Business Law Certificate
To earn a Business Law Certificate, a student must:
- complete at least nine units of approved course work in the subject area;
- complete the practicum requirement related to corporate or commercial law; and; and
- complete an upper level research and writing requirement analyzing an issue related to corporate or commercial law.
The required course work must include Corporations and at least one additional core course. Any remaining units (to reach a minimum of 9 units) must be completed by taking additional core courses and/or courses selected from the list of approved Business Law Certificate elective courses.
Note: The curriculum below is subject to change and not all courses are offered every year.
| Required Courses | Units |
|---|---|
| Corporations | 4 |
| Core Courses | Units |
|---|---|
| Antitrust Law | 3 |
| Commercial Transactions | 3 |
| Secured Transactions | 3 |
| Securities Regulation | 3 |
| Elective Courses | Units |
|---|---|
| Administrative Law | 3 |
| Antitrust Law | 2 |
| Bankruptcy | 3 |
| California Construction Law | 3 |
| Commercial Real Estate Transactions | 3 |
| Corporate Governance | 3 |
| Corporate Taxation | 3 |
| Employee Benefits (ERISA) | 3 |
| Employment Law | 3 |
| Employment Law Seminar | 3 |
| Energy Law | 3 |
| Insurance Law | 3 |
| Intellectual Property Survey | 3 |
| International Business Transactions | 3 |
| Labor Law | 3 |
| Land Use Law | 3 |
| Partnership Taxation | 2 or 3 |
| Real Estate Litigation | 3 |
Practicum Requirement
To earn the certificate, students participate in an experiential learning activity that is focused on business law. Students may fulfill this practicum requirement in the following ways:
- completion of a three unit (minimum) externship relevant to business law;
- completion of 141 hours of paid work relevant to business law; or
- completion of a simulation or professional skills class designated as "Bus Prac" on the course schedule.
Writing Requirement
To earn the certificate, a student must complete a substantial research paper analyzing an issue relevant to corporate or commercial law. The paper must demonstrate the ability to identify, describe, and analyze the subject matter, and, should, where possible, propose a resolution. The paper must meet the standards for an upper level research and writing requirement project and may be used to satisfy that requirement and/or the requirements of a course taken for credit.
Scholastic Requirements
Business Law Certificate recipients must achieve a grade of C+ or higher in each course applied to meet the requirements for the certificate and achieve a cumulative grade point average of 2.700 or higher for all courses applied to the certificate.
A student achieving a cumulative grade point average of 3.500 or higher for all courses applied to meet the requirements of the certificate is awarded the certificate with honors.
All course work for the certificate must be taken for a letter grade except for any approved elective course in which credit/no credit grading is mandatory. For any course in which a letter grade is not provided, a "credit" must be achieved in order for the course to be applied to meet the certificate requirements.
Transfer Units
All course work must be taken at USF with the exception of one elective course (for a maximum of three units of credit). If a student wishes to apply to a course taken at another law school to meet the requirements of the Business Law Certificate, prior approval must be obtained by the assistant dean for academic services. The student must take the course for a letter grade and earn a grade of C+ or higher for credit to be applied to the Business Law Certificate. A course taken at another law school will be transferred as "credit" only for purposes of determining the Business Law Certificate grade point average as well as for calculating the USF semester and cumulative grade point averages.
Applying for the Certificate
To be eligible to receive a Business Law Certificate, a student must submit a Business Law Certificate application to the USF School of Law Office of the Registrar. Applications are due the student's second-to-last semester. Applications must be submitted on or before the last day to drop classes in that semester.
Students may obtain only one certificate. No student will be awarded more than one certificate upon completion of the JD degree, even if such student completed the requirements to more than one certificate program.
It is each student's responsibility to ensure that all requirements for the Business Law Certificate are satisfied in a timely manner.