Law and Public Policy, MPP/JD

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A combined law and public policy program is available in which the student may obtain both a master’s degree (M.P.P.) and a J.D. degree in four years, instead of the five years that would be required if each degree were pursued separately. Candidates interested in this joint degree program must apply to and gain acceptance by both the School of Law and The Thomas Jefferson Program in Public Policy.

Degree Requirements for the Degree of Master of Public Policy

(See general College requirements in the section entitled ‘Graduate Regulations ’.)

The master of public policy (M.P.P.) degree program is a two-year, full-time, residential program requiring forty-nine hours of course credit. Students accepted for the degrees of MPP/JD, MPP/MBA, MPP/MS in Marine Science, MPP/PhD in Marine Science, or MPP/MS in Computational Operations Research are required to have thirty-seven hours of MPP course credit.

The following core courses are required:

Internship:

Students are required to complete an internship (at least 10 weeks of full-time employment) in the summer after their first year of the program.

Additional Requirements:

In addition to the core, students in the MPP degree program are required to take 20 credit hours of electives, including a minimum of five 3-credit electives, at least one of which must be a 3-credit program approved School of Law course. Students accepted for the degrees of MPP/JD, MPP/MBA, MPP/MS in Marine Science, MPP/PhD in Marine Science, or MPP/MS in Computational Operations Research are required to take a minimum of 9 credit hours of electives, at least one of which must be a 3-credit program approved School of Law course. Law courses are second year electives. Students may pursue one of the suggested areas of emphasis below or an alternative set of courses developed with consent of the Director. Students must petition the curriculum committee for approval of alternative electives. Areas of emphasis include education policy, environmental policy, health care policy, international trade, regulatory policy, and state and local policy.