The Tennessee Board of Regents has officially approved the Dual M.A./J.D. Program offered by the Department of Political Science and the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at the University of Memphis. Over the years, both undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Memphis have requested such a program for the Law J.D. and the Political Science M.A. degree programs. The advantage of such a program is that credit towards degrees in these career-related disciplines can be earned simultaneously if admissions and curricula are carefully structured. Many reputable institutions elsewhere such as Yale, Duke, Syracuse, Tulane, and Cincinnati, have such programs. None of them, however, is close to Memphis, so adding the program provides a competitive advantage in the Mid-South.

PROGRAM ADMISSION: Admission to the dual program will require separate admission to each program. However, for applicants to the joint program, the Political Science Department will accept LSAT scores in lieu of the GRE. Students are admitted into each program separately; completion of one degree is not contingent upon completion of both.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS: Students may earn up to a maximum of sixteen hours of dual credit for law courses taken at the law school. The remaining hours toward the M.A. in Political Science must be taken in Political Science. For students in the dual program, their first year of law school must include only classes that are part of the J.D. program. The following courses will qualify for both the J.D. and the M.A. in Political Science:

LAW COURSES REQUIRED AT LAW SCHOOL: Constitutional Law (4 hours), Criminal Law (3 hours),  and Criminal Procedure I (3 hours)

LAW SCHOOL ELECTIVES: Administrative Law (3 hours), Criminal Procedure II (2 hours), Federal Courts A (2 hours), Federal Courts B (2 hours), Civil Rights (3 hours), Constitutional Law Seminar (2 hours), Tennessee Con Law (2 hours), Jurisprudence (2 hours), International Law (3 hours), Comparative Law (3 hours), Immigration Law (3 hours), and Environmental Law (3 hours)

With the above exceptions, all the normal requirements for admission and graduation for the J.D. degree and the M.A. in Political Science degree apply.

This is a unique and wonderful opportunity for students. If you have any questions about this program, please contact Dr. David Richards, Graduate Coordinator for Political Science 901-678-3348. For questions about law school admissions, please contact Dr. Sue Ann McClellan, Assistant Dean of Admissions, Recruitment and Scholarships at 901-678-5403.