Current Students

Once you accept your offer in SOLUS as either a student in the Certificate in Law program or as a non-degree interest Law student, students must activate Queen's student email as all communication sent by the Faculty of Law is done via your Queen's student email and not through the email that was used to submit application. 

Visit Queen's ITS to learn more about Microsoft Office 365 and to activate Queen's email. If students run into issues or you experience difficulty, please contact Queen's IT Support Centre.  

The Faculty of Law provides access to onQ course(s) seven (7) days before start of term. To log into onQ, go to https://my.queensu.ca/ or follow below instructions. 

• Go to the Certificate in Law website: https://certificate.queenslaw.ca/
• Click on the white button in the top right corner "Search and Sign In" 
• On the "University Wide" column on the left hand side, select the "onQ" tab

To review course descriptions, assessment weighting and course materials, visit our Courses page. 

Handbook of Academic Regulations, Policies and Procedures 

The purpose of this Handbook is to acquaint you with the academic requirements, regulations, policies, procedures, and expectations of the Certificate in Law (“CIL”). It is your responsibility to read and understand the entire document. Questions about any of its contents should be directed to the Academic Director of the CIL (referred to in this Handbook as the “Academic Director”) or the Certificate Program Coordinator of the CIL (referred to in this Handbook as the “CIL Coordinator”).

Handbook

Sessional Dates

The progress of your academic year at Queen's will follow a schedule of important dates and deadlines. To better plan your studies, please review the list of dates provided below. 

2023-24 Certificate in Law Sessional Dates 

Accessibility

Queen’s University is committed to achieving full accessibility for persons with disabilities. Part of this commitment includes arranging academic accommodations for students with disabilities to ensure they have an equitable opportunity to participate in all of their academic activities. If you are a student with a disability and think you may require accommodations, you are strongly encouraged to contact the Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS) as early as possible. For more information, including important deadlines, please visit the QSAS website.

The class website on onQ is powered by the Brightspace by D2L Learning Environment that complies with common accessibility standards and every effort has been made to provide course materials that are accessible. If you find any element of this course difficult to access, please discuss with your instructor how you can obtain an accommodation.

Student Academic Success Services 

The Student Academic Success Services (SASS) website can help with information on time management, organization, effective reading and note-making, preparing for and writing exams, quantitative problem-solving, and other critical learning and study skills.

Want more one-on-one support? The experts at SASS are happy to arrange an individual consultation. Visit their website or call 613-533-6315 to make an appointment.

Academic Consideration for Students with Extenuating Circumstances 

Academic Consideration is meant to assist students manage a short-term extenuating circumstance. Consideration is based on the principle of good faith, and it is of the understanding of the faculty and the Certificate in Law instructors that student circumstances and documented requests are legitimate. Note: you must submit Academic Consideration request in advance of the original due date of coursework in order to be eligible. 

If you are enrolled in 200-level Law course(s) and require academic consideration, please contact your home faculty or visit home faculty website for Academic Consideration policies and procedures.

If you are a student enrolled in a 700-level Law course(s) who requires academic consideration, you must submit one of the following two academic considerations. 

Short-term Requests

Short-term Academic Consideration can be requested for a maximum of three days. 

Courses that have flexible deadlines, universal design, or Academic Consideration built into the course already may not be eligible for short-term requests.

Each student can make one short-term request for up to three days without supporting documentation per academic term. (i.e., Fall, Winter, Summer). These types of requests cannot be used in place of the final assessment, nor can they be withdrawn once used. After you have used this request, all subsequent requests for the remainder of the term will require documentation.

Long-term Requests 

Requests for long-term Academic Consideration can be submitted for four days to a maximum of three months. These requests should be made as soon as possible as there could be delays that may limit the options available to you. 

This type of request requires supporting documentation, which need to be submitted within 5 business days of submitting the request. If supporting documentation is not submitted, your request may be withdrawn.

