The MU Department of Economics and the School of Law offer an integrated program in which students may obtain both an MA degree in economics and a JD degree from the School of Law. Although an MA degree in economics normally requires two years of study, and a JD requires three, many students will be able to complete the program in four years.
Application Procedure
Applicants to the Dual Degree Program must submit formal applications for admission to the School of Law and to the Department of Economics, accompanied by a statement requesting permission to pursue the Dual Degree Program. Students must meet the requirements for admission to both programs. Contact the Department of Economics in the College of Arts & Sciences, and the School of Law for further information on admissions requirements. Both applications and the request must normally be submitted before a student has substantially completed the requirements of either program. However, petitions requesting admission to the Dual Degree Program from students at more advanced stages in either program will be considered.
Degree Requirement Summary
The program outlined here meets requirements for the JD degree with 83 hours of law credit, and 6 elective credit hours in economics, for a total of 89 credit hours. Requirements for the MA degree in economics are met with 24 credit hours of courses in the Department of Economics and 6 elective credit hours within the School of Law. The detailed program of study in economics is also subject to approval by the student’s advisor in the Department of Economics and by the Director of Graduate Studies in Economics.
Curriculum
The curriculum has been designed so that law and essentials in economics are addressed, followed by specialized courses in the upper levels. Students in the dual-degree program normally will spend their first year at the law school taking the traditional first-year law school curriculum. During the remainder of the program, students will take courses both in the School of Law and the Department of Economics.
School of Law Required Courses
89 hours required for graduation
1st Year
5010, 5015 Civil Procedure (5)
5020, 5025 Contracts (6)
5035 Criminal Law (4)
5040 Property I (3)
5070 Torts (4)
5080 Legal Research and Writing (3)
5085 Advocacy and Research (3)
5095 Lawyering (2)
2nd Year
5220 Constitutional Law (4)
5260 Evidence (4)
2nd or 3rd Year
5045 Property II (3)
5240 Criminal Procedure (3)
5280 Professional Responsibility (3)
Law electives – 36 credits
Economics electives – 6 credits (at level 7000 or higher)
*Students who are placed on probation at the end of the fall semester of the first year will be required to take Foundations of Legal Studies II in the spring semester. This course is designed to assist students in meeting their graduation requirements.
Recommended Law School Electives
Of the 89 hours required for graduation, at least 83 hours of credit must be law school credit, including 47 hours of required course work. Six credit hours in elective courses in Economics will be counted toward the 89 total hours required for graduation.
Economics MA Program of Study
30 hours required for graduation
ECON 7370 Quantitative Economics or ECON 8370 Mathematics for Economics (3)
ECON 8451 Microeconomic Theory (3)
ECON 8453 Macroeconomic Theory (3)
ECON 8473 Applied Econometrics (3)
ECON 8413 Research Workshop I (3)
Master’s Paper
Students are required to complete an MA paper in economics, normally undertaken in conjunction with Economics 8413. Students must take a total of 24 credit hours of courses in Economics. At least 15 credit hours must be numbered 8000 or higher with no more than three hours of ECON 8085. Note that enrollment in 9000- level courses may require consent of the instructor. The detailed program of study is subject to approval by the student’s advisor in the Department of Economics and by the Director of Graduate Studies in Economics.
Policy
- Students whose prior background does not allow them to undertake the program specified above may be admitted contingent upon their completing additional courses for which they may not receive graduate credit.
- The School of Law cannot award credit for any class taken before matriculation at the School of Law. Dual degree candidates must, therefore, enroll at the School of Law before taking the 6 credits of economics courses to be counted toward the JD degree.
- Dual degree candidates who subsequently decide to pursue only the MA in Economics or the JD degree must complete the degree program in its entirety and subject to the same rules and requirements as students not pursuing a dual degree.
- Law students who receive credit under the dual degree program for taking economics courses may not receive credit for taking other classes outside the School of Law.
- Student honors and class ranks at the School of Law will be computed on classes enrolled in as law courses.
- The listing of courses does not constitute a binding commitment that the courses will be offered during the student’s course of study or that the graduation requirements will remain unchanged.
- Students in the dual-degree program are subject to the same rules and regulations that apply to all students at the School of Law and the Department of Economics.