Transfer Credit - Law School

Credit Earned at Other Law Schools

Pursuant to ABA Standard 505, a student may earn credits at another law school to be applied toward the J.D. graduation requirements of the School of Law, on the following conditions:

  1. No more than 30 semester credits may be so applied. Grades in courses taken at other law schools are reflected in the transcript. However, those grades do not calculate in the student's grade point average.
  2. The law school at which the credits are earned must be, at the time of the student's work there, approved by the American Bar Association.
  3. The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs must approve, in advance of the student's work, the particular law school and the course of study the student will pursue there. The student is required to submit a syllabus for the course(s) to be taken.

Credit Toward LL.M. Requirements for Non-Law Courses/Transfer Credit

With approval of the Director of the LL.M. Program, students may apply to the LL.M. graduation requirements up to six (6) graduate credits of university or college courses from outside the School of Law. This limit includes Independent Study courses supervised by faculty in units other than the School of Law. Credit toward the LL.M. degree for a non-law school course will be granted only under the following conditions:

  • The course must be a graduate-level course and clearly marked as such on the transfer transcript complete with credit hours and a grade. If taken at the University of Missouri, it must be numbered 5000 or above.
  • The transfer coursework is from a regionally-accredited institution in the U.S. or an overseas institution that is recognized by its country’s Ministry of Education as a graduate degree-granting institution.
  • The course must involve at least 14 class hours per credit (based on 50-minute class hours).
  • The course must be related to the student’s program of study. Students must submit a copy of the course syllabus if possible.
  • The semester hours of the non-law-school course will be counted in the student’s total number for the semester.
  • The grade must be B or higher.
  • The transfer coursework is not online, extension or correspondence credit.

Normally, the Director of the LL.M. Program must approve the course in advance of the student’s work. In unusual situations, the Director of the LL.M. Program may approve application of credits earned within four (4) years prior to initial enrollment in the LL.M. Program if the credits were for work closely related to the student’s work in the LL.M. Program and were taken for graduate credit. Credits will not be applied from the student’s J.D. degree program or equivalent. A written request must be submitted to the Director of the LL.M. Program and include the following:

(a) Institution, course name, number, and instructor; and
(b) Description of how the course relates to the student’s program of study.