Examples of extenuating circumstances:

• Short-term physical or mental illness (e.g., stomach flu)
• Serious injury (e.g., concussion or broken bones)
• Required treatment (e.g., surgery or medication side effects)
• Serious injury or illness of significant other (e.g., car accident)
• Bereavement (death of family member or close friend)
• Traumatic event (e.g., divorce, sexual assault)
• Unforeseen technological or workspace disruptions beyond student’s control, computer malfunction, power outage affecting access; documentation is required (dated receipt of repair [e.g.to demonstrate hardware/software repair], dated news articles, weather reports or screenshots from utility provider to demonstrate lack of internet access due to power outage

Examples of non-extenuating circumstances:

• A personal event (wedding, vacation, travel, work etc.)
• Transportation difficulties 
• Technical problems (computer issues)
• Competing commitments (work, volunteering, extra-curricular activities, etc.)
• High levels of academic or exam-related stress
• For requests related to religious observances
• Technology malfunctions (chronic technological difficulties or workspace disruptions, such as long-term hardware/software failure, prolonged poor internet coverage, lack of planning or knowledge of program software/onQ, missing notifications/reminders, use of unsupported/out-of-date software, or other persistent technological challenges)

All requests must be submitted before the end of term. If you have any questions, contact the Law Certificate Program Coordinator at lawcertificate@queensu.ca. 

Student Accommodations

If you are a student seeking ongoing academic accommodations and are registered with Queen's Student Accessibility Services (QSAS), please contact your instructor directly for further information. 

All extensions must be requested prior to the original due date for all coursework. 

Incomplete Grade and Deferred Final Assessments 

An "Incomplete" standing (IN) is a temporary designation for students in Law courses, who due to extenuating circumstances beyond their control have not completed all term work for a course or would like to request permission to defer writing the final assessment. 

The student must have participated actively in the course and only have one or two outstanding deliverables. If a student has not completed majority of the work in a class, they should consider an appeal to drop a class after the deadline rather than requesting an incomplete grade. Contact the Law Certificate Program Coordinator at lawcertificate@queensu.ca to discuss options. 

Certificate in Law: Incomplete Grade or Deferred Examination form

The Certificate in Law policy and regulations pertaining to academic integrity are derived from and subject to the Senate Policy on Academic Integrity and the Senate Policy on Academic Integrity Procedures-Requirements of Faculties and Schools.

Queen’s University is dedicated to creating a scholarly community free to explore a range of ideas, to build and advance knowledge, and to share the ideas and knowledge that emerge from a range of intellectual pursuits. Queen’s students, faculty, administrators and staff therefore all have responsibilities for supporting and upholding the fundamental values of academic integrity.

Academic integrity is constituted by the five core fundamental values of honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility and by the quality of courage. These values and qualities are central to the building, nurturing and sustaining of an academic community in which all members of the community will thrive. Adherence to the values expressed through academic integrity forms a foundation for the "freedom of inquiry and exchange of ideas" essential to the intellectual life of the University.

Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with and adhering to the regulations concerning academic integrity. General information on academic integrity is available at the Academic Integrity @ Queen's website.

When students enroll in a Law course associated with the Certificate in Law, you may need to write a final assessment using the Quiz tool in onQ. This assessment is a non-proctored summative activity with questions relating to all topics covered in course with further information located in your onQ course pages. 

Final Assessment dates and times are set by Queen's University and cannot be changed. Please arrange personal and work commitments around the time period that is allotted for you to schedule and complete your exam. Do not schedule vacations, appointments, travel during the exam period as these requests are not considered conflicts. 

Exam Centre Codes 

When enrolling in a Law course, SOLUS will require you to enter an exam centre code (location to write exam). You can enter "4251 - Kingston, ON" as students are not assessed off-campus fees for final exams. 

Final grades can be found on SOLUS. Official transcripts showing final grades will be available on the Official Grade Release Date. 

