Students completing the following course of study will be eligible to receive the JD degree from the School of Law and a Master of Health Administration (MHA) degree from the Master of Health Administration graduate program located in the College of Health Sciences. This course of study may be completed in four years. Normally, students require three years to complete the requirements for the JD degree and two years to complete the requirements for the MHA degree.

Application Procedure

Applicants to the Dual Degree Program must submit formal applications for admission to the School of Law and to the Master of Health Administration graduate program accompanied by a statement requesting permission to pursue the Dual Degree Program. Students must meet the requirements for admission to both programs. Contact the Master of Health Administration graduate program 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. Students who elect to complete the dual degree after already beginning either a JD or MHA degree must complete the required application materials for the second degree program and file a Graduate Application for Change of Degree form.

Degree Requirement Summary

The program meets the requirements for the JD with a total of 83 hours of law credit and six (6) hours of MHA credit. The program meets the requirements for the MHA with 54 credit hours of courses in the Master of Health Administration graduate program. The School of Law has agreed that any six (6) hours from the Health Administration curriculum may be counted toward the JD degree. Students may obtain up to three (3) hours of Law School Research (5875) credit for completing HLTH_ADM 8450 (Methods of Health Services Research) if the research is also approved and graded by a law school faculty member. In addition, HLTH_ADM 8574 (Health Care Law) may be taken for Law School credit if the student has not yet taken LAW 5615 (Health Care Law: The Doctor-Patient Relationship.) The Master of Health Administration graduate program will accept Law School credit hours toward its Professional Electives requirement. In addition, LAW 5615 (Health Care Law: The Doctor-Patient Relationship) or LAW 5616 (Health Care Organization and Finance Law) may be taken in place of HLTH_ADM 8574 (Health Care Law).

Career Opportunities

Students who complete the JD/MHA dual degree program will be well-positioned for employment opportunities in law firms representing clients in the health care industry, a growing economic sector. They will also be well-positioned for employment opportunities in legal and compliance departments in the health care sector.

Curriculum

The curriculum has been designed so that law and essentials in Health Administration are addressed, followed by specialized courses in the upper levels.  Students in the dual-degree program will spend their first year at the law school taking the traditional first-year law school curriculum.  Students will spend their second year primarily taking Health Administration courses.  In addition, students will be able to enroll in one or two law school courses in the fall and spring.  The law courses might include some of the required upper-level courses. In the two final years, students will split the time between the law school and the Master of Health Administration graduate program.

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

MHA electives – 6 credits

MHA 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.

Health Administration

54 hours required for graduation; all courses are three (3) credit hours

HLTH_ADM 7410 – Introduction to the US Health Care System
HLTH_ADM 7471 – Introduction to Accounting & Finance in Health Care
HLTH_ADM 8460 – Administration of Health Care Organizations
HLTH_ADM 8544 – Managerial Epidemiology (Population Health Management)
HLTH_ADM 8524 – Health Economics
HLTH_ADM 8461 – Managing Human Resources in Health Care Organizations
HLTH_ADM 8689 – Field Experience in Health Administration (Summer Internship)
HLTH_ADM 7430 – Health Informatics for Leaders
HLTH_ADM 8472 – Financial Management for Health Care Organizations
HLTH_ADM 8470 – Strategic Planning and Marketing for Health Care Organizations
HLTH_ADM 8453 – Executive Management Studies
HLTH_ADM 8571 – Decision Support in Health Care Systems
HLTH_ADM 8573 – Decision Making for Health Care Organizations
HLTH_ADM 8574 – Health Care Law
HLTH_ADM 8575 – Health Policy and Politics

Plus three (9 credit hours) professional electives

The School of Law has agreed that any six (6) hours from the Health Administration curriculum may be counted toward the JD degree. Students may obtain up to three (3) hours of Law School Research (5875) credit for completing HLTH_ADM 8450 (Methods of Health Services Research) if the research is also approved and graded by a law school faculty member. In addition, HLTH_ADM 8574 (Health Care Law) may be taken for Law School credit if the student has not yet taken LAW 5615 (Health Care Law: The Doctor-Patient Relationship.) The Master of Health Administration graduate program will accept any Law School credit hours toward its Professional Electives requirement. In addition, LAW 5615 (Health Care Law: The Doctor-Patient Relationship) or LAW 5616 (Health Care Organization and Finance Law) may be taken in place of HLTH_ADM 8574 (Health Care Law).

Policy

A. Microeconomics is a pre-requisite for the MHA degree. Students must complete a microeconomics course prior to enrolling in the MHA program, or else must complete the Master of Health Administration graduate program’s online microeconomics module by the end of their first Fall semester as an MHA student. Students may receive access to the online module once they have been admitted to the MHA program. In addition, ALL students, regardless of prior coursework, must take the Introduction to HLTH_ADM 7471 Accounting & Finance in Health Care course in their first Fall semester.
B. 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 Master of Health Administration graduate program courses to be counted toward the JD degree.
C. Dual degree candidates who subsequently decide to pursue only the MHA 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.
D. Law students who receive credit under the dual degree program for taking courses in Health Administration may not receive credit for taking other classes outside the School of Law.
E. Student honors and class ranks at the School of Law will be computed on classes enrolled in as law courses.
F. 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.
G. Students in the dual-degree program are subject to the same rules and regulations that apply to all students at the Master of Health Administration graduate program.