First Year Curriculum

The first-year curriculum at the University of Wisconsin Law School introduces students to the fundamentals of legal analysis, reasoning, and foundational substantive law.

Fall Semester Curriculum (Students Matriculating Fall 2023 and Later)

All full-time students take the following four courses (15 credits total):

• Contracts (4 credits)
• Criminal Law & Procedure (4 credits)
• Civil Procedure (4 credits)
• Legal Analysis, Advocacy & Writing I (3 credits)

Spring Semester Curriculum (Students Matriculating Fall 2023 and Later)

All full-time students take the following four courses (15 credits total):

• Property (4 credits)
• Torts (4 credits)
• Constitutional Law (4 credits)
• Legal Analysis, Advocacy & Writing II (3 credits)

Most first-year courses are taught in a large lecture format, except Legal Analysis, Advocacy & Writing I and II, which are conducted in small sections of about 20 students. These smaller sections foster closer peer connections and facilitate study group formation.

Academic Performance

A student whose weighted average is less than 2.0 (on the 4.3 scale) on completion of the first two semesters is ineligible to continue unless the student petitions the Retentions Committee for permission to continue and the Retentions Committee permits continuation. See Chapter 7 of the Law School Rules.

First-Year Part-Time Schedules

Course Scheduling Requirements

Part-time students must complete the first-year curriculum within two years of their matriculation date (see Law School Rules 3.02 and 7.06(1)).

Late Day Course Availability

Each academic year, during both the fall and spring terms, one section of first-year legal writing and one substantive first-year course will be offered in the late afternoon or early evening. The specific substantive course offered in the late day time slot will rotate annually, helping part-time students complete the first-year curriculum within two years. However, “late afternoon/early evening” part-time students may need to be flexible in order to complete the first-year curriculum within two years.

Course Planning Recommendations

If you enroll part-time in the fall semester, then you must complete the remaining fall semester courses the following fall. The same applies to spring semester courses.

It is strongly recommended that part-time students take Legal Analysis, Advocacy & Writing I in their first semester and Legal Analysis, Advocacy & Writing II in their second semester, rather than postponing them to later semesters.

If for any reason you are unable to complete the first-year curriculum within two years, please contact the Law School’s Assistant Dean for Student Affairs to discuss your options. 

Enrollment in Upper-Level Courses

Part-time students on track to complete the first-year curriculum within two years (i.e., taking 7–8 credits of required courses per semester in year one) may enroll in upper-level courses only after consulting with the Law School Academic Advisor. Students should either email their request to the Academic Advisor or schedule an advising appointment through Starfish prior to registering for classes.

Any part-time student who wishes to take an upper-level law course prior to completing the entire first-year curriculum must meet with the Law School’s Assistant Dean for Student Affairs if they: (1) are not on track to complete the first-year curriculum within two years, (2) have failed a course, or (3) earned a GPA below 2.0 in any semester.

First-Year Course Enrollment

Fall Semester Registration – First-Year Students

In early summer, the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid will email preliminary information about fall course enrollment to all incoming 1L students, including how to request a part-time or special schedule. Please note that special scheduling is reserved for students with compelling or extraordinary circumstances.

Course registration opens in early August. Prior to that (typically in late July), students will receive an email with their assigned schedule and detailed registration instructions.

All incoming students must complete the Pre-Enrollment Checklist before registering. A hold will remain on a student’s record until they complete all the tasks on the checklist. Any outstanding “to-do” items can be found in the Tasks tile of your MyUW Student Center.

All students use the Course Search and Enroll app to register for courses. Please review the Office of the Registrar’s Enrollment Overview website for additional information about registering for courses.

Spring Semester Registration – First-Year Students

As with the fall semester, first-year students will be assigned their spring course schedules. Before schedules are released, students may request a part-time or special schedule by emailing their request to the Law School Academic Advisor. As a reminder, the Law School will grant special scheduling requests in limited circumstances and only if a student has a compelling or extraordinary scheduling need.

