Semester Abroad Program Application Instructions

General Parameters and Requirements

The Semester Abroad Program allows Harvard Law School students to receive a semester of ungraded credit towards the Harvard JD degree for approved study at a law school overseas.  HLS students may apply for a semester abroad with one of HLS’ approved exchange programs or for an independent semester abroad.  Expectations and requirements for both types of semester abroad are the same; the only difference in the proposal process is noted below as students do not need to supply certain information if they are applying to spend a semester at a school with which HLS has a formal agreement.

It is the student’s responsibility to have a clear understanding of how a semester abroad will affect his/her overall credit count and ability to meet HLS degree requirements.  As well, it is the student’s responsibility to ensure that he/she plans carefully and takes any prerequisite courses in a timely manner, and that the courses he/she takes while abroad meet the requirements of Harvard Law School and the American Bar Association.

According to the ABA, “Law schools on a conventional semester system typically require 700 minutes of instruction time per ‘credit,’ exclusive of time for an examination.” Once a student provides the requisite information about the courses for which he/she is registered (including the number of weeks each course meets, how many times a week each course meets, and the number of minutes of each class session), the International Legal Studies office will confirm whether the course load meets ABA requirements. Foreign programs of US schools do not qualify for Harvard’s program.

It is important to remember that a primary purpose of spending a semester abroad is to take law courses that are different from what is offered at HLS. While a student is encouraged to develop an individualized course of study, there are some restrictions regarding course selections.

• A student must be enrolled at the foreign school for a minimum of 13 contiguous weeks.
• A student studying abroad may not take classes that duplicate classes he/she has taken or intend to take at HLS.
• Courses on US law will not be approved.
• A student must take courses in the usual language(s) of instruction of the foreign school. Some schools offer courses in English to their regularly enrolled degree students. However, HLS students may not enroll in courses designed expressly for American students or students from countries other than that in which the school is located.
• A student who wishes to enroll in courses listed by the foreign school in disciplines or departments other than law must receive express permission from the Study Abroad Committee prior to enrolling in such courses. Should a student be allowed to take a course in another discipline, the correlating credits will count towards the maximum allowable for cross-registration in accordance with HLS’ academic policies.
• Foreign language courses taken abroad will not count for HLS credit.
• Independent research and study will not count as classroom hours for purposes of calculating credits.
• Credit will not be granted for any course taken abroad that serves as a prerequisite to another course taken abroad, if the prerequisite could have been completed at HLS.
• A student may not receive clinical credit for an externship undertaken while studying abroad for the semester. The HLS Office of Clinical Programs will evaluate in-house clinics at the foreign law school on a case-by-case basis, and a student needs to receive permission from the Office of Clinical Programs and the Study Abroad Committee before incorporating a clinical placement into a program of study abroad.

A student should work with two faculty advisors, one at HLS and another at the foreign law school, to develop an appropriate course of study for the semester abroad.  Following the submission of an initial proposal and acceptance into the semester abroad program, a student is required to submit a more detailed listing of his/her proposed courses and confirmation from his/her HLS faculty advisor that the course of study is appropriate and consistent with the student’s objectives and HLS’ requirements.

In order to receive Harvard credit for work overseas, a student must earn the foreign law school’s minimum passing grade for all of his/her courses and provide HLS with an official version of his/her transcript from the foreign school.  The student also should retain copies of all of the written work done at the foreign school and be prepared to submit that work to his/her HLS supervisor for review after return if requested.  Finally, following the student’s return to Harvard the student must submit (by March 15 if abroad during the Fall semester or September 15 if abroad during the Spring semester):

(a) an independent one-credit paper, supervised by the student’s HLS faculty advisor and written for a grade, that relates what the student has learned to his/her understanding of American law or particular American legal institutions and to the study objectives he/she articulated. As with any paper submitted for an HLS grade, the paper should be a substantive effort involving analysis, synthesis and research; it is not simply a report. In order to develop the topic and clarify expectations for this paper (including length), the student should consult with his/her faculty advisor before the semester abroad as well as during the time away. In addition, the student should meet with his/her faculty advisor upon return to HLS, before completing the paper.

