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PIJD Graduation Requirements

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A PIJD certificate candidate must satisfy the following requirements:

  1. Graduation Application.  A candidate must create and maintain documentation evidencing completion of the certificate requirements listed below. A PIJD graduation application will be available by Jan 1 and must be submitted by March 15 of 3L year. 
  2. Academic Plan.Candidates must meet at least once each year with their faculty advisors to discuss progress towards completion of the PIJD requirements and plans for completing those requirements. Academic plans will be submitted by May 25 of the student’s 1L year and 2L year. See PIJD Academic Plan Submission Form 1L & PIJD Academic Plan Submission Form 2L for details.
  3. Career Plan.A candidate must meet at least once each year with a career advisor from the Office of Career Management (OCM) to discuss career options in the government and/or non-profit sectors. Students will write a career plan in conjunction with OCM and discuss the plan with one of the program directors during the 1L year. The plan shall be updated yearly.  1Ls and 2Ls should meet with Sarah Tesconi no later than April 10 for initial Career plans.  Initial Career plans should be submitted to the Program Directors by April 20 of the student’s 1L year and 2L year.  3Ls should meet with Sarah Tesconi no later than March 6.  A final plan must be submitted to the program directors by March 15 of 3L year.  All career plans should be submitted first to the OCM career advisor for his/her signature, and then to the program directors for their signatures. See PIJD Career Plan Submission Form for details.
  4. Public Interest Coursework. A candidate must complete 16 units of public interest related elective coursework.  This requirement includes units earned in the experiential learning requirement (see #5, below). Currently, here are thePIJD Non-Experiential Course Offerings courses that will count. The list of academic courses that will satisfy this requirement will be updated periodically by the program directors. Students may petition for a course to be added.
  5. Experiential Learning. A candidate must complete at least three semesters of experiential learning, including at least one semester of clinic work of at least 3 units, and at least one externship of at least 3 units related to the student’s focus. Currently, here are the PIJD Experiential Course Offerings courses that will count for experiential learning. The list of courses that will count toward a semester of experiential learning will be updated by the Program Directors periodically. Students may petition for a course to be added.
  6. Milestone Experiences. Complete at least six (6) of the milestone activities listed in this document.  Within two weeks of completion of the milestone, fill out the PIJD Milestone Verification Form for program director approval. Your form should include the verification information required for the specific milestone, which can be found on the Detailed PIJD Milestone Instructions for Public Interest JD Students. Program directors will either sign-off on the milestone or offer additional feedback to the student within two weeks of submission.