PDF version of this chapterDual Degrees
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. Except with permission of the associate dean, all students (including dual degree students) must complete at least 35 numerically graded USC law units beyond the first year curriculum.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 90 units of law and economics course work, 4 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 500 | Microeconomic Analysis and Policy | 4 |
| ECON 511 | Econometric Methods, or | |
| ECON 513 | Practice of Econometrics | 4 |
Two Additional Graduate Level Courses in Economics (8 units): ECON 680 Industrial Organization and ECON 681 Economics of Regulated Industries are recommended, but the student is free to choose any graduate level courses other than ECON 590 or 790 in consultation with the program advisor. ECON 401 Mathematical Methods in Economics may be substituted for one of these courses, and ECON 417 Statistics for Economics or ECON 414 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 Leonard Davis 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.| gerontology requirements | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| GERO 510 | Physiology of Development and Aging | 4 |
| GERO 520 | Life Span Developmental Psychology | 4 |
| GERO 530 | Life Span Developmental Sociology | 4 |
| GERO 540 | Social Policy and Aging | 4 |
| GERO 555 | Integrating Gerontology: A Multidisciplinary Approach | 4 |
| GERO 591z | Field Practicum | 8 |
| GERO 593 | Research Methods | 4 |
| Gerontology elective | 4 | |
The Leonard 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 Requirements | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| LAW 502 | Procedure I | 4 |
| LAW 503 | Contracts | 4 |
| LAW 504 | Criminal Law | 3 |
| LAW 505 | Legal Profession | 3 |
| LAW 507 | Property | 4 |
| LAW 508 | Constitutional Law I | 4 |
| LAW 509 | Torts I | 4 |
| LAW 512 | Law, Language, and Ethics | 3 |
| LAW 515 | Legal Research, Writing and Advocacy I | 2 |
| LAW 516 | Legal Research, Writing and Advocacy II | 2 |
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
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 Leventhal School of Accounting offers a specialized 45-unit program in taxation leading to the Master in Business Taxation (M.B.T.). However, up to 15 units of preliminary courses in the M.B.T. program may be waived by the Leventhal 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 30 units of business 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/Pharm.D.
Admission Requirements
Admission to the dual Pharm.D./J.D. program is competitive, and involves meeting admission requirements and gaining acceptance to both the School of Pharmacy and the Law School. Students will not be given special consideration for admission to either program because they are applying for the dual degree. Students that have a baccalaureate degree may apply to the dual Pharm.D./J.D. degree program in two ways. First, they may apply at the time they submit their Pharm.D. application by concurrently submitting applications to both schools. Students who elect this approach must identify themselves on their Pharm.D. applications as potential dual Pharm.D./J.D. degree students. Students who are admitted to both schools will be offered admission to the dual degree contingent on passing all courses in their first year of the Pharm.D. with a minimum 3.0 GPA. Students pursuing the dual Pharm.D./J.D. degree must notify the Law School in a timely fashion that they will be enrolling in the dual Pharm.D./J.D. degree program and will not matriculate at the Law School until the following year. Students who are accepted only by one school may choose to attend that school but will not be eligible for the dual degree. Second, students can apply to the dual degree by submitting an application to the Law School during their first year of enrollment in the Pharm.D. program prior to the Law School's published application deadline. Students who elect this approach must apply through the School of Pharmacy. Students admitted to the Law School using this approach would be offered admission to the dual degree contingent on passing all courses in their first year of the Pharm.D. with a minimum 3.0 GPA. See the admissions section of the School of Pharmacy and the Law School for specific requirements.Degree Requirements
The professions of pharmacy and law are distinctly different, yet pharmacists are often involved in legal issues and lawyers frequently deal with pharmacy, drug, health care, product development and toxin-related matters. This dual degree program provides qualified students with an efficient mechanism for obtaining the expertise and professional credentials that will enable them to develop professional practices that bring together expertise in both areas.Overall Requirements
A student is required to complete all work for both degrees within six years of the date of matriculation at the School of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) and five years of matriculation at the Law School (J.D.). The entire dual degree program will take six years to complete. Dual degree students will be allowed to use 12 units of approved J.D. course work (elective or required) to meet 12 units of Pharm.D. electives and 12 units of approved Pharm.D. course work (elective or required) to meet 12 units of J.D. electives. A faculty guidance committee will determine the exact program for each student, including the appropriateness of courses in one program used to meet elective requirements for the other program. A total of 208 units is required for the dual degree.Pharm.D. Requirements
Dual degree students must successfully complete 144 units of Pharm.D. and acceptable J.D. units to receive the Pharm.D. degree. The 144 units must include 132 units of required and elective pharmacy course work plus 12 units of J.D. course work deemed acceptable to meet Pharm.D. elective requirements. Dual degree students should graduate with their Pharm.D. degrees at the completion of the first semester of the sixth academic year of the dual degree program. Students will be eligible to sit for the Pharmacy Board Exams after completion of the Pharm.D. degree requirements. However, dual degree students will not actually be awarded their Pharm.D. degrees until they complete requirements for both degrees.Juris Doctor Requirements
Dual degree students must successfully complete 88 units of J.D. and acceptable Pharm.D. course work during the second to sixth years of the dual degree program to receive the J.D. degree. The 88 units must be composed of 76 units of J.D. course work, including satisfaction of the upper-division writing requirement and any other substantive requirements, plus 12 units of Pharm.D. course work deemed acceptable to meet J.D. elective requirements. No J.D. credit will be awarded for Pharm.D. course work completed prior to matriculation in the Law School. Students cannot receive the J.D. degree under requirements for the dual degree program without prior or simultaneous completion of the Pharm.D. degree.Both professions require passing a state board or bar exam to practice the respective professions. Neither of these professional doctoral degrees requires a thesis or comprehensive final exam.