In mid-October, the Law School will email first year students their assigned course schedule for the spring term. Spring course registration typically opens in early November.

Reminder: The Pre-Enrollment Checklist must be completed each term before registration.

Second- and Third-Year Curriculum

During your second and third years at the Law School, you will have the opportunity to explore the curriculum to develop or enhance a practice-area interest and build the lawyering skills essential for your future law career. While you must remain mindful of the Juris Doctor (JD) and Diploma Privilege requirements, you are encouraged to take advantage of a wide range of elective courses, clinical programs, externship and field placement opportunities, co-curriculars (journals, moot court, and mock trial) and other credit-earning experiences.

For detailed guidance on the Law School’s upper-level curriculum and strategies for building a course schedule aligned with your academic and career goals, please consult the Planning Your Academic Program webpage.

Second- and Third-Year Status

Your academic standing as a second- or third-year student is determined by the number of credits completed. Once you have earned 54 credits, the University classifies you as a third-year law student, regardless of how long it has been since the student matriculated (i.e., first enrolled) at the Law School.

As a reminder, students who have not completed the first-year curriculum must consult with either the Law School Academic Advisor or Assistant Dean for Student Affairs before registering for any upper-level law courses.

Second- and Third-Year Course Enrollment

Pre-Enrollment Requirements

Students must complete the Pre-Enrollment Checklist before registering. A registration hold will remain until all checklist items are resolved. Outstanding tasks can be found in the Tasks tile of your MyUW Student Center. Students cannot enroll in courses until they complete their pre-enrollment tasks!

Fall Course Registration Timeline

In late March or early April, the University Registrar will email students their assigned enrollment date and time.

• Rising 3Ls typically register in early April
• Rising 2Ls register the day after rising 3Ls

Spring Course Registration Timeline

In early November, the University Registrar will email students their assigned enrollment date and time.

• 3Ls typically register in mid-November
• 2Ls register the day after 3Ls

Important Registration Reminders

• Do not enroll in courses with overlapping meeting times. Attendance requirements prohibit students from enrolling in courses that overlap for any period of time.
• Students are strongly encouraged to register at their assigned time. Delaying your registration may limit course availability – particularly for popular classes. Set a reminder and register as soon as your window opens!

Summer Law Courses

A limited number of law courses may be offered during the summer term. The course offerings depend on faculty availability during the summer. Typically, the Law School will offer at least one course required for graduation and/or Diploma Privilege.

Courses that form part of the first-year program are not offered during the summer.

The summer Law School course schedule will be posted on Law School’s Courses & Schedules page in early March. Enrollment for summer courses typically opens in late March.

Publication of the Law School Course Schedules (Fall and Spring)

Course schedules for the upcoming academic year (both fall and spring terms) will be available on the Law School’s Courses & Schedules page in early March. Please note that the course information posted on the Law School’s website may not appear in Course Search & Enroll until closer to registration.

Any new courses added after registration begins will be announced by the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs via email.

Interpreting the Law School Course Schedule

The Law School Course Schedule provides more than class times and locations—it includes course descriptions, credit values, prerequisites, enrollment limits, and indicators for graduation and diploma privilege requirements. Descriptions of key columns in the course schedule are provided below.

