Required Fieldwork Hours

Below are the possible number of units that students may register for and their corresponding fieldwork hours. Please note that because the summer session is much shorter than the fall/spring semesters, only the 2 (summer session only), 3, 4, and 5-unit options are available in the summer.

*Unavailable during summer session.

Full-Time Externship

  • 13 units = 585 hours → 42+ hours/week *
  • 12 units = 540 hours → 39+ hours/week *
  • 11 units = 495 hours → 35+ hours/week *
  • 10 units = 450 hours → 32+ hours/week *

Half-Time Externship

  • 9 units = 405 hours → 29+ hours/week *
  • 8 units = 360 hours → 26+ hours/week *
  • 7 units = 315 hours → 23+ hours/week *
  • 6 units = 270 hours → 19+ hours/week *

Part-Time Externship

  • 5 units = 225 hours → 16+ hours/week during fall/spring or 32+ hours/week during summer
  • 4 units = 180 hours → 13+ hours/week during fall/spring or 26+ hours/week during summer
  • 3 units = 135 hours → 10+ hours a week during fall/spring or 19+ hours/week during summer
  • 2 units = 90 hours → 13+ hours a week during summer session only (unavailable during fall and spring semesters for civ/crim/judicial; available year-round for TAAP)
  • 1 unit (for TAAP only) = 45 hours → 3+ hours a week during fall/spring or 6+ hours/week during summer

Guidelines Regarding Externship Hours

  • Timing of Externship Placement
    • Commencement of Placement: Students must begin their fieldwork by the third week of the semester during the fall and spring semesters.
    • Semester Length: Summer semesters are about 7 weeks. Fall/Spring semesters are 14-15 weeks.
  • Distribution of Placement Hours
    • Commencement of Placement: Students must begin their fieldwork by the third week of the semester during the fall and spring semesters.
    • Even Distribution of Hours: Students’ work hours should be spread out relatively evenly over the semester. Students cannot frontload hours.
    • Correspondence Between Hours and Credit: Students’ work hours should correspond to the units received to the extent possible. ABA guidelines state, “credit shall be commensurate with the time and effort required.”
    • Length of Externship: In fall and spring semesters, students who enroll in part-time or half-time externship units must work at least 13 weeks but no more than 15 weeks. Students enrolled in full-time externships must work at least 14 weeks.
  • No Retroactive Credit
    • Students must apply and be accepted into the Externship Program before commencing their externship. Students cannot receive credit for work already performed.
  • Calculating Time
    • When students attend orientation, students will receive instruction about what activities are counted toward their required hours. For example, students may not include lunch and time spent completing class assignments in their calculation of total hours worked.
  • Non-Classroom Credit Hours
    • Total Units: 87 units
    • CLASSROOM UNITS: Complete at least 64 units in regularly scheduled law school classroom courses (non-classroom courses include Directed Research, Moot Court, clinical and externship courses or programs, and certain co-curricular programs for which academic credit is awarded, such as advocacy competitions, ASP Program Tutor, Maritime Law Journal, and USF Law Review). To be sure you are on-track for graduation, please reach out to the Registrar.
    • Limitation on Types of Non-Classroom Units Allowed in One Semester:
      • Although you may take advantage of all of these programs during the course of your law school education, you can take only one in-house clinic, civil/criminal law or judicial externship in any given semester.
    • Concurrent Enrollment in Other Classes for Full-Time Externs:
      • Full-time civil/criminal externs who are full-time students may enroll in units in addition to the externship for a maximum total of 16 units for the semester, subject to the policies above.