J.D./M.A.L.A.S.
Juris Doctor/Master of the Arts in Latin American Studies
J.D./M.A.L.A.S. degree candidates must satisfactorily complete course requirements for both the J.D. and M.A.L.A.S. degrees. In addition to the J.D. and M.A.L.A.S. degrees, a Joint Program Certificate will be awarded upon satisfactory completion of the program. Students undertake a four-year course of study comprising a minimum of 109 academic credits (79 Law Center credits and 30 credits of M.A.L.A.S. courses, with 6). Six credits of J.D. coursework will satisfy counted toward the M.A.L.A.S. degree requirements and 6 credits of M.A.L.A.S. coursework will satisfy counted toward the J.D.). requirements. Candidates for this joint degree must meet the graduation requirements of both programs, including the Law Center Residency Requirement (see the Juris Doctor Program chapter of this Bulletin) and satisfy the academic standards of the two programs: maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.00/4.00 in their M.A.L.A.S. program and the required minimum cumulative grade point average for the J.D. program (see the Juris Doctor Program chapter of this Bulletin), demonstrate advanced foreign language ability through successful completion of a Spanish or Portuguese oral proficiency examination, and successfully complete the written comprehensive examination of the M.A.L.A.S. Program.
Curriculum Outline
• 24 credits of M.A.L.A.S. course work, ordinarily taken in the first or second years of the joint program;
• 6 credits of additional M.A.L.A.S. coursework, in the second, third, and/or fourth years or during a Summer session;
• 31 credits of the required first-year law program, ordinarily taken in the first or second years of the joint program;
• 32 credits in further law courses including Professional Responsibility and successful completion of the legal writing requirement. These courses are distributed among the third and fourth years; and
• 16 credits in international law courses including: 3 credits in the required course International Law I: Introduction to International Law; and 13 credits in further international law courses at least 6 of which should focus on Latin America. These courses are taken in the third and fourth years of the joint program.
