Admission

Students may be accepted for a dual degree program when they are accepted to the Law School, although most students do not apply until sometime in the first year. All programs require that students successfully complete the required first year of law school before beginning work toward the master's degree. Credit toward the law degree may not be given for graduate work completed prior to the completion of the first year of law school, although some credit toward the master's degree may be allowed by the faculty of the cooperating department of approved work completed prior to the first year of law school. Students are not eligible for either of their dual degrees until they complete the requirements for both degrees.

Following are general descriptions of the dual degree programs. Students interested in further information should consult the Law School Admissions Office.

Juris Doctor/Master of Arts in Economics

Students are required to complete 89 units of law and economics course work, four units of which must constitute a thesis acceptable to the faculties of the Law School and the Department of Economics. Before enrolling in economics courses, students must have completed an undergraduate course in probability and statistical inference (e.g., BUAD 310). Students with undergraduate degrees in such disciplines as business, economics, mathematics and psychology will usually have taken such a course as part of their undergraduate program.

First Year: Required Law School courses.

Second and Third Years:Units
ECON 500Microeconomic Analysis and Policy4
ECON 501Macroeconomic Analysis and Policy4

Two Additional Graduate Level Courses in Economics (eight units): ECON 535 Industrial Organization and 536 Economics of Regulated Industries are recommended, but the student is free to choose any graduate level courses other than 590 or 790 in consultation with the program advisor. ECON 482 Mathematical Models in Economics may be substituted for one of these courses, and ECON 483 Statistics for Economics or ECON 485 Introduction to Econometrics may be substituted for the other. (These three courses are applicable toward graduate credit.)

Four Units of Thesis: The thesis must be acceptable to both the faculty of the Law School and the faculty of the Department of Economics.

Thirty-nine Units of Law Courses: including one course in a subject matter related to economics (including but not necessarily limited to Taxation, International Business Transactions, Natural Resources Law, Antitrust Law I, Antitrust Law II, Regulated Industries, Labor Law, Administrative Process, Taxation of Corporations or Land Use Seminar and Land Finance Seminar). In addition to the LSAT, students interested in this dual degree program are required to take the aptitude and advanced economic portions of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE).

Juris Doctor/Master of Science in Gerontology

The J.D./M.S. dual degree combines the knowledge of the older population with understanding of the legal system. The program prepares graduates for a number of roles in both public and private sector organizations. Students are required to complete 110 units of course work, 74 from the Law School and 36 from the School of Gerontology. The first year is devoted to required law courses, and the second, third and fourth years combine gerontology and law courses.

Gerontology Requirements

The Master of Science in Gerontology will require 36 units of course and field work which covers the core content of the M.S. program
Units
GERO 510Physiology of Development and Aging4
GERO 520Life Span Developmental Psychology4
GERO 530Life Span Developmental Sociology4
GERO 540Social Policy and Aging4
GERO 555Integrating Gerontology: A Multisciplinary Approach4
GERO 591zField Practicum8
GERO 593Research Methods4
Gerontology elective4

The Davis School of Gerontology will waive 16 units of electives which are required in the regular M.S. program.

Law School Requirements

The Law School requires 74 units of credit.

First Year RequirementsUnits
LAW 502Procedure I4
LAW 503Contracts4
LAW 504Criminal Law3
LAW 505Legal Profession3
LAW 507Property4
LAW 508Constitutional Law I4
LAW 509Torts I4
LAW 510Legal Research0
LAW 511abIntroduction to Lawyering Skills1,1
LAW 512Law, Language, and Ethics3

Elective Course Work

The second and third year of law study are primarily elective with one requirement. Students must satisfy the upper division writing requirement, either by completing a major, faculty-supervised writing project such as a dissertation, or by taking a course with a substantial writing component.

The Law School will waive 14 units of electives which are required in the regular J.D. program.

Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration

The Graduate School of Business Administration (GSBA) offers a two-year 63 unit program leading to the Master of Business Administration degree. First-year subjects in the M.B.A. program may be waived by the Business School when a student has completed course work of acceptable quality from an accredited school. In addition, students who believe that they can demonstrate knowledge equivalent to that contained in first-year M.B.A. courses because of training or experience, may receive subject credit for the course by passing a proficiency examination in the subject. To obtain the M.B.A., all students must complete a minimum of 48 units of course work in the GSBA and maintain a 3.0 overall grade point average (A = 4.0) for this course work.

