Juris Doctor/Master of Arts in Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies (J.D./M.A.E.R.E.S.) degree candidates must satisfy course requirements for both the J.D. and M.A.E.R.E.S. degrees. In addition to the J.D. and M.A.E.R.E.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.E.R.E.S. work, with 6 credits of J.D. coursework counted toward the M.A.E.R.E.S. degree requirements and 6 credits of M.A.E.R.E.S. coursework counted toward the J.D. degree requirements).

Candidates for this joint degree must meet the graduation requirements and satisfy the academic standards of both programs (for J.D. program requirements, see the Juris Doctor Program chapter of the Georgetown Law Student Handbook of Academic Policies).

Curriculum Outline

• 24 credits of M.A.E.R.E.S. coursework, including two advanced language courses, Introduction to Area Studies, and the Capstone Seminar;
• 30 credits of the required first-year law program (taken in the first or second years of the joint program);
• 49 credits in further law courses during the third and fourth years (or during Summer sessions), which must include:
  • a course in professional responsibility;
  • the upperclass writing requirement;
  • 6 credits of experiential coursework (1 credit may be earned in the optional first-year Week One simulation course);
  • International Law I: Introduction to International Law (may be taken as a first-year elective);
  • 13 credits in further international law courses, of which at least 9 credits should complement the student’s area concentration (these courses may also satisfy the upperclass writing requirement or experiential credit requirement);
  • For students matriculating in Fall 2022 or later:  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.
• 6 credits of additional M.A.E.R.E.S. coursework, taken in the third and/or fourth years.