Juris Doctor/Master of Arts in Arab Studies (J.D./M.A.A.S.) degree candidates satisfy requirements for both the J.D. and M.A.A.S. degrees. In addition to the J.D. and M.A.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 credits of Law Center courses and 30 credits of M.A.A.S. work, with 6 credits of J.D. coursework counted toward the M.A.A.S. degree and 6 credits of M.A.A.S. coursework counted toward the J.D.). During the first two years of the program, students may only take courses at either the Law Center or at Main Campus; they may not register for courses at both campuses in the same semester until their third and fourth years in the program. Students must also demonstrate advanced language ability through successful completion of the M.A.A.S. Arabic language oral and written proficiency examinations and must successfully complete the oral comprehensive examination of the M.A.A.S. Program (or the thesis option).

Curriculum Outline

• 24 credits of M.A.A.S. coursework, or 18 credits plus intensive Arabic if necessary, taken during the first or second years of the joint program (see Language Requirement below);
• 30 credits of the required first-year law program taken during the first or second years of the joint program;
• 19 credits in international law courses including: 3 credits in the required course International Law I: Introduction to International Law; 4 credits in further international law courses; and 12 other credits in international law or international law-related courses which complement the student’s area of concentration. These courses are taken in the third and fourth years. Students should focus their electives on their M.A.A.S. studies, integrating their interests in law and the Arab world;
• 30 credits in further law courses including a course in professional responsibility, the upperclass writing requirement, and 6 credits of experiential coursework. Students matriculating in Fall 2022 or later must also complete a course that teaches students to think critically about the law’s claim to neutrality and the law’s differential effects on subordinated groups, including those identified by race, gender, indigeneity, and class. These courses are distributed among the third and fourth years; and
• 6-12 credits (depending on how many hours were completed in the first or second year) of M.A.A.S. coursework, taken in the second, third, and/or fourth years or during Summer sessions.

It is strongly recommended that J.D. students choose a first-year elective course with an international law focus. Students considering participating in the Law Center’s Global Law Scholars Program (GLS) are advised to begin with their M.A.A.S. studies in order to participate in the upperclass GLS seminars with their cohort.

Language Requirement

The M.A. in Arab Studies builds intensive study of Arabic language into its curriculum for those who need it. The first year may be pursued at either the Law Center or Main Campus, primarily depending on the student’s Arabic status. In those cases in which the student has just completed a course of intensive Arabic language study, such that a disruption in study of the language would be counterproductive, the student should start at the Main Campus in the appropriate level of Arabic. In all cases, before starting Main Campus coursework, a student should at least be at an intermediate level of Arabic, i.e., have completed one year or a Summer program in intensive beginning Arabic, totaling 12 credits.