J.D./M.A.S.S.P. degree candidates must satisfactorily complete course requirements for both the J.D. and M.A.S.S.P. degrees. In addition to the J.D. and M.A.S.S.P. degrees, a Joint Program Certificate will be awarded upon satisfactory completion of the program. Students in the joint degree program 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.S.S.P. work, with 6 credits of J.D. coursework counted toward the M.A.S.S.P. degree and 6 credits of M.A.S.S.P. coursework counted toward the J.D.). The M.A.S.S.P. Director of Graduate Studies will determine whether any J.D. credits will fulfill M.A. requirements on an individual basis. The joint degree program also requires: (1) completion of the graduation requirements for both programs; and (2) maintenance of a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.00/4.00 in the M.A.S.S.P. program and the required minimum cumulative grade point average for the J.D. program (see the Juris Doctor Program chapter of the Georgetown Law Student Handbook of Academic Policies).

Curriculum Outline

The required 109 J.D./M.A.S.S.P. academic credits are distributed as follows:

• 18-24 credits of M.A.S.S.P. coursework taken on Main Campus in the first or second years of the joint program including completion of all core courses for the program including the following:
  • SEST-500, Theory and Practice of Security;
  • SEST-501, Grand Strategy and Military Operations;
  • Selection and completion of a concentration in Intelligence, International Security, Military Operations, Technology and Security, Terrorism and Substate Violence, Unconventional Weapons and Non-Proliferation, or U.S. National Security Policy. Each concentration includes: a core class for the concentration and three electives within the chosen concentration;
  • Completion of distribution requirements in each of the following areas: Area Security Studies, Economics and Security, and Technology and Security;
• 30 credits of the required first-year law program (taken in the first or second years of the joint program);
• 33 credits in further law courses including
  • Professional Responsibility and
  • successful completion of the legal writing requirement.
  • Students matriculating in Fall 2016 or later must complete 6 credits of experiential coursework. These courses are distributed among the third and fourth years (although 1 credit of experiential coursework may be earned in the first year at the Law Center by enrolling in an optional Week One simulation course);
• 16 credits in international law courses, including 3 credits in International Law I and 13 credits in further international law courses (at least 3 of which need to be in international/national security law);
• Completion of SEST-710: Research Seminar taken in the third or fourth year;
• Dependent on which M.A.S.S.P. degree requirements the 6 credits of J.D. courses are approved to fulfill, 3-6 credits of additional M.A.S.S.P. free elective credits taken in the third, and/or fourth years or during Summer sessions; and
• Passage of a four-hour comprehensive exam to be taken in the same semester of M.A.S.S.P. enrollment as the SEST-710 course.

Typical Credit Distribution

A typical distribution of the 109 academic credits in the J.D./M.A.S.S.P. Program:

• First Year: 18-24 M.A.S.S.P. credits
• Second Year: 30-31 J.D. credits
• Third Year: 21-22 J.D. credits, 3-6 M.A.S.S.P. credits (depends on Law Center schedule)
• Fourth Year: 27 J.D. credits, 0-6 M.A.S.S.P. credits (depends on third year M.A.S.S.P. registration)

For more detailed information, please contact the Director of J.D. Programs and be sure to execute the Security Studies Program Course of Study Plan with the assistance of your SSP academic advisor.