Earn your J.D. and your Master of Public Administration with 18-21 fewer credits than would be required to earn the two degrees independently.
This dual-degree option is an opportunity to develop skills for managerial and legal positions in federal, state or local government agencies as well as in nonprofit or quasi-governmental organizations. You can earn both degrees concurrently by completing all required courses over a three- to four-year period.
How it works:
- You'll complete a minimum of 78 credits in the law school and a minimum of 30 credits in the M.P.A. program.
- The UBalt School of Law recognizes 9 credits of the M.P.A. requirements as transferable to its program (or 6 credits if the degrees are not completed within the same academic year), and the College of Public Affairs reciprocally allows the transfer of up to 12 credits of law school courses to satisfy coursework requirements in the M.P.A. program. Specifically, the M.P.A. program agrees to waive PUAD 627: Legal and Ethical Environment of Public Administration for students in the dual-degree program as well as 9 specialization credit hours.
- You'll begin master’s program work during the summer preceding enrollment in the law school or during the summer after finishing the first year of law school, but you can't take courses within the master’s program during the fall and spring semesters of the first year of law school.
Applying and admission:
- Apply to and meet the admission standards of both the School of Law and the Master of Public Administration program separately:
- You can apply to the dual-degree program after having enrolled in either the J.D. or the M.P.A. program; however, to obtain the full benefit of credit sharing, Master of Public Administration students should enter the law school program no later than after the completion of 15 credits in the M.P.A. program.
For more information, see the Juris Doctor/Master of Public Administration (J.D./M.P.A.) section in the UBalt Graduate Catalog.
If you're interested in applying, contact:
- Jeffrey Zavrotny, assistant dean, School of Law
- Joseph Adler, director, Master of Public Administration.