• Course Descriptions: detailed class descriptions can be accessed by clicking on the title of a course as it appears on the Course Title column.
• Degree Credits (90 Credit Rule): indicates how many credits count toward the total credits needed for the JD degree (aka the 90-credit rule). For variable-credit courses (e.g., 1–3 credits), the number of credits a student enrolls in is how many will count toward their JD degree.
• In-Class Credits (64 Credit Rule): indicates how many credits will count toward the "64-credit rule."  The 64-credit rule is an ABA requirement, which requires at least 64 credits of the 90 credits required for the JD degree to be completed in courses with regularly scheduled class sessions or direct faculty instruction.
• Experiential Learning:  a green checkmark in this column means that a course can be used to satisfy, in whole or in part, the 6-credit Experiential Learning requirement.
• Dip. Priv. (60 Credit Rule): indicates how many credits will count towards Diploma Privilege (60-credit rule). To meet the requirements for Diploma Privilege, 60 of a student’s 90 credits must be from “diploma privilege-eligible coursework.”  
  • • If there is an asterisk in the Dip. Priv. (60 Credit Rule) column, then one of the following applies:
      • Clinical and Field Placement (a maximum of five clinical and/or field placement credits total, even if multiple clinics and field placements are taken, count toward the 60-credit rule)
      • Professional Responsibilities (one credit counts toward the 60)
      • Trial Advocacy (four credits maximum count toward the 60)
• Pass/Fail: notates the type of grading format a faculty member has chosen for their course.
  • • PF Only = mandatory pass-fail
    • PF Option = optional pass-fail
    • No PF = mandatory grading
• Notes Column: contains various information, including:
  • • Required Courses:  whether a course meets one of the Diploma Privilege or Graduation requirements (e.g., “meets Rule 3.03 req.”)
    • Upper-Level Writing Requirement: if a course has the “LW eligible” code in the notes column, then the course is one that is eligible to meet the Upper-Level Writing Requirement (see, Law School Rule 3.11.1). Even if there’s a LW eligible code in the notes column, students are still urged to confirm with the instructor that the course meets Upper-level Writing Requirement
    • Prerequisite and Consent-Based Courses: whether a course has a prerequisite or if instructor/department consent is required to enroll in a course
    • Course Enrollment Cap:  if there’s a limit on the number of students who may enroll in a course.

Course Search & Enroll

While we recommend that you use the Law School course schedule to intially build a class schedule, you must use the UW Course Search and Enroll app to register for courses. If you have trouble registering for courses, see the Office of the Registrar's Enrollment KB to learn how to manage your enrollment.

Wait Lists

The number of students who can enroll in a particular course is governed by two factors:

1. The classroom’s seating capacity, and/or
2. Any particular enrollment cap requested by the instructor

If a Law School course reaches its enrollment limit, a wait list will be generated automatcally, and an orange triangle will appear in the section detail in Course Search & Enroll. Information on navigating wait lists in Course Search & Enroll can be found here.

How the Wait List Works

• During enrollment, select the option “Wait list me if the course is full when I enroll” before adding the course to your cart.
• When a seat becomes available, the first student on the wait list will receive an offer to enroll. Offers are sent to the student’s @wisc.edu email address.
• Students have two (2) days to accept the offer. If no action is taken within that time, the offer will be extended to the next person on the list.

Important Reminders

• Students should avoid getting discouraged if they need to add their name to a wait list. Typically, there is movement on the wait lists in the weeks following enrollment, and particularly near the start of the semester. 
• Students are responsible for checking their @wisc.edu email regularly to avoid missing enrollment opportunities.
• See the Course Search & Enroll Wait List FAQ for more information.

Registering for "Consent of Instructor" Courses

Enrollment in certain Law School courses is limited to students who have received prior approval from the instructor—these are referred to as “consent of instructor” courses. To determine whether a course requires instructor consent, please refer to the “notes column” in the Law School course schedule. Students may not enroll in a “consent of instructor” course until they receive an email confirming that an enrollment permission has been entered into the system.

The following courses and co-curriculars are the most common “consent of instructor” courses:

• Clinics
• Externships and other Field Placement Programs
• Law Journals
• Moot Court
• Mock Trial
• Directed Research and Directed Reading

Registering for Clinical and Externship Programs

Clinical and externship programs are not open-enrollment courses. Students must receive approval from the respective clinic or externship director and a permission must be entered before enrolling.

• To be considered for a clinical program, students must complete an application. Detailed information about each clinic and the application process is available on the Law School Clinical Programs page.
• Externship opportunities are also available for academic credit. Please visit the  Law School Externship for program details and eligibility requirements.