In addition to the LSAT, applicants to this dual degree program are required to take the Graduate Management Aptitude Test. Requirements for the dual degree program are listed in the Marshall School of Business section of this catalogue.

Juris Doctor/Master of Business Taxation

The School of Accounting offers a specialized 47-unit program in taxation leading to the Master in Business Taxation (M.B.T.). However, up to 17 units of preliminary courses in the M.B.T. program may be waived by the School of Accounting in light of previous education or completion of a proficiency examination. The total number of units required may thus vary, but all students are required to complete a minimum of 21 units of GSBA courses and maintain an overall grade point average of 3.0 for these courses. Requirements for this dual degree are listed in the Leventhal School of Accounting section of this catalogue.

Juris Doctor/Master of Public Administration

Students are required to complete 97 units of course work. Candidates for the dual degree must fulfill the statistics requirement of the M.P.A. degree by previous education, proficiency examination, or completion of PUAD 404 Statistics in Administration. Requirements for this dual degree program are listed in the School of Public Administration section of this catalogue.

Juris Doctor/Master of Public Policy

The School of Public Administration and the Law School offer a dual degree that enables qualified students to earn both a Juris Doctor and a Master of Public Policy in approximately four years of study.

The dual degree allows students to acquire a blend of the analytic skills of public policy and an understanding of legal institutions and processes. This combination of knowledge is well suited for law students who want to affect the policy-making process and craft legislation to aid in achievement of public policy goals. It is equally appropriate for prospective policy analysts who are interested in law and public policy.

Students must apply to, and be accepted by, both schools. They may be accepted to the dual degree at the time of their acceptance to the Law School or at the beginning of their second year of law school. Dual degree students spend the first year of the program completing the required first year of law school. The remaining units of law school courses and the required 36 units of core M.P.P. courses are taken by students in the second through fourth years.

Students are required to complete 112 units of course work, 76 units in the Law School and 36 units in the School of Public Administration. The M.P.P. program has a statistics prerequisite that can be satisfied either by passing a proficiency examination or by successfully completing PPMT 404 Statistics in Public Policy and Management.

The required M.P.P. courses are PUAD 512, 527, 529, 558, 559, 570, 572, 589 and a management competency course approved by the M.P.P. director.

Juris Doctor/Master of Social Work

Students are required to complete 117 units of course work, 74 units in the Law School and 43 units in the School of Social Work.

First and Second Years: Complete both the first year J.D. program of study and the first year M.S.W. course of study.

Third Year: Complete the second year J.D. program.

Fourth Year: Complete the regular third semester of the M.S.W. program in the fall and the final semester of the J.D. program in the spring.

The Law School gives credit for the third semester in the School of Social Work, while the latter recognizes law courses as substitutions for a one-semester practice course, a special topics course, a third semester of social policy and one semester of field instruction (for which a clinical law semester is substituted).

Juris Doctor/Master of Arts, International Relations

The USC Law School and the School of International Relations jointly offer a three-year program leading to the J.D. and M.A. degrees. (Students may extend the dual degree program to four years.) Applicants must apply to both the Law School and the School of International Relations and meet requirements for admission to both. In addition to the LSAT, students interested in this program are required to take the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE). Law students may apply to the School of International Relations during their first year at the Law School.

In the first year students take their course work in the Law School exclusively. The second and third years include 24 units of courses in international relations and 40 units of law. Students pursuing the dual degree must complete LAW 601, LAW 662, or LAW 764 and one additional international law course.

Students pursuing the dual degree must complete 24 units within the School of International Relations at the 500 level or above. These students are required to successfully complete IR 500 International Relations Theory, either IR 513 Social Science and Historical Research Methods or IR 517 International Policy Analysis, and two domain courses selected from among IR 502 Conflict and Cooperation, IR 509 Culture, Gender and Global Society, IR 521 Introduction to Foreign Policy Analysis, and IR 541 Politics of the World Economy. Like all other master's students, students in the dual degree program must complete a substantive paper or alternative project. The requirements, standards and evaluation procedure for the substantive paper are identical to those listed for all M.A. students except that one member of the examining committee must come from the Law School.

