JD Externship Program Requirements

All JD students at UIC Law are required to earn at least 3 credits of experiential learning to graduate, and our JD Externship Program is one way to fulfill that requirement. 

After completing 30 credit hours (typically your first year of academic study), students may earn 2–3 experiential learning fieldwork credits per semester, and up to 4 credits during the summer term, by externing with a court, government agency, in-house legal department, company, or non-profit organization. Students also enroll in a 1-credit co-requisite seminar.  

Select placements with private law firms and/or current employers may also be approved for academic credit. For details on the approval process, please refer to the Student Manual linked below. 

Students and their attorney supervisors collaborate to create an Educational Plan that outlines the goals and details of the externship experience. This plan serves as a memorandum of understanding between the student, the law school, and the externship placement. A sample Educational Plan is available for reference, but students should complete the official version provided at the start of their externship term. 

Download Externship Program Student Manual 




  



    

    
      




  
  

  
    

                  
  

    

      

                    Seminar & Fieldwork Courses
              

    

    

  

          
            



  
	
The JD Externship Program has two distinct components—a corequisite field placement and classroom seminar—that students must satisfy to earn course credit. The field placement component is satisfied by completing a set number of hours at an approved externship site under the supervision of an attorney supervisor. The classroom seminar component is taught by a UIC Law faculty member. While the seminar and field placement components are interdependent, you will receive separate course credit for each.


Classroom Seminar


The seminar component is a 1-credit, graded online course. Students are assigned to sections based on their type of placements.  Seminar work focuses on professional development, goal setting, and reflection. 


Field Placement


The fieldwork credit is determined by the total hours worked at your externship site and is graded pass/fail:


    

  • 2 Fieldwork Credits = 85 Hours of Fieldwork
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  • 3 Fieldwork Credits = 127.5 Hours of Fieldwork
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  • 4 Fieldwork Credits = 170 Hours of Fieldwork (summer term only)
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  • Externships must run for at least 10 weeks (fall and spring) or 7 weeks (summer) 
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Note: Only fieldwork credits count toward the 3-credit experiential learning requirement.


Field placement sections are assigned based on externship placement type.  


Returning Externs


Students who have already completed an externship for credit may enroll in the advanced externship course for 1-3 credits. Advanced students work at an approved placement 42.5 hours per credit and participate in a pass/fail asynchronous course. 



  



  



    

    
      




  
  

  
    Download
    Educational Plan
  
  




  



    

    
      




  
  

  
    

                  
  

    

      

                    Advanced JD Externships
              

    

    

  

          
            



  
	
Students who successfully complete a JD externship for credit may enroll in the advanced externship course for subsequent externships (for a maximum of 15 total externship credits). The advanced program pairs asynchronous supplemental instruction and faculty support with fieldwork. There is no separate seminar component. Returning externs may enroll for 1-3 credits in a semester. For each credit, you must complete 42.5 fieldwork hours.


    

  • TADR 475 Externship: JD Advanced
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