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Dual-Degree Programs

Virginia offers several dual-degree options in conjunction with other graduate divisions of the University and three external graduate programs. Students enrolled in dual-degree programs must file required documents with the Student Records Office.

 

GENERAL GUIDELINES

Credit for Courses Taken Before Enrollment as a J.D. Candidate No credit is granted to any student, except transfer students (more on program rules for transfers), for any academic work completed prior to enrollment as a J.D. candidate, including law courses in the Law School and graduate courses in schools and departments at the University of Virginia with which the Law School maintains dual-degree programs.

Limited Enrollment While in residence and enrolled in the Law School, no student may be simultaneously enrolled in courses as part of a degree-granting program or otherwise at another institution without prior approval by the curriculum committee.

Documentation for Dual-Degree Programs Students must present documentation indicating acceptance into a dual-degree program to the Student Records Office. During one semester of their tenure in the School of Law, students must be registered in the school in which the second degree will be obtained. The Student Records Office must be informed of the semester in which the student will be enrolled in the other school.
 

J.D.-M.A. PROGRAMS

The Law School offers programs in conjunction with the University’s Graduate School of Arts & Sciences that lead to the J.D. and the Master of Arts degrees. You may apply for admission to receive the M.A. in English, history, philosophy or government and foreign affairs. You must be admitted separately to both the Law School and the program of your choice in the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, and credits may be double-counted toward your degree, depending on the program.

J.D.-M.B.A. PROGRAM

The Law School offers a dual-degree program with the Darden School of Business that leads to the J.D. and the M.B.A. degrees in four years, instead of the five required if each degree were pursued independently. Candidates must be admitted separately to both the Law School and the Darden School. No students are admitted to the joint program after completing the first year of either Law or Darden, although application to one school may be made by a first-year student at the other. After successfully completing the first-year program of each school, students are required to earn 32 credits per year for the next two years by taking courses from the curricula of the two schools concurrently. Details

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact the Law School admissions office at (434) 924-7351 and the Darden School admissions office at (434) 924-7281. For information about the course of study in the J.D./M.B.A. program, contact Law School faculty advisor George Geis.
 

J.D.-M.P.H. (PUBLIC HEALTH) PROGRAM

Instituted in 2003 by the Law School, School of Medicine, and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the J.D.-M.P.H. Program requires students to be admitted separately to the Law School and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Students may seek admission to the Graduate School and initiate the dual-degree program after beginning Law School. Up to 12 credits in the Graduate School may count towards your J.D. and up to 9 credits from the Law School may count toward your M.P.H. No more than 12 credits may be applied toward both degrees. Details

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Professors Richard J. Bonnie (e-mail rbonnie@virginia.edu or call (434) 924-4764)
 

J.D.-M.P.P. (Master's of public policy) PROGRAM

The Law School and the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy (the Batten School) offer a dual-degree program in which a student may obtain both the Juris Doctor (J.D.) and Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) in four years instead of the five years that would be required if each were taken separately. The program is designed to accommodate the interests of students who desire to gain expertise and receive degrees in both Law (J.D.) and Public Policy (M.P.P.). (Details | More on the launch of the program)

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Professors Richard J. Bonnie (e-mail rbonnie@virginia.edu or call (434) 924-4764) or David Breneman.

J.D.-M.S. (ACCOUNTING) PROGRAM

The School of Law and the McIntire School of Commerce offer a dual-degree program that allows a participating student to earn both the J.D. and the M.S. in accounting degrees in seven semesters instead of the eight that would normally be required if the degrees were earned separately. Dual-degree candidates must secure admission to each school through the regular admissions process.

After completing the first year of law school, dual-degree students are free to take courses from both the Law School and the McIntire School as their schedules permit; however, students must meet all of the requirements specified by the respective schools. Students may earn up to 12 of the 86 credit hours required for the J.D. degree by successfully completing approved graduate-level work in the McIntire School. Similarly, students may earn up to six of the 30 credit hours required for the M.S. degree by successfully completing courses in the Law School.

As a general principle, the McIntire School will accept any law course as long as it does not duplicate knowledge that the student received at the McIntire School or prior to admission (e.g., basic business law). Likewise, the Law School will accept any graduate accounting course as long as it does not duplicate knowledge that the student received at the Law School or prior to admission (e.g., basic tax). As a control factor, students in the joint program must get courses approved by their Law School and McIntire School faculty advisors.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Law School faculty advisor Thomas R. White III.
 

J.D.-M.U.E.P. PROGRAM

The Law School offers a program with the Department of Urban and Environmental Planning of the School of Architecture, in which the student may earn both the degrees of Master of Urban and Environmental Planning (M.U.E.P.) and the J.D. in four years’ time. This program is similar in format to the J.D.-M.B.A. program: A student must be independently admitted both to the Law School and to the Architecture School's Department of Planning. The student enrolls for two semesters in the Architecture School program and six semesters at the Law School. Twelve credits earned in planning courses may be counted toward the J.D., and 20 credits earned in Law School courses may be counted toward the M.U.E.P.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Write to Daphne Spain, Chair, Department of Urban and Environmental Planning, School of Architecture, Campbell Hall, P.O. Box 400122, Charlottesville VA 22904-4122. The Law School faculty advisor for this program is Professor Thomas R. White III.
 

J.D.-Master's in Economic Law at Sciences Po (Paris)

The Law School offers rising third-year students the opportunity to obtain a dual degree from Sciences Po in Paris. Students who successfully complete this program earn 27 transfer credits, two residency semesters, a French law diploma (entitling them to sit for the French bar exam) and a J.D. degree from Virginia. Interested students should consult the Sciences Po website.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Law School faculty advisor Paul Stephan.
 

EXTERNAL dual-degree PROGRAMS IN PUBLIC INTERNATIONAL LAW

The Law School does not maintain formal dual-degree programs with schools in other universities. However, for a student who is admitted independently both to the Law School and to one of the following three schools, the Law School will approve a dual degree for the study of public international law on application by the student:

Students begin the program by attending a year at either Virginia or the other school. However, only after completion of the first year of Law School, consisting of all required credits and two semesters of residence, may credits earned at the other school be applied to the J.D. Students who successfully complete the program may apply up to 14 semester hours of credit and one semester of residence credit from the other school toward the J.D. Details of the requirements at Princeton, Tufts and Johns Hopkins must be obtained from those schools, as the programs are administered independently. You must have a faculty advisor at the other school who approves your degree curriculum.

The Law School faculty advisor for a public international law dual degree is Professor John Norton Moore. Professor Moore's permission is required in order to pursue one of the above degree programs. Transfer students and students who visit at another school for their third year are not eligible.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Law School Professor John Norton Moore.
 

Juris Doctor (J.D.) I Master of Laws (LL.M.)
Doctor of Judicial Science (S.J.D.) I Joint Degree Programs