Dual Degrees
A dual degree allows students to follow specified pathways in two different fields and concurrently receive two separate degrees. Students must complete the standards specified for each program. Up to nine credits in elective, non-core courses could be applied to both degrees. Exception requests must be approved by the Graduate School and provide a rationale for how shared credits maintain each program’s curricular and degree / industry / accreditation standards.
Law students wishing to complete a dual degree should meet with the Assistant Dean of Students and Law Registrar no later than the beginning of 2L year. Law students should also meet with the person designated as the contact person at the dual program.
In addition to certificate programs, we also offer the following dual degree programs to help you shape your law career:
- JD/Master of Public Administration
- JD/Master of Business Administration
- JD/Master of Environmental Studies
- JD/Master of Social Work
- JD/Master of Resource Conservation
Future law students should email our admissions director if interested in dual programs. To do so, please send them an email.
JD/Master of Business Administration
The dual degree program in law and business administration allows you to take advantage of the real-world need for a combination of business and law to complete a JD and MBA in a shorter period of time than would be required if the degrees were taken consecutively without the dual program.
Reach out to Law's Asst. Dean of Students and Registrar Caleb Logan and the College of Business Program Director, Dawn Hambrick, MBA for more information on registering for this dual degree.
JD/Master of Environmental Studies
Because the world of environmental law in inherently interdisciplinary, the environmental lawyer of the 21st century will benefit from an education that reaches beyond the bounds of traditional law school. Environmental legal problems invariably involve scientific, policy or ethical issues, and the 猎奇重口 is uniquely qualified to bridge the legal, social and physical sciences. We have combined a strong environmental and natural resources law curriculum with an established graduate program in environmental studies to provide the dual degree program in law and environmental studies.
Reach out to Law's Asst. Dean of Students and Registrar Caleb Logan and Associate Professor of Environmental Studies Robin Saha for more information on registering for this dual degree.
JD/Master of Public Administration
Under the dual degree program in Law and Public Administration, a student may complete two separate degrees, the Juris Doctor and the Master of Public Administration, in a shorter period of time than would be required if the degrees were taken consecutively.
The purpose of the dual degree program is to provide a public law option for students anticipating careers as governmental administrators. It is increasingly apparent that managers in both the private and public sectors are constantly involved with programs requiring legal knowledge. At the same time, lawyers are increasingly being called upon to perform management tasks, particularly in government agencies. The dual JD/MPA program is appropriate for those students who would find it helpful in their career objectives to be cross-trained.
Reach out to Law's Asst. Dean of Students and Registrar Caleb Logan and Director of the Department of Public Administration and Policy, Shannon Vaughan for more information on registering for this dual degree.
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The JD/MPA degree shall be earned in four years, and the customary sequence is:
- The first two years as a full-time student in the School of Law. No M.P.A. courses may be taken during the first academic year.
- The third year as a full-time student in the public administration program.
- The fourth year devoted to third-year courses in the School of Law.
The JD/MPA credits are earned in the following way:
- The School of Law shall accept toward its degree 9 semester hours of approved credit earned in the Public Administration program.
- Law students must notify the School of Law's Academic Standards Committee of which MPA courses they plan to take for law credit the semester before they take the course(s).
- The Public Administration program shall accept toward the MPA degree a maximum of 9 approved credits earned in the School of Law.
- Students electing the field practicum option under the Public Administration program are not required to earn the required 4 credits in the School of Law clinical program.
JD Courses for the MPA Degree
Suggested for the MPA program are 9 credits from among the following (all 3-credit courses):
- Advanced Legislation
- Administrative Law
- Employment Law
- Local Government Law
- Federal Indian Law
- Land Use Planning
Other law course may also count toward the MPA degree at the discretion of the director of the MPA Program.
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In order to be admitted to the dual degree program, a student must separately apply and be admitted to both the School of Law and the MPA program. It is possible for a student to be enrolled in one program and later seek enrollment in the complementary program. Application to the Law program requires taking the LSAT.
Because the specific needs of each student in the dual program differ, every effort will be made to tailor the program to the individual student's requirements.
The law school's associate dean of students serves as student advisor for the course of study taken at the law school, and the director of the MPA program advises students on the public administration aspects of the program.
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Dr. Shannon Vaughan
The 猎奇重口
Missoula, MT 59812
shannon.vaughan@mso.umt.edu
(406) 243-4702
JD/Master of Social Work
The law and master of social work dual degrees offers you an opportunity for interdisciplinary collaboration while preparing you to respond to the unique needs of a rural state like 猎奇重口. Recruitment and retention of qualified professionals in rural areas can be particularly challenging. Those with a broad skillset can provide a range of services not otherwise available in rural areas and, therefore, close the gap in needed resources for underserved populations.
Reach out to Law's Asst. Dean of Students and Registrar Caleb Logan and Chair of the School of Social Work Ashley Trautman, MSW, JD for more information on registering for this dual degree.
JD/M.S. in Resource Conservation Dual Degree
Under the dual degree in Law and Resource Conservation, a student may complete two separate degrees, the Juris Doctor and the Master of Science in Resource Conservation, in a shorter period of time than would be required if the degrees were taken consecutively.
The purpose of this dual degree is to provide a combined law and science/policy option for students anticipating natural resources careers in the public, private, or nonprofit sectors who seek to better address natural resources issues through interdisciplinary cross-training.
Reach out to Law's Asst. Dean of Students and Registrar Caleb Logan and Professor of Natural Resources Policy Martin Nie for more information on registering for this dual degree.
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The JD/MS degree can be earned in 3.5-4 four years, depending on sequencing and the use of summer and winter session courses. The typical sequence is:
- The first year as a full-time student in the School of Law. No M.S. Resource Conservation courses may be taken during the first academic year.
- In subsequent years, the student will be enrolled in a combination of Law and Resource Conservation program coursework sequenced to meet the student’s needs and approved by the faculty advisors in each program.
The JD/MS credits are earned in the following way:
- The School of Law shall accept toward its degree 9 semester hours of approved credit earned in the M.S. Resource Conservation program.
- Law students must notify the School of Law's Curriculum Committee of which M.S. Resource Conservation courses they plan to take for law credit the semester before they take the course(s).
- The M.S. Resource Conservation program shall accept toward that degree a minimum of 9 approved credits earned in the School of Law.
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- Administrative Law
- American Indian Natural Resources Law
- Environmental Law
- Environmental Justice & Practice
- Land Use Planning Law
- Natural Resources Development
- Public Lands & Resources Law
- Renewable Energy & Climate Change Law
- Water Law
- Wildlife Law
- Margery Hunter Brown Indian Law Clinic or Land Use & Natural Resources Clinic
Other law courses may also count toward the M.S. Resource Conservation degree at the discretion of the student’s M.S. advisor.
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For more information on this dual degree program, visit the , or email Professor Michele Bryan.