Joint Degrees

GW offers joint degree programs for both JD and LLM degree students. If you are interested in one of the programs, you must apply separately to each school. Each school will independently review and accept applicants.

Joint Juris Doctor Programs

For JD candidates, the law school offers joint degree programs with five other schools within the University. For further information on these programs, please contact our Admissions Office at [email protected] or 202.994.7230.

School of Business

JD/Master of Business Administration (57 credits, 12 cross credits allowed from MBA to Law and 14 cross credits allowed from Law to MBA.)

 

Columbian College of Arts and Sciences

  • JD/MA: (36 credits, 12 cross credits to and from each program, except Women's, Gender, Sexuality Studies.) Three degrees possible: History (with a concentration in U.S. legal history);  Women's, Gender, Sexuality Studies (6 Law cross credits); Women's, Gender, Sexuality Studies (with a concentration in Public Policy) (6 Law cross credits).
  • JD/Master of Public Administration (40 credits, 12 cross credits to and from each program).
  • JD/Master of Public Policy (40 credits, 12 cross credits to and from each program).

Milken Institute of Public Health

  • JD/Master of Public Health (45 credits, 8 Law credits applied to MPH, 12 health credits apply to Law)
  • JD/Public Health Certificate (18 credits, 6 credits cross credits to and from each program)
Credits

After the first year of law study, the law school will allow joint degree students to count up to a maximum of 12 credit hours of coursework completed in a master’s program. These credits will count toward completion of the 84 credit hours required for the law degree of which 67 law credits must be for a letter grade. The grade of Credit (CR) or No Credit (NC) will be recorded on the Law School transcript for each master’s program course and a student must receive a grade of at least B- to receive a grade of Credit. Grades of Credit resulting from courses taken in other master’s programs will count toward the total of 17 credit hours under the Credit/No Credit option allowed after completing the first year of law school. (Note: students transferring into the GW Law program are limited to a maximum of 8 Credit/No Credits.) Under American Bar Association guidelines, 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 graduate program at the University for 3 credits. Online coursework offered by another GW school may not be undertaken by a law student for credit toward the law degree.

Registration Guidance

With the exception of the MBA program, which requires one year of exclusive residency and enrollment, joint degree students may enroll in a combination of law and master's level courses each semester after the first year of law study is complete. There are many employment and other advantages to beginning the joint degree program after the second year of law courses. Students may enroll in a minimum of 12 credits to be considered full-time, and a maximum of 17 credits per semester. Any combination of law and master's level credits is acceptable. Joint degree students may also be part-time (less than 12 total credits per semester).

Law school tuition rates govern, unless a joint degree student is enrolled exclusively in master's program courses. In such semesters or summer sessions, the graduate tuition rate will apply.

Graduation Requirements

The joint degrees must be conferred simultaneously and only after all requirements for both degrees have been met. The Records Office in consultation with Student Affairs will transfer 12 credits to the law school transcript in the final month before graduation. It is the responsibility of each joint degree student to ensure that grades from the final semester or summer of study are transferred to the law school for credit to qualify for graduation. Capstone projects, language requirements, and/or any other requirements must be fully met before the law degree will be conferred. Eligibility to sit for a state bar exam is usually contingent on completing the law degree, which will only occur when the master's degree requirements have also been fulfilled.

Financing the Degree

As a rule, law students are eligible for three years of financing through law school funds, or four years if a student is enrolled in the part-time program Check with the law school Office of Financial Aid for specific guidelines on funding available to joint degree students whose enrollment will exceed the established matriculation periods.

Joint Master of Laws/Master's Degree Programs and LLM Double-Degree Program

The law school offers two joint degree programs for LLM candidates and one LLM double-degree program. For further information on these programs, please contact our Graduate Admissions Office at [email protected].

University of Groningen, Netherlands

Two LLM degrees, Energy and Environmental Law LLM from GW Law and Energy and Climate Law LLM from the University of Groningen, may be earned in one year through this mutual exchange program.  

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 GW 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. For the double-degree program with the University of Groningen, students must complete at least 12 credit hours of work at GW Law and will be credited with 1 hour for every 2 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) earned at the University of Groningen in accordance with the other requirements of the program.