Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis (JD/MEd)

The College of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis and the School of Law offer an integrated program in which students may obtain both a MEd degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis with a concentration in Higher Education and a JD degree from the School of Law. Although an MEd degree in higher education normally requires two years of study, and a JD requires three years, 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 Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis, 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 Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis 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 below meets requirements for the JD degree with 83 law credit hours, and 6 elective credit hours in education, for a total of 89 credit hours. Requirements for the MEd degree in higher education are met with 24 credit hours of courses in the Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis and 9 elective credit hours within the School of Law. The detailed program of study in higher education is also subject to approval by the student’s advisor in ELPA. Students in the dual-degree program normally spend their first year taking the traditional first-year law school curriculum. During the remainder of the program, students will take courses both in the law school and ELPA.

Curriculum

The curriculum has been designed so that law and essentials in educational leadership and policy analysis 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 law school and the College of Education.

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

5240 Criminal Procedure (3)
5280 Professional Responsibility (3)
5045 Property II (3)

Law electives – 38 credits
Education electives – 6 credits

*Students who are dismissed and readmitted or who otherwise are placed on probation at the end of the fall semester will be required to take  Legal Reasoning, a course designed to assist students in meeting the graduation requirements. Those students in Legal Reasoning will not take a spring semester First-Year law course until their second year.

Recommended Law School Electives

To graduate, students must take a total of at least 83 hours of law credit, including 47 hours of required law credit. Six credit hours in elective courses in ELPA will be counted toward the 89 total hours required. Therefore, students must take 36 hours of elective credit in law to fulfill the degree requirements. Dual-degree students must take 5875 Research* for 1-3 hours of credit and at least 9 credit hours of electives from the following list:

5310 Administrative Law (3)
5415 Constitutional and Civil Rights Litigation (2-3)
5450 Conflict and Conflict Management (1-3)
5485 Cross-Cultural Dispute Resolution (1-3)
5525 Education Law (3)
5537 Emotional Intelligence in Law (1-3)
5540 Employment Discrimination (3)

5555 Estate Planning & Taxation (3)
5590 Freedom of Speech and Association (1-3)
5595 Gender, Race, Sexuality & the Law (2-3)
5505 Disability Law (2-3)
5640 Intellectual Property (3)
5660 International Human Rights (1-3)
5725 Law & Social Sciences (2-3)
5695 Labor Law (3)
5750 Local Governmental Law (3)
5905 Sports Law (3)

*The law faculty member overseeing 5875 Research and the student’s advisor in ELPA will co-develop a capstone project that satisfies the requirements of 5875 Research and includes a reflective practice component (similar to the capstone paper other ELPA MEd students complete in their final semester). Typically, this project will be a paper of substantial length on a topic related to law and education.

Education Leadership & Policy Analysis Program of Study

33 hours required for graduation

Requirements for the MEd degree are met with 24 credit hours of courses in the ELPA Department and 9 elective credit hours within the School of Law. The program of study in education is subject to approval by the student’s advisor.

Required Courses (15 Credits)

ED LPA 7452 Overview of Higher Education

ED LPA 9440 Race, Gender, and Ethnicity in Higher Education
ED LPA 9450 Administration and Governance of Higher Education
ED LPA 9451 Higher Education Finance
ED LPA 9485 Assessment in Higher Education

Higher Education Electives (9 Credits)

Three graduate-level course electives (9 semester hours) in higher education to address individual interests, or other appropriate graduate courses with the consultation and approval of the student’s advisor. Electives will allow for work in areas of individual interest.

Law Electives (9 Credits)

Nine credit hours in elective courses at the School of Law will be counted toward the 33 total hours required.

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.

  1. 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 ELPA courses to be counted toward the JD degree.
  2. Dual degree candidates who subsequently decide to pursue only the MEd in ELPA 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.
  3. Law students who receive credit under the dual degree program for taking ELPA courses may not receive credit for taking other classes outside the School of Law.
  4. Student honors and class ranks at the School of Law will be computed on classes enrolled in as law courses.
  5. 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.
  6. 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 ELPA.