For the Non-Law Student

The UNM School of Law encourages interdisciplinary perspectives. Many graduate students have done very well in law school classes, enriching themselves and other students.

Non-law students who are in a UNM graduate-level degree-granting program and who have a sophisticated understanding of the subject are welcome into some second- and third- year classes. Undergraduate and non-degree graduate students are not typically eligible for law classes.

Law electives are designed for students who have had at least a year of law school and are familiar with legal procedure and concepts that may be the basis for class materials. Professors rarely have time to explain these concepts to non-law students during class. A determining factor of admission to the class is based on assessing the level of difficulty that a non-law student may experience. Non-law students enrolled in a law course are graded in the same way that J.D. students are graded.

Subject to the availability of space in the course, permission to take the class is at the discretion of the instructor. Current law school students have enrollment priority over non-law students for law courses. Interested students should contact both the instructor teaching the desired course and the Law School Registrar. The email should include why the student wants to take the class, along with relevant background information to substantiate expertise in the subject area.

Law-school credits earned before matriculation to the J.D. program cannot be applied to a J.D. degree.