Winter 2024

• January 8, 2024: Classes begin
• January 10, 2024: Winter tuition due 
• January 19, 2024: Last day to add Winter term courses 
• January 19, 2024: Last day to drop Winter term courses without financial penalty
• February 5, 2024: Registration for Summer term begins 
• February 20-23, 2024: Winter term reading week (classes cancelled) 
• March 1, 2024: Last day to drop Winter term courses without academic penalty
• April 8, 2024: Classes end
• April 11-25, 2024: Final Assessment/Exam period
• April 30, 2024: Last day to submit application to graduate for Spring 2024

Summer 2024

• February 5, 2024: Registration for Summer term begins 
• May 1 2024: Summer tuition due 
• May 6, 2024: Classes begin 
• May 10, 2024: Last day to add Summer term courses 
• May 17, 2024: Last day to drop Summer term courses without financial penalty
• June 28, 2024: Last day to drop Summer term courses without academic penalty 
• July 28, 2024: Classes end
• July 31-August 4, 2024: Final Assessment period

To learn more about managing academics in your SOLUS Student Centre, review the Student Registration Guide on the Office of the University Registrar's website. It is a step-by-step guide that includes instructions on how to add, drop and swap courses along with how to apply to graduate and how to access your fee statement. 

Adding Courses 

• When searching for courses in SOLUS, change course career to "Undergraduate Online" or search will have no results. 
• Current full-time Queen's students must complete their first year of studies before they are eligible to enroll in Law courses at the 200-level. When enrolling in 200-level Law courses in SOLUS, please select your home faculty when choosing the academic program (I.e. BAH, BCOM, FEAS). You will not be able to add courses at the 700-level until you have applied and accepted offer to the Certificate in Law. 
• External and interest students must enroll in Law courses at the 700-level (I.e. Law 701).

Dropping Courses/Fee Refunds 

The drop deadline schedule is set out by the Office of the University Registrar. If you drop a course and all outstanding fees to Queen's University have been paid which results in a credit balance on your SOLUS account, students may be eligible for a refund.

To see if you qualify for a full or partial credit, refer to the "Drop Date Schedule for Undergraduate Programs" on the Office of the University Registrar's website. 

Bachelor of Commerce students may choose to designate an undergraduate Law course at the 200-level for pass/fail grading. For more information on the academic regulations, please contact an Academic Advisor  Bachelor of Commerce website.

Students in the Certificate in Law or who are considering applying cannot designate 200-level Law courses for Personal Interest Credit as these courses do not satisfy the requirements of the program. To be granted the Certificate in Law, you must meet academic progression and receive a final grade of C+ or higher in all four courses.

If students choose to designate a Law course for Personal Interest Credit (PIC) before accepting offer into the Certificate in Law, this course cannot be used to satisfy certificate requirements. Please note: Law courses at the 700-level cannot be designated for Personal Interest Credit. 

If you require an official transcript, information on the ordering process is located on the Office of the University Registrar website. 

Students who have met all requirements for the Certificate in Law program can apply to graduate through the SOLUS. There are two convocation ceremonies; Spring (June) and Fall (October). To verify all requirements have been satisfied, contact the Certificate in Law Program Coordinator at lawcertificate@queensu.ca. 

APPLICATION TO GRADUATE FOR SPRING 2024 IS OPEN

Attending Convocation Ceremony

Queen's students will receive both diploma and certificate at home faculty ceremony. When applying to graduate within SOLUS, please indicate if you are attending home faculty ceremony and not the Faculty of Law ceremony. 

Distance students who are not graduating from another program are cordially invited to attend the Law convocation ceremony. 

Not Attending Convocation

If you selected "Mail" when you applied to graduate, your certificate will be sent to primary address listed on SOLUS. It will be be shipped 3-4 weeks after ceremony date. Ensure your home address and phone number are up to date. If address is incorrect, your certificate will be returned to the Office of the University Registrar.

If you selected "Pick Up", your certificate will be available in Gordon Hall, Room 125 beginning on the day of your ceremony (photo identification is required to pick up). 

Important Notice:  As per the Senate Policy on Student Debtors; students who have an outstanding debt to the university will not receive certificate. Once debt has been paid in full, students can contact the Office of the University Registrar to request certificate. 

For further information on convocation and instructions on the graduation process, please visit the Office of the University Registrar.