(b) a brief report (no more than five pages) that recounts the student’s experience in more practical terms: ease of assimilating, manner of instruction, library facilities, student services, etc. as information that may be useful to students interested in studying at that school in the future.

If a student successfully completes all of these requirements, his/her HLS transcript will reflect 10 to 12 credits (depending on the course load), graded "pass," for study abroad work. These credits will be considered classroom credits and therefore not count against the HLS allowable maximum of non-classroom credits. The particular courses taken overseas will not appear on a student’s HLS transcript, nor will the grades for those courses. The one-credit paper written for the HLS faculty advisor will appear separately, like any other independent one-credit paper and must receive a passing grade, which will be noted on the student’s HLS transcript. No credit for the paper or the coursework abroad will appear until a student submits and receives approval on the paper and report referred to above and his/her foreign transcript is received. 

It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that the HLS Registrar's Office receives his/her transcript in a timely fashion. If a student fails any of his/her courses overseas, the number of credits received for studies abroad will be reduced proportionately. A student should be aware that grading systems in some countries are quite severe and that many local students fail one or more examinations on their first attempt.

Components of Proposals to be Submitted to Study Abroad Committee

Applications for semester abroad in Spring 2010 must be submitted to Sara Zucker in Lewis 231 or by e-mail to szucker@law.harvard.edu by 5:00 pm on Tuesday, September 15, 2009.  A student considering semester abroad is encouraged to meet with a member of the International Legal Studies staff as needed but applicants must do so at least once prior to, or shortly following, the submission of a proposal.

Please note that a student does not need to include information related to points #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9 and #10 below if he/she is applying to spend the semester at one of the following institutions:

• University of Geneva Faculty of Law and the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (Geneva, Switzerland)
• University of Sydney Law School (Sydney, Australia)
• Fudan University Law School (Shanghai, China)
• University of Tokyo, Graduate Schools for Law and Politics (Tokyo, Japan)
• Fundação Getulio Vargas Schools of Law (Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, Brazil)
• University of Chile School of Law (Santiago, Chile)
• University of the Witwatersrand School of Law (Johannesburg, South Africa)

The application should include the following:

1. A statement of the student’s educational objectives. This is a brief statement (3–5 double-spaced pages) that should describe academic goals and how the semester abroad is expected to help achieve these goals.  A student should elaborate on where and what he/she wants to study as well as reasons for doing so.  For example, what academic, professional or personal experiences have led a student to propose this course of study abroad?  How does study abroad tie in to the student’s plans for the future (upon return to HLS as well as after graduation) to the extent that he/she has determined them? Please be as specific as possible.
2. Examples of law courses the student would like to take and an explanation of how the program of study is consistent with the educational objectives he/she has articulated.  Please include course descriptions and the number of hours/minutes each class meets per week and during the semester as a whole.  A student should check course levels carefully to ensure that his/her selections are suitable for an American JD student and for his/her particular degree of familiarity with the subject matter.  Although it is not necessary for every course taken during the semester abroad to relate directly to a student’s main area of academic focus, it is desirable for the preponderance of courses to support his/her particular law-related goals and interests.
3. The name of the foreign law school at which the student proposes to study.
4. The address and contact numbers of the foreign law school at which the student proposes to study.
5. The period of time that the student proposes to study there, i.e. the dates that the semester at the foreign school begins and ends.
6. The average academic load at the foreign law school (per year and per semester or trimester) for a regular student. The student should also note if there is any minimum or maximum number of courses / credits that a student can take in a semester at the foreign school.  If there is a dissertation or other requirement, please describe (i.e., students take 4 classes, and in addition, are required to write a significant paper/thesis).
7. The method by which the foreign school will evaluate the student’s performance.  Please indicate whether this is through the regular evaluation process or whether special arrangements must be made for this purpose.
8. The grading method that the foreign school uses (i.e., A, B, C, D; a scale of 1 to 20, with 20 high; etc.), including the minimum passing grade.
9. Evidence that the foreign school is "government sanctioned or recognized, if educational institutions are state regulated within the country; recognized or approved by an evaluation body, if such an agency exists within the country; or chartered to award first degrees in law by the appropriate authority within the country."  ABA Criteria Section I.C.1.
10. The student’s official status at the foreign school during his/her time there (i.e., Exchange Student, Special Student, etc.).
11. Language proficiency.  If the courses are taught in a language other than English, the student must explain the basis for his/her fluency in that language.  If the courses are taught in English but the local language is not English, the student must explain the basis of his/her proficiency in the local language.  Additional documentation or an interview to determine a student’s proficiency may also be required.
12. The name of the student’s proposed Harvard faculty supervisor.  Please note that the role of advisors is limited to HLS professors; faculty members holding the title of Lecturer or Visiting Professor are not eligible. 
13. The name and title of a full-time faculty member at the foreign school whom the student expects will act as his/her supervisor while there.  [A student applying for a spot at one of the schools with which HLS has an exchange agreement should consult with Sara Zucker about this.]
14. An official recent copy of the student’s Harvard Law School transcript (from the HLS registrar).
15. A copy of the student’s resume.
16. A letter (or email) from the student’s proposed Harvard faculty supervisor indicating that he/she is willing to act as the student’s supervisor during the proposed time abroad and commenting on the student’s proposed program of study. Email should be sent to Sara Zucker at szucker@law.harvard.edu.

