Academic Programs
Joint Degree Programs
GW offers joint degree programs for both J.D. and LL.M. degree students.
Joint Juris Doctor/Master's Degree Programs
For J.D. candidates, the Law School offers joint degree programs with four other schools of the University:
- School of Business
JD/Master of Business Administration
- Columbian College of Arts and Sciences
JD/Master of Arts in the field of history with a concentration in U.S. legal history; in the field of women's studies; in the field of public policy with a concentration in women's studies; JD/Master of Public Administration; and JD/Master of Public Policy.
- Elliott School of International Affairs
JD/Master of Arts in the fields of international affairs; international development studies; international trade and investment policy; science, technology, and public policy; security policy studies; Asian studies; European and Eurasian studies; and Latin American studies.
- School of Public Health and Health Services
JD/Master of Public Health. Master of Public Health (with specialty tracks in Administrative Medicine, Environmental-Occupational Health, Epidemiology-Biostatistics, Health Promotion-Disease Prevention, and International Health).
Students must be admitted to both the Law School and, separately, to the school that will confer the master's degree. Each school must separately approve a student's application to pursue a joint degree program. Students can normally complete the two degrees in four years of full-time study. The joint degrees must be conferred simultaneously and only after all requirements for both degrees have been met.
Once a student has been admitted to both schools as a joint degree candidate, the first year of study must be devoted exclusively to the prescribed law curriculum. After the first year of law studies, the Law School will allow 12 credit hours of course work completed in the master's program to count toward completion of the 84 credit hours required for the law degree. The grade of CR (Credit) or NC (No Credit) will be recorded for such courses; a student must receive a grade of at least B- to receive a grade of Credit. Grades of Credit and No Credit resulting from courses taken in other GW schools will count toward the total of 17 hours allowed under the Credit/No Credit option. Law students receive 1 credit hour for each 700 minutes of scheduled class time in a semester; therefore, a law student may in some cases earn only 2 credits for a course offered by another school of the University for 3 credits.
Joint Master of Laws/Master's Degree Programs
The Law School offers two joint degree programs for LLM candidates.
Students must be admitted to both the Law School and, separately, to the school that will confer the other master's degree. Each school must separately approve a student's application to pursue a joint degree program. The joint degrees must be conferred simultaneously and only after all requirements for both degrees have been met.
The Law School will allow 6 credit hours of work completed in the other master's program to count toward completion of the 24 credit hours required for the LLM degree. The grade of CR (Credit) or NC (No Credit) will be recorded for such courses; a student must receive a grade of at least B- to receive a grade of Credit. Law students receive 1 credit hour for each 700 minutes of scheduled class time in a semester; therefore, a law student may in some cases earn only 2 credits for a course offered by another school of the University for 3 credits.
A number of other regulations govern the joint degree programs. Students interested in entering one of these programs should consult with the appropriate admissions office.