JURIS DOCTOR/PH.D. IN GOVERNMENT
The J.D./Government program awards the Juris Doctor and a Doctorate in Government (with an M.A. en passant). The program allows students to specialize in American government, international relations, comparative government, or political theory.

J.D./Ph.D. students must satisfactorily complete requirements for both the J.D. and the Ph.D. degrees. Separate diplomas will be awarded, and upon satisfactory completion of the program, a Joint Degree Certificate will be awarded as well. An M.A. degree is awarded en passant to students enrolled in the Ph.D. program upon completion of 48 academic credits and course distribution requirements in the Government program and at least 6 credits of upperclass J.D. course work.

Students in the joint degree program are required to take the first year of law school as an intact block. This school year may be taken prior to or after completing one year of Government course work, but no earlier or later. Students may spend a year entirely devoted to Government course work, but they need not do so.

J.D./Government students must complete all required courses and the total number of academic credits for graduation (76* in law and 48 in government for the M.A., with 9 credits of Government course work counted toward the J.D., and an additional 15 for the Ph.D. in the fields of Comparative Government, International Relations, and Political Theory, or an additional 18 for the Ph.D. in American Government); approximately 21 credits from the J.D. count toward the Ph.D. Therefore, students must take about 27 credits unique to the Ph.D.; perform satisfactorily in both the oral/reading foreign language examinations and the major and minor comprehensive examinations; submit a dissertation proposal; successfully complete and defend a dissertation in Government; satisfy the J.D. professional responsibility and legal writing requirements; and meet the J.D. residency requirement (see J.D. Program section).

Students may enroll in the joint degree program on a full- or part-time basis. A student in this joint degree program may receive his or her law degree before the completion of the program providing that the course work for the law degree has been completed and the student has completed 48 credits of government course work.

* 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.