Independent Proposal Option
Through the Independent Proposal Externship, students may receive credit for an externship done in conjunction with an independent study project. This option is available to students only if there are no spots available in one of our other externship offerings.
The Fieldwork
Students receive 3-5 variable credits (C/NC) for the fieldwork, determined as follows:
- 3 credits = 150 hours total (about 12 hrs/wk)
- 4 credits = 200 hours total (about 15-16 hrs/wk)
- 5 credits = 250 hours total (about 20 hrs/wk)
Qualifying internships may be at a non-profit, government, or in-house counsel placement. An internship may be at a law firm, but only if the student works solely on pro bono assignments. For all placements, the student must be supervised by an attorney, and must work on projects typically handled by an attorney.
The Independent Study
Students work under the guidance of a faculty member and earn three credits for writing a paper and submitting journals. The paper must be at least 30 pages in length. There are eight journals due (5-7 pages each). Students may satisfy the upperclass writing requirement through the paper, under agreement of the sponsoring faculty member.
How to Apply
The Independent Proposal Externship is designed to accommodate students who are not able to get into the Legal Externship Program, Health Law Externship Program, or Government Lawyering Externship Program, due to oversubscription. Any student who wishes to receive credit for an externship should first contact Adrienne Smith at the Office of Clinical Programs (ans@bu.edu) to see if a spot is available in an externship program.
Only after determining that the student is unlikely to get into an externship program, should the student seek a faculty sponsor. Students should refer prospective faculty sponsors to the Faculty Sponsor Memo, which outlines the sponsor's responsibilities.