Master's Degree Transcript Required? Forum

[analytic_philosopher]

I'm pursuing a Master of Science degree at an international university. I'm wondering if I will have to submit my in-progress master's degree transcript to LSAC, if I've already submitted my bachelor's degree transcript (from a US university). It's a slight problem for me because my university has a rather unusual way of making transcripts for degrees that are still in progress.

[ScottRiqui]

From LSAC's FAQ on transcripts:

"After you register for the Credential Assembly Service (CAS), you must have a separate transcript sent to LSAC directly from each undergraduate and graduate institution you attended in the United States, its territories, or Canada. "

If it's a Canadian university, then it looks like you need to get a transcript.

ETA:

I'm pursuing a Master of Science degree at an international university. I'm wondering if I will have to submit my in-progress master's degree transcript to LSAC, if I've already submitted my bachelor's degree transcript (from a US university). It's a slight problem for me because my university has a rather unusual way of making transcripts for degrees that are still in progress.

What's so unusual about the process, and why would it cause you a problem? Do they tattoo the transcript onto your body or something?

[analytic_philosopher]

From LSAC's FAQ on transcripts:

"After you register for the Credential Assembly Service (CAS), you must have a separate transcript sent to LSAC directly from each undergraduate and graduate institution you attended in the United States, its territories, or Canada. "

If it's a Canadian university, then it looks like you need to get a transcript.

ETA:

What's so unusual about the process, and why would it cause you a problem? Do they tattoo the transcript onto your body or something?

Do you mean to say that if my university is not in Canada or the US then I don't need a transcript? I'm doing my master's at a european university. The LSAC page is not very clear on this matter for international students: http://www.lsac.org/jd/apply/cas-intern ... d-apps.asp

It says: "If all of your bachelor's-level work was completed outside the United States, its territories, or Canada, and you are NOT applying to a school that requires LSAC's authentication and evaluation, you need not register for the Credential Assembly Service (CAS) unless you wish to use the letter of recommendation, evaluation, or electronic application services."

But it doesn't say anything about master's degree transcripts.

[ScottRiqui]

From LSAC's FAQ on transcripts:

"After you register for the Credential Assembly Service (CAS), you must have a separate transcript sent to LSAC directly from each undergraduate and graduate institution you attended in the United States, its territories, or Canada. "

If it's a Canadian university, then it looks like you need to get a transcript.

ETA:

What's so unusual about the process, and why would it cause you a problem? Do they tattoo the transcript onto your body or something?

Do you mean to say that if my university is not in Canada or the US then I don't need a transcript? I'm doing my master's at a european university. The LSAC page is not very clear on this matter for international students: http://www.lsac.org/jd/apply/cas-intern ... d-apps.asp

It says: "If all of your bachelor's-level work was completed outside the United States, its territories, or Canada, and you are NOT applying to a school that requires LSAC's authentication and evaluation, you need not register for the Credential Assembly Service (CAS) unless you wish to use the letter of recommendation, evaluation, or electronic application services."

But it doesn't say anything about master's degree transcripts.

Yep - there's conflicting info on the LSAC site. The page you linked to says " All non-US/Canadian transcripts with work greater than one academic year should be listed during registration for the Credential Assembly Service and sent to LSAC." But I think they're talking about undergraduate transcripts there, based on the checklist a little further down the page.

If you want the schools to which you're applying to see the work you've done toward your master's, I'd have a transcript submitted, but it doesn't sound like it's required.

[analytic_philosopher]

If you want the schools to which you're applying to see the work you've done toward your master's, I'd have a transcript submitted, but it doesn't sound like it's required.

I certainly do want the law schools to see the work I've done towards my master's but I would rather have one of my professors write a letter of recommendation about it and / or have my master's program director write a summary of the work I've done, rather than submit a transcript. Unless, of course, a transcript is required.

Anybody else have any idea if this is an actual requirement?

[cloudatlas]

Hi hi, so I thought I'd chime in because I've experienced a near-identical conundrum during this cycle - just started a 1-year Masters of Science at a British institute, and won't be able to produce transcripts until this summer thanks to the assessment model. After discussion with LSAC and a few schools, the best route seemed to be to have the school write a letter confirming my enrollment, detailing my coursework, and explaining the process of transcript timelines and degree conferral and when the law schools could expect to see those documents. I also included a short addendum explaining this. LSAC processed this and included it in my report under my "foreign institutions." This way I got full credit for my current and prospective MSc work, but wasn't dinged for the lack of transcripts.

Hope this helps in some way!