What is SEP?
The Supervised Externship Placement (SEP) allows students to earn academic credit for experiential learning done in conjunction with a field placement with an entity for which there is no relevant existing externship or existing program with the Law School. Students may identify placements on their own or in conjunction with a full-time faculty member. Enrollment in a SEP is by permission only. SEP is available for 1 to 3 non-graded (S/F) credits and is subject to the restriction on the number of non-classroom credits which may be counted to satisfy the credit requirement for graduation. Students will spend 45 hours at the placement for each credit hour earned. The placement must be approved by a full-time faculty member who commits to supervise the placement in the same manner that externships are supervised. The faculty supervisor assumes all necessary coordination, supervision and pedagogical responsibilities in monitoring the student’s progress for the duration of the SEP.
What types of placements might work for a SEP?
SEP placements must be at entities, such as non-profits, where there is no relevant existing externship program or existing program with the Law School. Before a SEP application, please be sure to review existing externships. If you are interested in any of the existing externships, please be sure to contact the supervising faculty member listed below. Please note, law firm or solo practice supervised externship placements (SEPs) will no longer be available in Spring 2021.
- Corporate Placements - Professor Butler
- Courts - Professor Schumm
- Health Law - Professor Keith
- State Government - Professor Baker
- Prosecution - Professor Hilton
- Public Defender - Professor Schumm
- U.S. Attorney - Professor Hilton
A SEP may only be done for one semester at each placement. Before completing a SEP agreement, students must confirm that a placement has not previously been offered as a SEP. Before any student may again earn credit at a SEP placement, a formal externship must be proposed and approved by the faculty. The proposal and approval process for a new externship is not automatic and may take up to a semester before being implemented into the curriculum.
What are the requirements for a SEP?
To obtain permission to enroll in a SEP, a student must do the following:
- Must have a GPA of 2.3 on a 4.0 scale and be in good standing with the school at the time the SEP Agreement & Request to Enroll Form is submitted.
- Identify a placement (or work with a full time faculty member on identifying a placement) where the student wants to earn academic credit for experiential learning and identify a full time faculty member (who commits to supervise the placement in the same manner that externships are supervised).
- Check to ensure that the law school does not have an existing externship under which the proposed placement falls and that no student has previously completed a SEP at the placement.
- Contact, or work with the supervising full time faculty member on contacting, the field placement. Please note that the field placement entity must commit to having a licensed attorney act as a direct field supervisor for the placed student, and must recognize the pedagogical emphasis of the placement. Together with the supervising faculty member, complete all information needed on SEP Agreement & Request to Enroll Form*.
*Please contact Mary Morris (morrmary@iu.edu) for information on completing a SEP form. Forms are due one week prior to the first day of the semester in which credit is being sought.
