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JURIS DOCTOR/MASTER OF SCIENCE IN FOREIGN SERVICE


J.D./M.S.F.S. degree candidates must satisfactorily complete course requirements for both the J.D. and M.S.F.S. degrees. In addition to the J.D. and M.S.F.S. degrees, a Joint Program Certificate will be awarded upon satisfactory completion of the program.

The J.D./M.S.F.S. program requires completion of 115* academic credits (76* credits in law and 39 credits in M.S.F.S. courses with 9 credits of M.S.F.S. course work counted toward the J.D.), satisfactory performance on the M.S.F.S. oral proficiency examination in a foreign language and the M.S.F.S. oral examinations, and maintenance of a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00.

The required 115* J.D./M.S.F.S. academic credits are distributed as follows:

  • 31 credits in the required first-year law curriculum*;
  • 15 credits of core M.S.F.S. courses taken during the first year: International Trade; International Finance; Globalization of Intersocietal Relations; International Relations: Theory and Practice; and Analytical and Statistical Skills;
  • 21 credits in M.S.F.S. electives related to one of four broad divisional concentrations: International Relations & Security; International Business; International Development; or a self-designed concentration (subject to approval, including regional studies) taken in the first, third and fourth years;
  • a 3-credit M.S.F.S. Workshop, taken in the third or fourth year;
  • 16 J.D. credits in the international law curriculum taken in the third and fourth years;
  • 29 credits in additional upperclass law courses, including Professional Responsibility and successful completion of the legal writing requirement, taken in the third and fourth years;
  • Residency Requirement (see J.D. Program section); and
  • Minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.00.

A typical distribution of the 115 academic credits in the J.D./M.S.F.S. Program is as follows:

First year:     24 M.S.F.S. credits (students are also expected to complete a 15-20 hours/week internship during this year)

Second year:     31* J.D. credits

Third Year:     21 J.D. credits; 9 M.S.F.S. credits

Fourth Year:     24 J.D. credits; 6 M.S.F.S. credits


* 1 fewer credits is required for students who completed the first-year law curriculum in the 2005-06 or 2006-07 academic years. 2 fewer credits are required for students who completed the first-year law curriculum prior to the 2005-06 academic year.