least 2.50. Granada will accept up to 120 European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) transfer credits from Stetson toward the required 240 ECTS, if the credits are an approved part of the dual-degree curriculum and the student earns a grade equivalent to at least 5.0. 7
6. Grade reporting and transcript conversions: For grade reporting purposes at Stetson, grades awarded in Granada courses will be converted to either Satisfactory (for the equivalent of 2.5 and above) or Unsatisfactory (for the equivalent of 2.25 and below) and will not be used to determine the student s grade-point average or class rank. Granada will determine independently how it will report and convert grades earned at Stetson. 7. Class rank and honors designations: Students in the dual-degree program will be ranked consistently with the normal procedures for ranking full-time J.D. students. Students may receive Stetson semester honors during the semesters they study at Stetson. Students are eligible for graduation honors, but may not be selected as valedictorian unless they complete at least 65 credit hours at Stetson, which is more than is contemplated under the J.D./Grado program. Granada will determine independently how or whether it will rank graduates or bestow honors designations. E. Other Matters 1. Visas and passports: Students are responsible for obtaining their own visas and passports. A student denied a student visa to enter the host country will not be able to participate in or complete the program. 2. Housing: Students are responsible for securing and paying for their housing at or near both the home and host schools. 3. Transportation: Students are responsible for arranging and paying for transportation between the home and host schools, and at each program location. 4. Books and living expenses: Students are responsible for paying for their own books and living expenses at both the home and host locations. 5. Insurance: Students enrolled in the program must meet the insurance requirements of both the home and host institutions, and any applicable immigration requirements. 6. Policies and procedures: Students must at all times abide by the policies and procedures, including disciplinary codes, of both the home and host institutions. If a student perceives that a policy at one school conflicts with a policy at the other school, the student should immediately bring that perceived conflict to the attention of the appropriate official at each school. At Stetson, appropriate officials include the Dean, the Associate Dean for Academics, and the Associate Dean for International and Cooperative Programs. 7. Discipline systems: Each institution maintains the right to apply its own discipline policies, systems, and procedures independently to the same set of facts or conduct. Thus, while either school may accept any discipline imposed by the 8
other institution, each reserves the right and ability to independently assess the facts and impose its own discipline. If a student whose home school is Granada is suspended, expelled, or has his or her admission revoked, that student may not continue in the J.D. program. 8. Disabilities and accommodations: Each institution is independently responsible for assessing disabilities and providing accommodations to participating students in accordance with its own policies and the laws of that country. Laws and practices can vary significantly, so students with disabilities are encouraged to explore documentation requirements and possible accommodations to the host institution. While attending classes on the Stetson s campus, requests for reasonable accommodation are handed by the College of Law s ADA Coordinator. 9. Bar examination and bar admission: Applicants should consider where and when they will seek admission to practice law. Applicants should be aware that the qualifications for admission to the bar, including those related to character and fitness, vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Before matriculating, applicants seeking to practice law in a particular jurisdiction are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the rules of the jurisdiction in which they intend to seek admission, especially those rules relating to registration, deadlines, residency requirements, character and fitness, and courses that may be required during law school. In addition, should a student be in the host country during his or her final year, or should a student not complete all graduation requirements as scheduled, his or her ability to take the bar examination may be delayed. 10. REQUIRED DISCLAIMER: Stetson University College of Law is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award both J.D. and LL.M. degrees. The University of Granada s law school is not accredited by the Commission on Colleges and the accreditation of Stetson University College of Law does not extend to or include the University of Granada s law school or its students. Although Stetson University College of Law accepts certain University of Granada School of Law course work in transfer, other colleges and universities may not accept this work in transfer, Cross-References: Dual-Degree Programs, Further Required Curriculum, Transfer of Credits, Study-Abroad Programs at Other Law Schools, Participation in Stetson Study-Abroad Programs, Scholastic Honors for J.D. Program, Student Health Insurance, Frequently Asked Questions, Student Health Insurance, Requirements for Degree, and Maximum Time to Complete J.D. Program. J.D./Grado dual-degree program was approved by the faculty on April 8, 2009; policy approved by the faculty on May 10, 2010 with technical amendments approved September 15, 2010. 9