Juris Doctor/Master of Arts in Religion and Social Ethics

Students must complete 20 units in the graduate School of Religion, plus four units of thesis.

First Year: Required Law School curriculum.

Second and Third Years: The student will take any two of the three core courses in the School of Religion and a maximum of three elective courses from Areas I and II. The student may substitute the third core course for an elective course. LAW 503 Constitutional Law or such other law course as the schools agree may be substituted for one of the electives. The student must also complete 36 additional law units.

Juris Doctor/Master of Arts in Communication Management

Students must complete 20 units (five courses) of communication courses at USC's Annenberg School for Communication. Three of the courses must be from Annenberg's core courses; the remaining two may be from either core or elective offerings.

First Year: Required Law School courses.

Second and Third Years: 20 units of communications courses; 38 units of law courses, of which eight units must be approved as appropriate for acceptance by the Annenberg School for Communication toward its degree.

A comprehensive exam is required of all students in the third year. Admission by the Law School to its J.D. degree will be evaluated as a substitute for GRE scores.

Juris Doctor/Master of Real Estate Development

The Juris Doctor/Master of Real Estate Development dual degree program provides the opportunity for in-depth study of legal issues and real estate development. The increasingly regulatory environment developers work within demands that professionals in the real estate industry have a strong understanding of the legal system. Lawyers who plan to specialize in real estate law will benefit from a thorough understanding of the development process, including financial, planning, marketing and design issues. Application must be made to both the Law School and the School of Urban Planning and Development. This program normally requires three years (including one summer) of full-time study in residence to complete.

Students must have use of an approved laptop computer as required by instructors and must demonstrate calculator and spreadsheet skills; a calculator and/or spreadsheet 1-unit class is offered on a pass/no pass basis during the summer session.

Requirements for completion of the dual degree program are 108 units, including 76 units in law and 32 units in planning.

Law SchoolUnits
LAW 502Procedure4
LAW 503abContracts3-3
LAW 504Criminal Law3
LAW 507Property4
LAW 508Constitutional Law4
LAW 509Torts4
LAW 511abIntroduction to Lawyering Skills1-4, 1-4
LAW 512Law, Language, and Ethics3
LAW electives including LAW 780 (2) and fulfillment of the upper division writing requirement (2)46

Urban Planning and DevelopmentUnits
RED 500Real Estate Development and the Economy2
RED 509Market Analysis for Real Estate Development4
RED 542Finance of Real Estate Development4
RED 546Development Processes4
RED 547Project Management and Construction Technology2
RED 551The Approval Process4
RED 673Design History and Criticism2
RED 674Building Typologies2
RED 675LCommunity Design and Site Planning4
Elective from the School of Urban Planning and Development4

Students are required to complete a comprehensive examination administered by faculty members from both the Law School and the School of Urban Planning and Development.

Juris Doctor/Master of Arts, Philosophy

Students must complete 24 units in the School of Philosophy and 66 units in the Law School.

First Year: Required Law School curriculum.

Second and Third Years: The School of Philosophy prefers that students take at least one philosophy course each semester. During the four semesters, students must take at least 16 units at the 500-level, including PHIL 450 and 500; one 400- or 500-level course in ethics or social/political philosophy or aesthetics or philosophy of law; one 400- or 500-level course in metaphysics or epistemology or philosophy of language or philosophy of science or philosophy of mind; one 400- or 500-level course in the history of ancient or early modern philosophy; passage of the second year review which shall include a research paper based on a completed seminar paper and completion of a publishable research paper. Students must also complete 36 additional law units.

Other Graduate Courses

Students interested in combining an expertise in another discipline with the law degree may arrange individually to take approved graduate courses for limited credit toward the law degree.

Students may receive up to 12 units for graduate work taken outside the Law School with the prior permission of the Administrative Board. These units may be concentrated in a single appropriate discipline; they may not, however, be applied to another graduate degree in progress unless it is a part of an approved dual degree program.

 

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