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    TCS Education System
   
 
  Dec 13, 2024
 
2022-2023 Academic Catalog and Student Handbook with Spring Addendum 
    
2022-2023 Academic Catalog and Student Handbook with Spring Addendum [Archived Catalog]

Master of Arts in Law (MA in Law)


Master of Arts in Law - Program and Registration Procedures


18.1 MA in Law - Academic Program


A. Educational Objectives/Ineligibility for Bar Exam


The goal of the MA in Law program is to provide working professionals with a practical knowledge of the law which will enable them to become informed and innovative problem solvers within the workplace. It is specifically designed for individuals who wish to obtain an advanced knowledge of the law and the American legal system, but who do not intend to become lawyers. The Master of Legal Studies (MLS)Arts in; Law (MA in Law) Program is offered entirely online. The Committee of Bar Examiners of the State Bar of California requires that the following language be included in this Catalog:

Except as provided in rule 4.30 of the Admissions Rules (Legal Education in a foreign state or country), completion of a professional law degree program at this law school other than for the Juris Doctor degree does not qualify a student to take the California Bar Examination or satisfy the requirements for admission to practice law in California. It may not qualify a student to take the bar examination or to satisfy requirements for admission to the practice of law in any other jurisdiction. A student intending to seek admission to practice law should contact the admitting authority in the jurisdictions where the student intends to qualify to sit for the bar examination or to be admitted to practice for information regarding their legal education requirements.

The School has established three institution-wide learning competencies, Knowledge of Law, Practical Skills, and Ethical and Professional Values, as detailed in Section 3.5, Educational Objectives. For the Master of Arts in Law program, the following Program Objectives and Student Learning Outcomes have been established:

 

MA in Law Program Learning Objectives MA in Law Student Learning Outcomes
1. Students examine the laws of specific disciplines and how those disciplines transform the law. 1.1  Students will analyze discipline specific law. 

1.2 Students will evaluate how other disciplines impact the law and the practice of law.

2. Students will design inter-disciplinary techniques to solve complex legal problems.

2.1  Students will propose innovative solutions to complex legal problems. 
2.2  Students will integrate inter-disciplinary skills into all aspects of problem solving.
2.3 Students will evaluate the success of a solution from the perspective of those served.                                                    
3. Students will integrate interdisciplinary multi-cultural competencies into their professional development.  3.1  Students will use interdisciplinary skills to reach underserved communities. 
3.2  Students will analyze the moral choices and ethical implications of blending other disciplines with the law. 
4. Students will develop creative ideas and create cross-disciplinary oral, written, and visual communications to influence change in the industry. 4.1 Students will distill complex arguments, analyze premises and conclusions, evaluate claims, and demonstrate information and data literacy through their communications.
4.2 Students will demonstrate the ability to recognize and apply audience appropriate communication tools in diverse settings.

 

B. Units/Hours


  1. Program Requirements
     
    Students must successfully complete at least 30 units of credit to qualify for the MA in Law degree.
     
  2. Hours Required per Credit Hour
     
    A credit hour for an online course represents 15 hours of instructional activity (e.g., engagement with web-based instructional materials) based upon a 50-minute hour (“clock hour”) toward achieving specified student learning outcomes, therefore 360 clock hours of instruction are required for the degree. For online courses, the 15 hours of instructional activity may include but are not limited to synchronous or asynchronous lectures or webinars, interactive tutorials, and online discussions. A credit hour also assumes an additional 30 hours of homework, studying, and/or research. A credit hour for practicum, fieldwork, or internship coursework represents 45 hours of applied practice and weekly seminar/supervision. Partial credits are not granted.
     
    Distance Online or Hybrid Course

    For distance online or hybrid courses, the total hours of work typically required for any class of work reflects: 1) synchronous and asynchronous components that facilitate faculty-student and student-student interaction (virtual classrooms, discussion boards, and chats) and 2) independent learning components (readings, recorded lectures, written assignments, and quizzes). Each distance online or hybrid course constitutes the following:
    1. 3-unit course: 45 clock hours of synchronous/asynchronous interaction and up to 135 hours of independent learning.
    2. 2-unit course: 30 clock hours of synchronous/asynchronous interaction and up to 90 hours of independent learning.
    3. 1-unit course: 15 clock hours of synchronous/asynchronous interaction and up to 45 hours of independent learning.

