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

Note: In addition to fieldwork credits, students must enroll in a 1-credit seminar. A maximum of 15 total credits may be earned through externship participation, inclusive of both fieldwork and seminar components.

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

Classroom Seminar & Field Placement

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 course, and you’ll register using the course seminar number the corresponds with your externship placement type:

  • TADR 469 Externship: Local Government and Non-Profit Class (Government Agencies/Non-profit Organizations/In-House Legal Departments)
  • TADR 470 Externship: Criminal Class (Public Defender/Prosecutorial Agencies)
  • TADR 471 Externship: Judicial Class

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
  • 3 Fieldwork Credits = 127.5 Hours of Fieldwork
  • 4 Fieldwork Credits = 170 Hours of Fieldwork (summer term only)

Note: Only fieldwork credits count toward the 3-credit experiential learning requirement.

You’ll register using the course field placement number the corresponds with your externship placement type:

  • TADR 472 Externship: Local Government and Non-Profit (Government Agencies/Non-profit Organizations/In-House Legal Departments/Law Firms)
  • TADR 473 Externship: Criminal (Public Defender/Prosecutorial Agencies)
  • TADR 474 Externship: Judicial

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