Admission

Students would be required to apply to both the Law School and the Graduate School and indicate that they are to be admitted to the joint MPA/JD track. This admission would be determined by the Director of the M.P.A. Program and the Dean of the Law School or their designees. Acceptance to the joint program track would require a minimum overall undergraduate g.p.a. of 3.00 or a g.p.a. of 3.25 in the last two academic years.

Sample Curriculum Plan

Year One - Law School
Year Two - Law School w/two MPA courses*
Year Three - Law School w/two MPA courses
Year Four - Six MPA courses + Independent Study

or

Year One - Seven MPA courses
Year Two - Law School
Year Three - Law School w/two MPA courses*
Year Four - Law School w/one MPA course + Independent Study

*2 MPA course requirements could be met with law courses as cognates.

Six credits (approved by the Law School) from the MPA Program would count toward the Law degree. Six of the 32 required credits in the MPA Program could be law courses to be used as a cognate for the MPA degree (with the approval of the department and the Dean of the Graduate School).

The total credits required for each degree would be unchanged because each program would accept six credits being used toward the other degree. This would save the student one semester (12 credits) and make the program more appealing.

Normally the joint program will be complete in only four years. With summer school classes it may be possible to obtain both degrees even more quickly. Students must be enrolled in the Law School for at least three years; therefore, students wishing to receive both degrees in less than four years should enroll first in the Law School.

Below is a list of Law School courses which could be used as cognates in the MPA Program and MPA courses which could be used as electives in the JD Program.

Joint MPA/JD Complementary Courses

LAW

LAW 150 Constitutional Law I
LAW 152 Constitutional Law II
LAW 201 Agriculture Law
LAW 203 Employment Discrimination Law
LAW 206 Law of Politics
LAW 210 Administrative Law
LAW 263 Environmental Law
LAW 277 Land Use Planning
LAW 281 Legislation
LAW 289 State & Local Government Law
LAW 291 Poverty Law
LAW 291 Civil Rights
LAW 291 State Constitutional Law

Or other courses with the approval of MPA Advisor or Graduate Director.

Political Science and Public Administration

POLS 308 Intergovernmental Relations
POLS 404 Urban Politics and Administration
POLS 405 Political Behavior
POLS 502 Problems in State and Local Government
POLS 508 Legislative Executive Process
POLS 531 Public Administration
POLS 532 Public Policy
POLS 535 Public Organizations
POLS 536 Public Personnel Administration
POLS 538 Public Budgeting and Financial Management
POLS 539 Administrative Law

Or other courses with the approval of the Dean of the Law School.