For the 30-credit hour MA in Law program, up to 1,800 hours of interaction and independent study are expected for the degree.

18.2 MA in Law - Length of Program


  1. Course and Program Length
     
    The MA in Law program is a part-time online program. Courses in the MA in Law program are taught over eight weeks. In week 8, instruction ends on the first Monday. Each class meeting begins on Monday and each class meeting other than week 8 ends on Sunday. Exceptions may occur and will be announced by e-mail. Students are cautioned not to make discretionary plans that will prevent them from participating in the online class or completing course assignments.
     
    Each academic year consists of three semesters, each of which has two terms, so that six terms (Fall 1, Fall 2, Spring 1, Spring 2, Summer 1, and Summer 2) per year are offered. Students may begin their studies in the MA in Law program three times each year: Fall 1, Spring 1, and Summer 1. See MA in Law Academic Calendar.
     
    The program is offered as a 30-unit program. The 30-unit program is designed to be completed in 10 terms; with intersessions, most students will complete the program in about 1 year and eight months.
     
    Students must complete all requirements for the MA in Law degree within three years of beginning the program.
     
  2. Units per Term
     
    It is anticipated that a student typically will complete one course per term (3 units), and then complete the 3-unit Capstone course during the last semester of enrollment. Subject to availability of courses, students wishing to enroll in more than one course per term should contact the Student Services Coordinator or the Program Manager.
     
  3. A student’s program may, of necessity, be required to depart from the above norms in special situations, such as when a student is on probation, is a transfer student, or has interrupted the customary sequence of study for any reason.
     
  4. Each student is responsible for planning his or hertheir own program, within the limits of the School’s policies, so as to complete all course and graduation requirements within the time limits stated above. Graduation likely will be delayed for students who do not adhere to the typical sequence of courses. The School has no provisions for partial course credit, so students may find it necessary to complete more than the required units of credit to meet graduation requirements.
     
  5. Any deviation from the prescribed program must be approved by the Associate Dean.
 

18.3 MA in Law - Course Descriptions


Each student may elect up to two concentrations (Business Operations, Entrepreneurship, Emerging Law, or Technology) and, prior to graduation, complete all required courses and sufficient elective “concentration” courses as needed to fulfill program unit requirements.

All courses are letter-graded with the exception of any Directed Study. Note: All courses are offered in irregular rotation, depending in part on student enrollment in each concentration and faculty availability.

Course Descriptions  

18.4 MA in Law - Required Courses


  1. The curriculum consists of required courses and elective courses.
  2. To graduate, students must complete 12 units of required courses, including each of those listed below, and 18 units of elective courses. The Capstone is designed to be taken as the student’s last course, or within six units of graduation.

MA 506 Foundational Legal Skills  

MA 508 eLawyering   

MA 550 Master of Arts in Law Capstone  

 

Choose ONE of the following courses:

MA 510 Regulation and Compliance  

MA 512 Data Security and Breach  

MA 500 Privacy Dilemmas 
 

  1. Courses are scheduled in a mixed cycle of required and elective courses. Before enrolling in an elective course, MA in Law students must first successfully complete two of the required core courses, Professional Legal Skills and eLawyering. To successfully complete a required course, a student must earn at least a B-. Students seeking an exception to this requirement must petition the Dean or her designee.
     
  2. Courses must be taken during the cycle or postponed until offered again. Advisors will inform students of the planned cycle of courses. Postponement likely will delay graduation.
     
  3. A student must complete ProfessionalFoundational Legal Skills and eLawyering during their first semester of enrollment. Thereafter the student will complete one course in each subsequent term in which the student is enrolled. The student must complete 18 elective units. If the student chooses a concentration or two, then they must complete 9 units in each chosen concentration.

18.5 MA in Law - Elective Concentration Courses


  1. In addition to 12 units of required coursework, students must complete an additional 18 units (6 courses) of elective coursework to graduate. Students who complete 9 units (3 courses) under a particular concentration will, upon graduation, have that concentration designated on their transcript.  If a required course is listed under a concentration, it may be counted toward that concentration.  A course may be counted only once toward a concentration. 
     
