Overview

The UW Law School offers dual degree opportunities in conjunction with a number of graduate programs across campus. These agreements allow students to apply credits earned for one degree toward the other degree, reducing the overall time to earn both degrees. Law students are permitted to begin a second degree either before or during their law career, however, Law School Rule 3.05 applies.

Students earning dual degrees must satisfy the same JD and Diploma Privilege requirements as other law students. However, no more than 15 credits of dual degree coursework graded B or better may be applied to reach the 90-credit total required to earn the JD. In most instances, completing a JD and a master’s degree will add about a year of study to the three years it usually takes to complete law school and saves approximately one year of study compared to attaining both degrees separately. Adding a PhD to the JD will also lengthen the time to earn both degrees.

Application & Admission

Dual degree candidates must apply and be admitted to the Law School and the dual degree program separately but are not necessarily required to do so in the same year. It is essential that applicants familiarize themselves with the admission requirements for both the Law School and the proposed dual degree program.

Once dual degree students begin taking Law courses, they must complete the first-year course sequence of 30 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 taking Law courses exclusively.

Tuition

Students must be enrolled in both programs concurrently at some point in their career in order to qualify for the "blended rate" of tuition and fees. This rate is assessed for each semester dual degree students enroll, regardless of whether they are taking all Law classes, all classes in the other program, or a combination of both. For this reason, Law students admitted to a second degree program should notify Academic Advisor Angela Nash for assistance in getting the correct tuition and fees assessed.

The exception to this policy is the Master of Public Health (MPH) dual degree which follows a "step out" model.  Semester by semester, students must decide which program they will enroll in and pay that program's tuition rate accordingly. Students are required to matriculate in the Law School for at least 5 semesters and the MPH program for at least 2 semesters. For this reason, students admitted to the MPH program should work with Academic Advisor Angela Nash and Faculty Advisor Sarah Davis to plan their program.

Program Partnerships