Graduation Information
I. 2009 GRADUATION EVENTS
The School of Law currently is planning the many graduation-related events to be held in May 2009 for graduates of July 2008, December 2008 and May 2009. Information about these activities will be included in the Graduation Kits (see IX. below) which will be available from the Office of Student Affairs in early to mid February. As decisions are made regarding these activities, that information will be shared with the graduating class by email sent only to the law09d and law09e email listservs. Therefore, YOU MUST CONTINUE TO CHECK YOUR LAW SCHOOL EMAIL to be informed about this information and be eligible to meet the deadlines for participation.
In addition to the one or more recognition activities now in the planning stages, we now know the following:
Reception for Graduates and Guests
Friday, May 15, 2009 9:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.
The School of Law hosts an annual reception to acknowledge each graduate’s successful completion of all degree requirements. This year the reception will take place immediately before the Hooding Ceremony at the School of Law. Students will be asked to RSVP for the event. All graduates, their families and friends, together with the law faculty and administration are invited to attend.
Law School Hooding Ceremony
Friday, May 15, 2009 12:00 p.m
The Hooding Ceremony will be held in the morning at the France-Merrick Hippodrome Theatre. Because seating at the Hippodrome is limited, each student who returns the RSVP form (expected to be sent to July 2008 and December 2008 graduates and prospective May graduates in late March or early April) will be eligible to receive a predetermined number of tickets for distribution to their guests. If some graduates do not need all of their tickets, they will be distributed to those students who may wish to receive additional tickets.
Commencement - University of Maryland Baltimore
Friday, May 15, 2009 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
University Commencement takes place at the Baltimore Arena from 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Candidates for graduation must assemble in the Baltimore Arena staging area on the ground floor by 2:30 p.m. Because seating is unlimited, tickets are not required and an unlimited number of guests may be invited. Students who plan to attend are asked to notify the School of Law. May graduates who attend will receive their diplomas at this ceremony. Graduates who do not attend may pick up their diplomas at the UMB Office of the Registrar (110 S. Paca Street, 2nd floor) through the end of May. Beginning in June, diplomas will be mailed by the UMB Registrar to the address listed on the diploma application of those graduates who did not receive them in person either at graduation or from the campus Office of the Registrar.
II. ACADEMIC RECOGNITION
Graduates selected for Order of the Coif, graduating Summa Cum Laude (top 5 students), Magna Cum Laude (top 10%) or Cum Laude (top 1/3) and the many other graduation prizes and awards will have their names identified in the Law School Hooding Ceremony program. Please note, selection for Order of the Coif, other honors recognition and final graduation class ranks combine day and evening graduates and graduates of the previous July and December with the May graduates.Graduating Summa Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude or Cum Laude will not be noted on the diploma that you receive at the graduation ceremony. Students who graduate with these honors will instead receive a notice with their diploma from the UMB Office of the Registrar stating that a diploma with these honors designations will be mailed to the address noted on their diploma application when the new diplomas are available.
Order of the Coif, which is not noted on the diploma, is awarded to students who are in the top 10% of the class and who have completed at least seventy-five percent of their requirements at the School of Law. (In recent years, the top 10% generally has included students with a g.p.a. approximately 3.56-3.59 or above.) Coif certificates generally are available for student pick up from OSA in June.
III. JULY 2008 AND DECEMBER 2008 GRADUATES
There are no formal ceremonies for July or December graduates. Students who graduate in July or December and want to participate in the May 2009 commencement activities should alert Dean Cobb and continue to read their law school emails for relevant information and due dates. Announcements regarding graduation are sent only to the law09d and law09e email listservs. (July and December graduates will have their law school email addresses added to these listservs.)For December graduates, faculty will be asked to submit your grades to Dean Forsyth by Friday, January 9, 2009. Also, all grades, cert. forms, etc. are due to Dean Forsyth by that time. If you are taking courses at other institutions this fall, it is your obligation to ensure that your transcript is sent by that institution's registrar directly to Dean Forsyth by Friday, January 9, 2009 at 4 p.m. Upon receipt of fall grades and any other necessary forms or documents, Dean Forsyth will determine whether you have satisfied all degree requirements. (If you wish, you may call Dean Forsyth after January 16 to check on your graduation status.) If so, he will submit your name to the law faculty requesting approval of your graduation, and you will receive email notice when your graduation is confirmed. Your official date of graduation will be December 23, 2008.
IV. APPLICATION FOR DIPLOMA
An Application For Diploma form (available on-line through SURFS or on the Forms Shelf located outside Suite 280) must be completed by all degree candidates and returned to the Office of Registration & Enrollment (or the Campus Office of the Registrar, 110 S. Paca Street, 2nd floor) no later than the third week of the students' last semester for the fall or spring and the first week of classes for the summer session. Thus, the diploma application deadline will be in early February ( actual date TBD) for May 2009 graduates. Students who miss the date for timely submission of an application must contact Robin Stewart in the Registration and Enrollment Office (Suite 280). Students who do no graduate as planned must submit a new Application For Diploma the semester in which they intend to graduate.V. GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
Graduation requirements can be found online.VI. BAR INFORMATION
General information about taking a bar exam.For more information visit the Maryland Board of Law Examiners.
If you are interested in taking the bar in another state, the American Bar Association has a website that includes a complete state by state listing of contacts. Just visit: http://www.abanet.org/legaled/baradmissions/barcont.html.
The School of Law does not complete the Certification as to College Education (Pre-Legal) form for the Maryland Bar or similar forms required by other states. That certification must be provided by your undergraduate degree granting institution.
The School of Law will not complete the Maryland Bar Examination’s Certification of Law School Education Form until after graduation. Because many Character Committee members do not accept forms that are marked "the student is eligible to graduate," the forms will not be sent to the Character Committee's designee until after graduation. For more information contact .
VII. ACADEMIC REGALIA
The University Bookstore provides "one-stop shopping" for graduation regalia (caps, gowns & hoods) usually in March. Students may also purchase graduation regalia online. For more information about ordering graduation regalia, contact the University Bookstore at 410-706-7788.VIII. OTHER THINGS
- All prospective graduates are asked to complete the Career Development Employment Survey. The completed Survey will be collected at the time graduates receive their Graduation Kits.
- Fall graduates are asked to remove the locks and contents of their lockers no later than January 23, 2009. Spring graduates must remove locks and locker contents no later than August 1, 2009. Locks and contents remaining after that date will be removed and discarded. The law school will not be responsible for anything left in lockers after that date.
- Graduates retain their University email accounts for approximately one year after graduation.
- The University requires graduating students to complete a financial aid exit interview. Multiple group sessions usually are scheduled in April. Students unable to attend a session must arrange an alternate time by calling the Financial Aid Office at 410-706-7347.
- All financial obligations must be taken care of in order to be eligible for graduation.
IX. GRADUATION KIT
The Graduation Kit, available from the Office of Student Affairs in early to mid February, is expected to include the following:
Graduation Activities and Information
Information on the Financial Aid Exit Interviews
Public Interest Loan Repayment Assistance Programs
Information from the Athletic Center
Information from Career Development