  2. MA in Law Residency Program (optional)
     During the student’s enrollment, several weekend Innovation Skills Residency courses will be offered during which students will have the opportunity to engage in discussions with faculty and leaders in the legal profession, government, or other fields. Each student may participate in each concentration’s Innovation Skills Residency Weekend once while enrolled, by choosing to enroll in the Innovation Skills Residency course when it is offered. Students may take Innovation Skills Residency courses in concentrations outside of their chosen concentrations.
  1. Elective Concentration Courses

 

Business Operations Concentration Courses

MA 510 Regulation and Compliance 

MA 512 Data Security and Breach  

MA 514 Litigation Operations  

MA 517 Litigation and Its Alternatives  

MA 518 Law Practice Management 

MA 519 Project Management  

 

Entrepreneurship Concentration Courses

MA 500 Privacy Dilemmas  

MA 512 Data Security and Breach  

MA 520 Introduction to Start-up Law  

MA 522 Building Legal Applications: Document Automations and Expert Systems  

MA 531 Emerging Technology and the Law  

 

Emerging Law Concentration Courses

MA 510 Regulation and Compliance  

MA 517 Litigation and Its Alternatives   

MA 520 Introduction to Start-up Law   

MA 524 Blockchain, Smart Contracts, and Computational Law   

MA 531 Emerging Technology and the Law   

MA 537 eDiscovery  

 

Technology Concentration Courses

MA 500 Privacy Dilemmas 

MA 512 Data Security and Breach 

MA 522 Building Legal Applications: Document Automations and Expert Systems 

MA 524 Blockchain, Smart Contracts, and Computational Law 

MA 537 eDiscovery 

MA 540 Technology for Legal Professionals  

18.6 MA in Law - Curriculum Offerings Matrix


Although course offerings are subject to change, subject to enrollment, and faculty availability, below is the matrix of MA in Law courses anticipated to be taught in Academic Years 2022-2024.

 

Curriculum Matrix
Fall 2022
Term 1 Term 2

MA 506 Foundational Legal Skills  

MA 540 Technology for Legal Professionals                                                                       

MA 508 eLawyering  

MA 522 Building Legal Applications: Document Automations and Expert Systems                   

Spring 2023
Term 1 Term 2

MA 506 Foundational Legal Skills  

MA 512 Data Security and Breach  

MA 508 eLawyering  

MA 510 Regulation and Compliance  

Summer 2023
Term 1 Term 2

MA 506 Foundational Legal Skills 

MA 508 eLawyering  

MA 518 Law Practice Management  

MA 540 Technology for Legal Professionals  

MA 510 Regulation and Compliance 

MA 517 Litigation and Its Alternatives 

MA 519 Project Management 

MA 522 Building Legal Applications: Document Automations and Expert Systems  

Fall 2023
Term 1 Term 2

MA 506 Foundational Legal Skills 

MA 512 Data Security and Breach 

MA 514 Litigation Operations 

MA 537 eDiscovery  

MA 500 Privacy Dilemmas  

MA 508 eLawyering  

MA 520 Introduction to Start-up Law 

MA 524 Blockchain, Smart Contracts, and Computational Law  

Spring 2024
Term 1 Term 2

MA 506 Foundational Legal Skills 

MA 512 Data Security and Breach 

MA 518 Law Practice Management 

MA 540 Technology for Legal Professionals  

MA 500 Privacy Dilemmas  

MA 508 eLawyering  

MA 510 Regulation and Compliance 

MA 550 Master of Arts in Law Capstone  

 

18.7 MA in Law - Registration Procedures


  1. Prior to the start of each session, continuing students will be notified by JURIS e-mail of information about tuition, fees, class schedules, academic calendar, registration deadlines, and required books by their Student Advisor in COL Student Services. Students are responsible to purchase or otherwise obtain the required books through outside vendors. The Academic Catalog will be available on the Gateway. Syllabi and other course information is found in Canvas, the online Learning Management System.
     
  2. Students registering for the first time will be contacted by COL Student Services with information about registration, the Orientation webinar, and passwords for access to Westlaw, the Gateway, and Canvas.
     
  3. New students will be provided with a JURIS e-mail account and log-in credentials to the School’s e-learning platform shortly after acceptance to the program and upon payment of the required tuition deposit.
     