Recommended Program
Pharm.D./J.D. dual degree students will begin with the first year of the Pharm.D. curriculum (36 units). During the second year, students will take the first year law core (33 units), plus 3-5 Pharm.D. units. Due to the rigor of the Law School core, pharmacy courses during the first year of Law School are limited to non-science courses. The third through fifth years of the program focus on Pharm.D. courses with sufficient law courses to maintain students' educational momentum in law. Students should complete their Pharm.D. requirements during the fall of their sixth year of the program and their law course work also during the sixth year. Students must complete both degree requirements by the end of the sixth year of the program.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 PPD 404x Statistics for Policy, Planning, and Development. Requirements for this dual degree program are listed in the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development section of this catalogue.Juris Doctor/Master of Public Policy
The School of Policy, Planning, and 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 32 units in the School of Policy, Planning, and Development. The M.P.P. program has a statistics prerequisite that can be satisfied either by passing a proficiency examination or by successfully completing PPD 404x Statistics for Policy, Planning, and Development.
The required M.P.P. courses are PPD 500, PPD 501, PPD 554, PPD 557, PPD 558, PPD 559, PPD 560, PPD 561 and a management competency course approved by the M.P.P. director.
Juris Doctor/Master of Social Work
Students are required to complete 121 units of course work, 74 units in the Law School and 47 units in the USC 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 core concentration courses (included SOWK 686a Field Practicum) of the concentration selected in the M.S.W. program, with the fourth course to be determined as part of the student's individualized educational plan approved by that concentration. The final semester will be taken in 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 three social work courses 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 USC 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 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: Introduction to Research Design 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 508 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. Two of the courses must be from Annenberg's core courses; the remaining three 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 8 units must be approved as appropriate for acceptance by the Annenberg School for Communication toward its degree. All students take COMM 597 in the third year.
Application to pursue the dual degree should be made before completion of 15 units of work on law or 8 units toward the M.A. 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 Policy, 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 class is offered online via the Internet.
Requirements for completion of the dual degree program are 110 units, including 78 units in law and 34 units in planning.
| Law School | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| LAW 502 | Procedure I | 4 |
| LAW 503 | Contracts | 4 |
| LAW 504 | Criminal Law | 3 |
| LAW 505 | Legal Profession | 3 |
| LAW 507 | Property | 4 |
| LAW 508 | Constitutional Law I | 4 |
| LAW 509 | Torts I | 4 |
| LAW 512 | Law, Language, and Ethics | 3 |
| LAW 515 | Legal Research, Writing, and Advocacy I | 2 |
| LAW 516 | Legal Research, Writing and Advocacy II | 2 |
| Law electives including fulfillment of the upper division writing requirement | 45 | |
| 78 |
| Policy, Planning, and Development | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| RED 500 | Real Estate Development and the Economy | 2 |
| RED 509 | Market Analysis for Real Estate | 4 |
| RED 541 | Finance Fundamentals for Real Estate Development | 2 |
| RED 542 | Finance of Real Estate Development | 3 |
| RED 544 | Real Estate Capital Markets | 2 |
| RED 546 | Application of Real Estate Finance to Problems of Development | 3 |
| RED 547 | Project Management and Construction | 2 |
| RED 551 | The Approval Process | 4 |
| RED 573 | Design History and Criticism | 2 |
| RED 574 | Building Typologies | 2 |
| RED 575L | Community Design and Site Planning | 4 |
| RED 598 | Real Estate Product Development | 2 |
| Elective from the School of Policy, Planning, and Development | 2 | |
| 34 |
Students are required to complete a comprehensive examination administered by faculty members from both the Law School and the School of Policy, Planning, and Development.
Juris Doctor/Master of Arts, Philosophy
Students must complete 24 units in the USC School of Philosophy and 67 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 Intermediate Symbolic Logic and PHIL 500 Introduction to Contemporary Philosophical Literature; 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.
Juris Doctor/Master of Arts, Political Science
The Department of Political Science and the Law School jointly offer a dual degree program leading to the J.D. and M.A. degrees. Applicants must apply to both the Depart-ment of Political Science and the Law School and meet the requirements for admission to both. In addition to the LSAT, students interested in this program are required to take the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE).In the first year students take their course work in the Law School exclusively. The second and third years include 24 units in political science and 40 units of law.
Like all other students in the political science M.A. program, students pursuing the dual degree must pass a master's screening examination in their field of choice. If they wish to write a master's thesis, they may do so in lieu of two courses.
Juris Doctor/Doctor of Philosophy in Politics and International Relations
The Department of Political Science and the Law School offer a dual degree program leading to the J.D. and Ph.D. degrees. Applicants must apply to the Department of Political Science, the School of International Relations and the Law School and meet requirements for admission to all. In addition to the LSAT, students interested in this program are required to take the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE).In the first year students take their course work in the Law School exclusively. To earn the J.D., all students (including dual degree students) must complete 35 numerically graded law units at USC after the first year. The associate dean may make exceptions to this rule for students enrolled in Law School honors programs. The second and third years include 40 units of courses in political science and 40 units of law. Students must take two methodology courses, POSC 500 and POSC 600, and three core courses to be selected from POSC 510, POSC 512, POSC 520, POSC 530 and POSC 540.
To obtain a Ph.D. in Politics and International Relations, students must pass the screening process. After the completion of additional course work, students must take a Ph.D. qualifying examination in three fields. Students will be examined in two of their three fields of concentration. The third ("write-off") field will be completed by taking at least three courses and passing them with a grade of B or better. The final requirement, following successful completion of the qualifying examination, is a doctoral dissertation.
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.