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#Joint - Dual Degree Programs

Joint Dual Degree Programs

Law students have or are currently pursuing concurrent or joint degrees in Business, Public Policy, Religious Studies, International Relations, Computer Science, Linguistics, and Economics. Students interested in applying to another program in the University should speak with the Dean of Students or the Associate Director of Student Affairs about the application process and transfer of joint or dual degree credits. In addition, any students interested in pursuing a joint or dual degree should review the Joint and Dual Degree Handbook.

Joint Degree Programs

The Law School participates with several other areas of the University in formal joint degree programs. These programs have specific admission requirements and candidates are able to count coursework in each area toward the academic requirements in the other area, thus reducing the time and expense involved in earning both degrees. The Law School has formal joint degree programs with the Booth School of Business (both M.B.A. and Ph.D. degrees), the Harris School of Public Policy (M.P.P.), and the Divinity School (M.Div.). Students pursuing joint J.D. and Masters’ degrees may, with the approval of the Law School Dean of Students, count up to 12 credits of coursework outside the Law School toward the J.D. degree. The admission and degree requirements for these programs are available from the Law School Admissions Office.

Concurrent J.D./Masters’ Degree Programs

Law students have or are currently pursuing concurrent degrees in International Relations, Computer Science, Linguistics, and Economics. Students pursuing concurrent J.D. and Masters’ degrees may, with the approval of the Law School Dean of Students, count up to 12 credits of coursework outside the Law School toward the J.D. degree.

Concurrent J.D./Ph.D. Programs

Although there currently are no formal joint J.D./Ph.D. degree programs with other areas of the University (with the exception of the J.D./Ph.D. in Business), candidates who wish to earn the J.D. in the Law School and a Ph.D. concurrently in another area of the University have found ways to facilitate and expedite a dual course of study.

Students who are enrolled in concurrent J.D. and Ph.D. programs at the University of Chicago can count up to 25 credits earned outside the Law School towards their J.D. degrees. This credit would only be awarded for graduate coursework undertaken in a Ph.D. program at the University of Chicago, only for coursework undertaken after a student has matriculated at the Law School, and only for coursework approved by the Deputy Dean in consultation with the Dean of Students. This benefit is limited to students who do complete both degrees. Students who have not earned a Ph.D. by the time they receive their J.D. therefore may apply no more than 12 credits earned outside the Law School towards their J.D. degrees. Students who began their studies in a Ph.D. program before matriculating at the Law School are eligible to count up to 25 credits earned outside the Law School toward their J.D. degrees only if they have matriculated at the Law School within three years of beginning their Ph.D. programs. [1]

Students in J.D./Ph.D. programs who began their law studies at the Law School would need to complete at least 80 credits of coursework at the Law School to obtain their J.D.s. These 80 credits could be earned during two years of intensive study at the Law School. All J.D./Ph.D. students who transferred to the Law School from another school must earn at least 90 credits at the Law School to obtain their J.D. As of the time of this rule’s adoption in 2012, any J.D./Ph.D. students planning to seek admission to the New York Bar must earn 90 credits at the Law School because of that state bar’s rules for admission. J.D./Ph.D. students planning to practice outside New York should research the rules of the state bar to which they are hoping to be admitted. In addition, any student wishing to pursue a J.D./Ph.D. must keep in mind that American Bar Association rules require all J.D. degrees to be completed within 84 months of a student’s matriculation to law school.

The Law School is flexible in giving students leaves of absence so that they may register full-time in other areas of the University, so long as such a leave will not prevent the student from finishing the J.D. within the ABA’s 84-month time limit. In particular, J.D. candidates working concurrently on Ph.D. dissertations with a law-related component have found that their studies in the Law School may enable them to complete their dissertations in a shorter time than other Ph.D. students.

Graduate Program in Health Administration and Policy

In addition, the Law School has joined several other professional schools on campus (Booth, SSA, and Public Policy) and now offers law students an opportunity to earn a Certificate in Health Administration and Policy (GPHAP) or a Certificate in Health Administration and Policy with a Concentration in Global Health while simultaneously obtaining a J.D.

The GPHAP is a certificate program designed to train and prepare future leaders in health care administration, and it draws together students and faculty from various fields for the purpose of providing students with deep interdisciplinary training in policy, management, finance, and social service delivery.

Students admitted to the program must take four classes (two required and two elective), complete a supervised practicum, and attend three health-related workshops, seminars, lectures, or GPHAP special events offered on campus each quarter and must provide a short synopsis of each event attended.

Any law student interested in the program must apply at the beginning of their second year of law school. For additional information on the GPHAP program please go to https://ssa.uchicago.edu/gphap .

[1] This credit would only be awarded for graduate coursework undertaken after a student has matriculated at the Law School.