  4. See Sections 6.2 and 6.3 for policies on adding and dropping courses and the requirement for continuous enrollment.
     
  5. Students who do not register for the upcoming session are administratively withdrawn for non-registration and/or non-attendance; procedures for arranging a leave of absence are described in Section 6.2, Leave of Absence.
     
  6. Subject to availability of courses, students wishing to enroll in more than one course per term should contact the Student Services Coordinator or Program Manager.

19.0 MA in Law - Grading and Grades


19.1 MA in Law - Letter Grades and Status Designations
19.2 MA in Law - Calculation of Cumulative GPA
19.3 MA in Law - Notification of Grades
19.4 MA in Law - Petition for Change of Grade
19.5 MA in Law - Repetition of Courses

 

19.1 MA in Law - Letter Grades and Status Designations

  1. A letter grading system is used for all courses. Grades are assigned from “A” to “F”, with numerical point equivalents on the School’s 4-point scale:
Percentage Letter Grade GPA
94% - 100%                      A 4.00
90% - 93.9% A- 3.70
86% - 89.9% B+ 3.30
81% - 85.9% B 3.00
79% - 80.9% B- 2.70
76% - 78.9% C+ 2.30
72% - 75.9% C 2.00 - credit not applicable towards degree
69% - 71.9% C- 1.70 - credit not applicable towards degree
66% - 68.9% D+ 1.30 - credit not applicable towards degree
61% - 65.9% D 1.00 - credit not applicable towards degree
= or < 60.9% F 0.00 - no credit/not applicable towards degree
  1. Grade designations denote the following:
                                                                                                  A/A- Honors
  B+/B/B- Competency, ranging from basic to strong; at the level of competence for good standing and satisfactory progress toward graduation
  C+ Below competency, but included for purposes of calculating rate of progress
  C/C-/D Insufficient for academic credit (when a student receives a grade below “C+” in a required course, the course must be repeated)
  F Failure; insufficient for academic credit (when a student receives a grade below “C+” in a required course, the course must be repeated
  1. Other grade/status designations used to indicate a student’s grade or status at the School, and which may appear on the student’s transcript and/or other records, are:
                                                                                 Suspended Disciplinary action resulting in the student barred from attendance for one or more terms
  Expelled Disciplinary action resulting in the student’s permanent removal from enrollment
  Academically Disqualified Student has been academically disqualified from the School.
  Academic & FA Probation Student is on Academic & Financial Aid Probation.
  Academic & FA Warning Student is on Academic & Financial Aid Warning
  Graduate Student has graduated from the School.
  Leave of Absence Student is on a leave of absence, without indicating whether in continued good standing or other than in continued good standing.
  Standard Period of Non-Enrollment Student placed in this status if due to scheduling of courses there is no course available for a student to take in a particular term.
  INC Incomplete. Used in the very rare circumstance where the student has been permitted to have additional time to complete the requirements for a particular course. Where a student is permitted to receive an incomplete, the student must complete the mandated course requirements within the period of time specified by the Dean, Associate Dean, or Instructor; otherwise, the course grade will revert to an “F” or, if a Pass/Fail course, to a “Fail”.
  IP* In Progress. Used in two-session courses with respect to completion of the first session. Courses of more than one session carry no credit until successful completion of both sessions.
    *Note: IP grades given at the end of the first session of a course completed over two sessions will be changed upon completion of the entire course to reflect the final course grade.
  R Course Repeated. This notation appears next to the effective grade, which is the most recent of the two grades in a repeated course. The prior grade also appears.
  TC Transfer Credit. Unit credit from another school or program (when granted).
  W Withdrawal. Student is withdrawn (or deemed withdrawn), without indicating whether in continued good standing or other than in continued good standing.
  N/A Used to indicate that a student attended class but withdrew during the first week of the term or was not subsequently admitted to the program.

19.2 MA in Law - Calculation of Cumulative GPA

  1. The cumulative grade point average (cGPA) is calculated based on course grades.
     
  2. To calculate the cGPA, multiply the final grade in each letter-graded course by its unit value, total the sum of the products for all such courses, and divide that sum by the total number of letter-graded units. The cGPA is expressed on the transcript as a number, truncated at the second decimal. For example, the cGPA for a student who had course grades of “B” (3.0 points) in Professional Legal Skills, “A” (4.0) in eLawyering, and “B” (3.0) in Regulation and Compliance is calculated in this manner:
  Professional Legal Skills 3.0 x 3 (units) = 9.0
  eLawyering 4.0 x 3 (units) = 12.0
                    Regulation and Compliance 3.0 x 3 (units) = 9.0
 
  Grade points (for 9.0 units) = 30.0
 

GPA (30.0 points divided by 9 units) = 3.33

Grades earned in subsequent sessions would then be added to the prior grades to determine the student’s cGPA.