Selection for Designated Places in Exchange Programs / Acceptance by Foreign School

A student may indicate in his/her application interest in more than one exchange program.  A student’s primary proposal should detail the reasons that he/she has selected his/her first choice program.  A student may also submit an addendum indicating a second choice school and providing reasons as to why it would also help him/her to achieve stated goals.  A brief list of possible courses should be included as well. 

The Study Abroad Committee will select students in accordance with the designated number of HLS places for each exchange program.  If there are more applicants whose proposals are approved than there are designated places, the Study Abroad staff will determine whether the exchange partner school can accommodate additional HLS students.  If not, the approved HLS students may choose to be placed on a waitlist in case a spot becomes available, or to pursue a second choice school option.

Please note that a student applying for designated spot in HLS exchange programs must be recommended by the HLS Study Abroad Committee but ultimately selections are made by the foreign law schools. A student applying for a designated spot in one of the HLS exchange programs need not complete the foreign school’s application before October 1 (for Spring 2010) or February 15 (for Fall 2010).

The semester abroad webpage on exchange programs has more detailed information about each school.

A student applying for the independent semester abroad program must receive approval from the HLS Study Abroad Committee as well as apply directly to the host institution in accordance with the foreign school’s application process and receive an acceptance by the foreign school.

Requirements for Study Plan

The course confirmation document must be submitted in advance of but no later than two weeks after the start of the foreign semester, so that there may still be time to resolve issues arising out of any changes to the student’s original study plan as approved by the Committee.  Amended plans submitted beyond this date run the risk of not meeting HLS requirements, resulting in a potential reduction in the number of credits received for a student’s study abroad program.  Course plans should be submitted to Ben Cook at bcook@law.harvard.edu.  

The study plan should include the following:

1. The name and contact information of a full-time faculty member at the foreign school who has agreed to act as the student’s supervisor while there.
2. The courses the student would like to take (course name and number specifying level and department), descriptions of courses, instructor names, and reading lists and syllabi if available.  The student must note the number of hours/minutes each class meets per week and during the semester as a whole.  If any of the courses have prerequisites, the student must indicate how he/she will satisfy these.  (If a student finds that he/she needs to take a prerequisite for a course and the prerequisite is a course that could have been taken at HLS, the student can take it at the foreign school but will not earn credit for it.)  A student should check course levels carefully to ensure that selections are suitable for an American JD student and for the student’s particular degree of familiarity with the subject matter.
3. A brief statement recapping the student’s educational objectives and explaining how these courses, especially if different from those detailed in his/her original proposal, are consistent with the student’s stated goals.
4. A letter or email from the student’s HLS faculty advisor confirming that the courses chosen meet the student’s stated educational objectives.
5. A letter or email from the student’s foreign faculty advisor confirming that the course load is as the student stated.

A student’s course program must be developed in consultation with his/her supervisors both at HLS and the foreign school, so the process should begin before departure and continue upon arrival.   Although it will be the Study Abroad Committee that will approve the final program of study, the student must obtain from his/her HLS faculty advisor a letter or email endorsing the student’s proposal.