J.D. Combination Degree

Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration 

Application

Apply and be admitted to each program.  (Admission to one program will not affect admission to the other.)

If you are initially accepted to both schools, you can start your program at either, but you must make the choice and inform both schools of your decision by May 15. Do so by contacting each school’s Associate Dean or Director of Admissions.

You may also apply for a combined degree after you’ve become a law student. If you’re accepted into the other program, then contact the Law School’s Associate Dean of Administration and the other program’s Director of Admission by May 15.

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Plan of Study

  • Start at either program - during the first year of each, you’ll only take courses in that program.  You must complete the first year of one before you move to the other program.
  • You’ll take a combination of law and business courses in your final two years.
  • If a course is cross-listed law/business, you must declare to which program the credits will belong at the time you register in the course.  Under no circumstance may you move the course from law to business or business to law after the exam period for the term you are taking the course begins.
  • If the course is not cross-listed please declare to the Law School registrar upon registration to which degree the course will belong.
  • Regardless of where you are taking classes, you’ll always retain the rights of a student at each school.

Degree Requirements

  • Earn 75 law credits.
    • You may not apply non-law credit hours to your law degree.
    • 65 of your credits for graduation must be in William & Mary Law School courses graded by a letter grade (ie, A, B, C).
  • Complete the first- and second-year Law School course requirements.
  • Earn a minimum cumulative law GPA of 2.5 at the end of the first term of legal study. A student who has not achieved a 2.5 cumulative GPA at the end of the first year of legal study will be dismissed for academic deficiency.
    • To be able to continue in residence at the Law School as a 2L or 3L, a student must maintain a term and cumulative grade point average of 2.3.
  • Comply with all M.B.A. requirements:
    • 48 business hours
    • All other degree requirements
    • Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75
  • The total credit hour requirement for the J.D./M.B.A. is 123 credits

Tuition and Fees for the JD/MBA

  • Pay tuition and fees at the Law School rate for two and a half years (five semesters).
  • Pay tuition and fees at the Business School rate for one and a half years (three semesters) - typically the first three semesters of MBA study.

Financial Assistance for the JD/MBA

  • If eligible, students can be considered for available scholarship funds at either school.
  • If eligible, students can receive up to five semesters of Law School-administered aid.
  • If students receive Law School scholarship funds or aid, they are not available during the three semesters students are paying tuition to the Business School.
  • Educational loan applications are processed by the Office of Student Financial Aid for William & Mary.

Juris Doctor/Master of Public Policy 

Application

Apply and be admitted to each program. (Admission to one program will not affect admission to the other.)

If you are initially accepted to both schools, you can start your program at either, but you need to make the choice and tell both schools about it by May 15. Do that by contacting each school’s Associate Dean or Director of Admissions.
You can also decide to apply for a combined degree after you’ve become a law student. If you are accepted into the other program, then contact the Law School’s Associate Dean of Administration and the other program’s Director of Admission by May 15.
Contact us

Plan of Study

  • Start at either program - if you start at the Law School, you will take only law courses your first year.  If you start in the Policy Program, you will only take policy courses.
  • You will take a combination of law and policy courses in your final two years.
  • You must declare your intentions  regarding Law classes that you plan to count toward your policy degree and this must be done at the time of registration.
  • You must register in the Policy cross-listed number (if the course is listed as either Law or Policy) when you intend to apply the credits and grade to the Policy degree.
  • If the course is not cross-listed, for instance the PUBP 600 option, then we need to manually code your registration as Grad A&S in the Law course.
  • Regardless of where you are taking classes, you’ll always retain the rights of a student at each school.

Degree Requirements

  • Earn 75 law credits.
    • You may not apply non-law credit hours to your law degree.
    • 65 of your credits for graduation must be in William & Mary Law School courses graded by a letter grade (i.e., A, B, C).
  • Complete the first- and second-year Law School course requirements.
  • Earn a minimum cumulative law GPA of 2.5 at the end of the first term of legal study. A student who has not achieved a 2.5 cumulative GPA at the end of the first year of legal study will be dismissed for academic deficiency.
    • To be able to continue in residence at the Law School as a 2L or 3L, a student must maintain a term and cumulative grade point average of 2.3.
  • Comply with all M.P.P. requirements:
    • 36 Policy hours
    • All other degree requirements
    • Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0
    • The total credit requirement for the J.D./M.P.P. degree is 111 credits

Tuition and Fees for the JD/MPP

  • Pay tuition and fees at the Law School rate for two years (four semesters).
  • Pay tuition and fees at the Public Policy rate for one year (two semesters) - typically the first two semesters of MPP study.

Financial Assistance for the JD/MPP

  • If eligible, students can be considered for available scholarship funds at either school.
  • If eligible, students can receive up to five semesters of Law School-administered aid. 
  • If students receive Law School scholarship funds or aid, they are not available during the two semesters students are paying tuition to Public Policy.
  • Educational loan applications are processed by the Office of Student Financial Aid for William & Mary.

Juris Doctor/Master of Arts 

Application

Apply and be admitted to each program (admission to one program will not affect admission to the other).

Typically, students in the combined program are already William & Mary JD students at the time of application to the M.A. program. So, if you are accepted to the M.A. program and plan to attend, you will need to tell the Law School’s Associate Dean of Administration by May 15. If you are accepted to the combined program simultaneously, inform the Admission Deans of both programs and you will begin the combined program at the Law School.
   
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Plan of Study

  • The first year is taken in the Law School. The first-year curriculum must be completed prior to beginning the other program. 
  • In the remaining two to three years, you will take courses in both programs. Typically, some of your elective law courses will complement the nature of your work in American Studies and your joint degree will be truly integrated in nature.

Degree Requirements

  • Earn 80 law credits.
    • 6 specified (AS 551 and one elective) non-law credit hours will be applied to the law degree.
    • 65 credits must be by a William & Mary Law School course graded by letter grade (i.e., A, B, C).
  • Complete the first- and second-year Law School course requirements.
  • Satisfy the Law School Major Paper Requirement.
  • Earn a minimum cumulative law GPA of 2.5 at the end of the first term of legal study. A student who has not achieved a 2.5 cumulative GPA at the end of the first year of legal study will be dismissed for academic deficiency.
    • To be able to continue in residence at the Law School as a 2L or 3L, a student must maintain a term and cumulative grade point average of 2.3.
  • Comply with all M.A. in American Studies requirements
    • 30 M.A. hours including 6 credits of thesis
    • All other degree requirements including:
      • A thesis
      •  AS 551 and 5 elective courses
  • The total credit hour requirement for the J.D./M.A. is 110 credits total.

​Tuition and Fees for the JD/MA

  • You will pay tuition and fees at the Law School rate for three years.
  • You will pay tuition and fees at the Graduate Arts & Sciences rate for any remaining term needed to complete the M.A. degree.

Financial Assistance for the JD/MA

  • If you’re eligible, you can be considered for available scholarship funds at either school. 
  • If you’re eligible, you can receive up to three years of Law School-administered aid. 
  • If you receive Law School scholarship funds or aid, they are not available during the year you’re paying tuition to the other program.
  • Educational loan applications are processed by the Office of Student Financial Aid for William & Mary.