19.3 MA in Law - Notification of Grades

Grades are generally not available until very shortly before the start of the next semester/session. Grades will be available online through the password-protected Portal.  Grades will not be released by telephone.

19.4 MA in Law - Petition for Change of Grade

  1. Except as otherwise provided in this Catalog, grades will not be changed after approval by the Associate Dean of the MA in Law Program except to correct an arithmetic error or other material mistake by the instructor, such as incorrect calculation of points noted in the margin. An allegation that an instructor has not fairly graded an examination or other paper of the student, or has departed from established policy, is treated as an allegation of material mistake.
     
  2. Authority to decide student petitions for change of grade is held by the faculty’s Academic Standards and Admission Committee (ASAC). The ASAC will not authorize a change in any grade without a showing of material mistake by the instructor by clear, convincing, and objectively verifiable evidence; the ASAC will not permit or require a change of any grading decision by an instructor which represents qualitative judgment concerning a student’s performance. Objectively verifiable evidence is not shown by a student’s belief that the analysis deserved a higher grade.
     
  3. A student is not permitted to lobby an instructor for a change of grade. A student who has identified a potential material mistake may ask the instructor to review the claimed error. At the instructor’s election, the instructor may require the student to submit a written analysis of the claimed error or to present the analysis to the instructor.
     
  4. A student who wishes to appeal a grade must do so by timely filing a written petition for grade change to the ASAC. All such petitions must: 1) be filed with the Registrar within 14 calendar days of the date the original grade was posted; 2) state clearly, specifically, and fully the basis for the claim of material mistake; 3) provide clear, convincing, and objectively verifiable evidence of the claimed mistake; and 4) include a copy of any written analysis submitted to the instructor.
     
  5. Decisions on petitions to the ASAC are made pursuant to the procedures and standards set forth in the Charter for the Academic Standards and Admissions Committee of The Santa Barbara & Ventura Colleges of Law (“the Charter”), a copy of which is available on the Gateway (My.CollegesofLaw.edu/).

19.5 MA in Law - Repetition of Courses

  1. Students must make satisfactory academic progress toward the MA in Law degree by maintaining a grade point average of 2.7 on a scale of 4.0. Course grades below C+ do not count toward graduation requirements. A student who receives a course grade below C+ in a required course will not receive credit towards the degree and must retake the course. A student who receives a course grade below C+ in a elective course will not receive credit for that course towards their degree.  Such students have a choice to either 1) retake the same course to replace the low grade in their CGPA with a C+ or better and earn credit towards their degree; or 2) leave the course with lower than a C+ as part of their CGPA and take a different elective course to receive credit towards the degree.”
     
  2. In addition:
    1. When a course is successfully retaken, the more recent of the two grades will be computed in the cumulative grade point average; the points for the less recent grade will not be computed in the student’s GPA.
    2. The original grade will remain on the student’s transcript, along with the grade received for the retaken course.

20.0 MA in Law - Graduation


20.1 Master of Arts in Law - Graduation


  1. The School will confer the degree of Master of Arts in Law upon a student who has timely met all requirements for graduation.
     
  2. To be eligible for graduation, a student must do all the following:
      
    1. Complete at least the 30 units of MA in Law credits, including 12 units in required courses and 18 units in elective courses within three years of beginning the program.
       
    2. Achieve a cumulative grade point average of not less than 2.70.
       
    3. Successfully complete all required courses with a minimum grade of B- and all courses with a grade of at least “C”.
       
    4. Fulfill all other academic requirements.
       
    5. Pay all fees, charges, and tuition due.
       
  3. Graduation Dates and Ceremony
     
    One graduation ceremony is held annually. The Graduation Processing Fee is owed by a student who elects to participate in the graduation ceremony and will only be refunded prior to regalia being ordered. Students will be deemed graduated, and degrees will be dated, as of the end of the session in which all such requirements are met.