The opportunities for graduate study beyond a law degree are particularly rich at the University of Wisconsin. The UW Law School offers dual degree opportunities in conjunction with master's and doctoral programs on the campus. The Law School has established programs with:
- La Follette School of Public Affairs
- Wisconsin School of Business
- Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies Program
- Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies
- Department of Philosophy
- Department of Political Science
- Department of Sociology and Rural Sociology
- School of Library and Information Studies
A strong tradition of research at the UW and an environment that encourages interdisciplinary work support the dual degree programs. In addition, the Law School offers certificate programs that provide an opportunity for concentrated study, but do not involve an additional degree. Certificates are available in three subject areas: Environmental Law, Russian Area Studies, and International Law and Business.
A dual degree is not a joint degree or a double degree. A dual degree is two separate degrees, one of which is granted by a graduate department or school and one of which is granted by the Law School. In most instances, completing the requirements for a master's degree and a J.D. will add about a year of study to the three years that it usually takes to complete law school and saves approximately one year of study compared to attaining both degrees separately. A combination of a J.D. and a Ph.D. will take considerably longer. The mechanism for reducing the time for each degree is the permission to "double count" some courses taken for the J.D. degree toward the master's or Ph.D. degree and vice versa.
In addition, the Law School is committed to helping students create individual programs that combine law and related fields of study. Students wanting to combine a J.D. with a master's or doctoral degree not already approved in the Law School Rules (listed above) must receive permission for their programs from a faculty committee. Lastly, the Law School has adopted a general regulation to facilitate dual J.D./Ph.D. programs in fields where no established dual degree program currently exists. That rule allows the Law School to grant a semester of advanced standing to students in such programs if certain standards are met.
General requirements
Dual degree candidates must apply to and be admitted by each school or department separately. Students apply to both the Graduate School and the particular department, and to the Law School. Final admission to graduate programs is approved by the Graduate School; the Law School makes its decision separately.
Dual degree students must be enrolled in both programs concurrently
at some point in their career. Generally, students need not apply and
be admitted to both programs in the same year. However, some departments
or schools may require that students be admitted to both for the same
academic year; therefore, it is essential that applicants familiarize
themselves with the admission and dual degree requirements of both the
Law School and the proposed dual degree department when considering a
dual degree program. Note that students earning dual degrees usually will
not graduate with the law class with which they matriculated. Only those
dual-degree students who completed at least a year in the non-law program
before starting law school will graduate with their first-year classmates. To receive dual degrees, students must satisfy all of the requirements
for each degree.
Once the student is admitted to both programs, the student should pay a "blended rate"of tuition and fees for every semester as a dual degree student. The rate is between the rate for Law School and the Graduate School department or other school (the other program). The students pay this rate for all semesters, regardless of whether they are taking all Law classes, all classes in the other program or a combination of both. For this reason, students admitted to a second department should notify Mike Hall, Director of Student Life, for assistance in getting the correct tuition and fees assessed.
How Dual Degrees Affect Earning the J.D. Degree
Students earning dual degrees must satisfy the same subject area
requirements
as all other law students seeking the J.D. degree and Diploma Privilege
(the ability to waive taking the Wisconsin State Bar Examination before
practicing law in Wisconsin). Likewise, dual degree students must earn
a total of 90 credits, including up to 30 elective law credits.
However,
dual degree students may count 15 credits from their other degree
program
as law electives. The Law School will accept any 15 graduate credits
from
the outside program in which the student earned a B or better. The
outside
program, however, usually specifies in advance which law courses count
toward the master's or doctoral degree and will "double count"
only those courses. In the dual degree program with the Business
School, students may need more than 75 Law School credits in order to
meet the requirements for the J.D. degree with diploma privilege and
satisfy Business School requirements.
The following diagram demonstrates how a dual degree student who begins as a Law student might complete a J.D. and a master's degree in four years. Note that this order is not required. From the Law School's perspective, students may begin course work in the "Other Program" before or after the first year in law school. Once dual degree students begin taking law courses, they must complete the first-year course sequence of 32 credits within two academic years, starting in a fall semester. Students are strongly advised to complete the first-year of Law School as full-time students in one academic year.
|
YEARS
|
Semester 1
|
Semester 2
|
TOTAL CREDITS FOR J.D.
|
|
Year 1
|
16 credits of law
|
16 credits of law
|
32
|
|
Year 2
|
3 credits of law while taking credits
in Other Program
|
3 credits of law while taking credits in Other Program
| 38 |
|
Year 3
|
12 credits
of law while taking credits in Other Program
|
12 credits of
law while taking credits in Other Program
| 62 |
|
Year 4
|
13 credits of law
|
credits
in Other Program
|
75*
|
* The dual degree student in this example completes
75 law credits (including the specific and 60-hour subject requirements) and adds 15 credits
from the other program to meet the requirement for 90 credits
for the J.D. degree. These 15 credits from the other department substitute
for 15 elective law credits that otherwise would have been required.
Dual degree students combining J.D. and master's degrees will receive the J.D. (and this transfer of credits) only when both programs are complete. In dual J.D./Ph.D. programs, the transfer of outside credits may occur earlier than the completion of the doctoral degree. A dual degree student who does not finish the other degree will only be able to count 6 outside graduate credits toward the J.D. degree.
Once the student is admitted to both programs, the student should pay a "blended rate" of tuition and fees for every semester as a dual degree. The rate is between the rate for Law School and the Graduate School department or other school (the Other Program). The student pays the this rate for all semesters, regardless of whether he/she is taking all Law classes, all classes in the Other Program, or a combination of both. For this reason, students admitted to a second department should notify Mike Hall, Director of Student Life, for assistance in getting the correct tuition and fees assessed.
