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.

Curriculum Outline

The J.D./M.S.F.S. program requires completion of 115 academic credits (76 credits of Law Center courses and 39 credits of M.S.F.S. work, with 9 credits of M.S.F.S. coursework counted towards the J.D. degree and 9 credits of J.D. coursework counted towards the M.S.F.S. degree). The program also requires:

• satisfactory performance on the M.S.F.S. oral proficiency in a foreign language examination;
• a passing score on the M.S.F.S. oral examinations;
• successful completion of the graduation requirements of both programs, including the M.S.F.S. internship requirement; and
• maintenance of a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.00/4.00 in the M.S.F.S. 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).

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

• 30 credits in the required first-year law program;
• 15 credits of core M.S.F.S. courses:
  • 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:
  • Global Business & Finance;
  • International Development;
  • Global Politics & Security; or
  • a self-designed concentration (subject to approval, including regional and comparative studies);
• 3-credit M.S.F.S. Workshop;
• 46 credits in additional J.D. courses, including:
  • a course in professional responsibility;
  • the upperclass legal writing requirement;
  • 6 credits of experiential coursework;
  • 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; and
  • 16 credits of International Law J.D. courses, which must include International Law I: Introduction to International Law (3 credits, may be taken as a first-year elective); 4 credits of International Law “core” courses; and 9 credits of International Law “core” and/or International Law “related” courses taken in the upperclass years (please visit the Curriculum Guide  for the current schedule of courses).

Typical Credit Distribution

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

• First Year: 24 M.S.F.S. credits (and students are expected to complete a 15-20 hours/week M.S.F.S. internship during their first 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