Students
Seeking Joint Degree (J.D./M.P.A.)
The J.D./M.P.A.
joint degree program requires 123 hours of academic credit
and can be completed in four years. A minimum of 87 hours of
law coursework and 36 hours of public administration
coursework are required for graduation. To accommodate
scheduling conflicts, some students may have to take summer
school courses to complete the joint program in four years.
The J.D./M.P.A.
joint degree program has the following provisions:
1) Each candidate
must submit a separate application for admission to the Law
Center and to the Graduate School at Southern
University-Baton Rouge.
2) The Law Center
and the Graduate School, in accordance with their individual
policies, must independently grant admission to each
candidate for matriculation in the joint degree program.
3) Academic
standing for a joint degree candidate is to be determined
independently by the respective academic standards of the
Law Center and the Graduate School. Each academic unit will
maintain independent and separate academic records
(including courses taken, grades, and grade point averages)
for each joint degree candidate. Exchange of such
information between the registrars of the Law Center and the
University will be required.
4) The first year
of academic study for a joint degree candidate must be
conducted exclusively in the Law Center in accordance with
the Law Center’s required first year law curriculum. A
student admitted to the Law Center who did not initially
seek to become a joint-degree candidate may apply to the
graduate school for admission into the M.P.A. program in any
of the first four regular semesters at the Law Center.
5) Candidates who
either are dismissed or withdraw from the joint-degree
program may continue to independently pursue a J.D. or an
M.P.A. if they meet academic requirements and standards
independently set and maintained by either unit.
6) A joint degree
candidate must receive certification independently by the
Law Center and the SU Graduate School for the awarding of a
joint J.D./M.P.A. degree.
7) Upon completion
of all joint degree requirements, a candidate will be
awarded a Juris Doctor degree from the Law Center and a
M.P.A. degree from Southern University-Baton Rouge.
