In certain circumstances, Charleston School of Law students may earn course credit towards their J.D. requirements for law courses not taken at the Law School. For example, students could earn course credit:
In all cases, students must follow proper procedures for obtaining advance permission for these types of courses.
Please note: Students who make plans (paying seat deposits, buying airline tickets, or arranging housing, for example) without following the proper Charleston School of Law procedures, including contacting the Office of Financial Aid, risk incurring costs for study that may not be approved.
** This page also contains information about Non-Law Graduate Credit and the JD/MBA Dual Degree Program.
Policy and Procedures
A student may count credits earned during non-resident programs towards his or her graduation requirements if he or she requests and receives written permission from the Associate Dean, or such person designated by the Dean, before registering for the program. Students must demonstrate that all of the following conditions are met:
After attending an approved program, students must submit an official transcript from the program or school to the Associate Dean through the Office of the Registrar within 8 weeks of completing the program.
For programs sponsored or co-sponsored by the Charleston School of Law, such as particular sites in the Stetson Law Summer Abroad program, students will receive the letter grade assigned by the non-resident program. In the event numerical scores are assigned, those scores will be converted to the comparable Charleston School of Law letter grades.
For other programs, a P/T will be recorded for students who receive a C or better in such a non-resident course; a P/T does not factor into a student’s GPA. If a student earns a grade of C-, D+, D, or D-, the student will receive no course credit. An F/T will be recorded for students who receive an F, or who otherwise fail to successfully complete, such a non-resident course and that F/T is factored into a student’s GPA. Credit from other programs is considered transfer credit, but does not count towards the 10 credit hour cap on Pass/Fail courses that may count towards the number of credit hours required for graduation. For students who entered prior to June 2021, the Pass/Fail credit hour cap is 12 credits.
No credit will be granted for graduate-level courses completed prior to enrollment in the Law School or during any period of which the student had been dismissed. A student may not receive course credit for units that are being applied to earn a degree elsewhere unless that course is completed as part of an approved dual degree program.
Students who are enrolled in an approved dual degree program will receive up to nine credits towards the Law School’s graduation credit requirements for graduate-level courses taken at the other educational institution. Transfer credit may be granted for any course a student is required to take under the other institution’s degree program, provided that a grade of C or better is earned in the course. The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs shall determine the specific courses for which a student will receive transfer credit. A course for which transfer credit is granted may not overlap with or substitute for any course that is offered at the Law School.
Students who do not enroll in an approved dual degree program may apply toward the graduation credit requirements up to six credits for graduate-level courses taken outside the Law School, provided the Associate Dean approved the enrollments in advance and that a grade of C or better is earned. The Associate Dean may approve the credit if she or he finds that the student is in good standing, the course does not overlap with any course offered at the Law School, and the student demonstrated that taking the course is essential to his or her intellectual or practice objectives.
A Charleston School of Law student who has successfully completed 2 years of full-time study, which includes successful completion of Contracts I & II, and Business Associations or Business Organizations, and who is in good academic standing may apply to the College of Charleston’s M.B.A. program. Students who transfer to the Charleston School of Law from another law school are not eligible for this dual degree program.
To earn the M.B.A., the student must successfully complete all requirements of that program. To earn the J.D. degree, the student must successfully complete all graduation requirements of the Charleston School of Law, including the number of credit hours required for graduation.
Certain procedures must be followed before any credit from the M.B.A. program will be considered for transfer purposes to the Charleston School of Law:
Disclaimer: The College of Charleston is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ Commission on Colleges to award the Master of Business Administration (MBA). The Charleston School of Law is not accredited by the Commission on Colleges and the accreditation of the College of Charleston does not extend to or include the Charleston School of Law or its students. Although the College of Charleston accepts certain course work in transfer toward a credential from the Charleston School of Law, or collaborates in other ways for generation of course credits or program credentials, other colleges and universities may or may not accept this work in transfer, even if it appears on a transcript from the College of Charleston. This decision is made by the institution subsequently considering the possibility of accepting such credits.
The College of Charleston is responsible for reviewing, approving and monitoring the Charleston School of Law statements of the relationship to ensure conformance with this disclaimer.(SACSCOC Policy on Collaborative Academic Arrangements).
Students who have been approved for leave to enroll in the College of Charleston’s M.B.A. program may receive up to 9 credits towards the School of Law’s graduation credit requirements for graduate-level courses taken through the M.B.A. program. Transfer credit may be granted for any course a student is required to take under the College of Charleston’s M.B.A. program, provided that a grade of C or better is earned in the course. The Charleston School of Law’s Associate Dean for Academic Affairs shall determine the specific courses for which a student will receive transfer credit. A course for which transfer credit is granted may not overlap with or substitute for any course that is offered at the School of Law.
The College of Charleston will examine courses transferred in or transcribed from the Charleston School of Law to ensure that they meet the requirements of the College of Charleston and the requirements of SACSCOC Principles of Accreditation. The Charleston School of Law courses and components are assessed and monitored by the College of Charleston’s M.B.A. program director. The units of credit earned at the Charleston School of Law are evaluated to ensure they comply with the College of Charleston credit hour definition.
For planning purposes, Charleston School of Law students should be aware that the College of Charleston’s M.B.A. program will only consider the following courses as eligible for transfer credit, up to 9 credit hours, and only if a grade of B or better has been earned in the course: Contracts I & II, and Business Associations or Business Organizations.