Clinic and externship directors will notify Academic Affairs when a student has been approved for their program. The Academic Affairs staff will then enter the necessary enrollment permission and email enrollment instructions to the student. Please note there may be a delay between approval and enrollment access, but approved students are guaranteed their seat.

Clinics and externships are variable-credit courses (1–10 credits). Program directors will determine the appropriate credit load and communicate it to Academic Affairs. Law School Rule 3.14 mandates that a student should work “no less than 45 hours per semester” for each credit earned. For credit-related questions, contact your clinic or externship program director.

Maximum Credit Load Per Semester

Pursuant to Law School Rule 3.09, a student may enroll in no more than 18 credits (including qualifying non-law credits) in a single term (fall and spring) and no more than 15 credits in any combination of sessions during the summer term. The maximum number of credits a student can enroll in via Course Search and Enroll is also 18 credits. Wait listed credits do not count against the 18-credit max. 

Auditing a Law School Class

Current law students are not permitted to formally or informally audit law courses. 

Directed Research and Directed Reading (LAW 990 & LAW 991)

Directed Research (LAW 990) and Directed Reading (LAW 991) are independent study courses that allow students to explore a legal issue or area of law not fully covered in the standard Law School curriculum.

Enrollment Process

To enroll in Directed Research or Directed Reading, a student must:

• Identify a faculty member to supervise the project.
• Complete the Directed Research/Directed Reading Form.
• Obtain the faculty advisor’s signature on the form.
• Email the signed form to academicaffairs@law.wisc.edu for final approval.

Upon approval, Academic Affairs will send the student enrollment instructions via email.

Credit Requirements

Please note the following credit policies:

• One credit of Directed Research of Directed Reading requires 45 hours of associated work.
• A maximum of six (6) credits of Directed Research may be applied toward the JD degree.
• A maximum of eight (8) credits of Directed Reading may be applied toward the JD degree.
• A single Directed Reading course may not exceed 3 credits.
• Credits earned through Directed Research or Directed Reading count only toward the 90-credit rule, not the 64-credit or 60-credit rules.

For complete information, please refer to Law School Rule 3.13.

Non-Law Courses for JD Credit

Law students may apply up to six (6) credits of qualifying non-law coursework toward the 90 credits required for their JD degree. Generally, a qualifying non-law coursework includes a language or graduate-level course that has been approved by Academic Affairs.

Approval Process

To request approval of a non-law course, students must submit the 'Permission to Take a Graduate Level Non-Law Academic Course for Law Credit' form prior to enrolling in the course.

Requirements and Restrictions

To apply non-law credits to the JD degree, students must:

• Comply with Law School Rule 3.08.
• Earn a grade of 'B' or better (on the University’s 4.0 scale). Note: grades of BC or lower do not qualify.

GPA and Credit Limitations

Grades earned in non-law courses do not factor into a student’s Law School GPA, which is calculated on a 4.3 scale. Additionally, non-law courses do not count toward the 64-credit rule or the 60-credit rule for diploma privilege.

Non-Qualifying Enrichment Courses

Courses considered as 'enrichment'—such as ballroom dance, yoga, golf, band, etc.—will not count toward the 90 credits required for the JD degree.

Curricular Concentrations and Certificate Programs

Students at the Law School can tailor their education through certificate programs and curricular concentrations that focus on particular areas of legal practice. Please visit the Curricular Concentration and Certificate webpage for more information.

Retaking a Course

Retaking a course is considered in the Law School Rules as rewriting an examination. See Law School Rule 6.04, Law School Rule 6.05 and Law School Rule 6.09 for specific information.

Withdrawing from Law School

If you are cancelling your enrollment or plan to withdraw from Law School, either temporarily or permanently, please contact the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs. Find more information on the deadlines for withdrawals on the UW-Madison Registrar's page.