Joint Degrees

 

With the rising demand of attorneys with interdisciplinary expertise, skills, and knowledge, the University of Pittsburgh School of Law offers several joint degree programs with other graduate schools within the University of Pittsburgh as well as Carnegie Mellon University.   These programs offer you the opportunity to receive two degrees in a shorter time, and with less cost, than if you had pursued each independently. Upon enrollment in the joint-degree program, students are required to fulfill modified degree requirements of both schools.

To enroll in any joint degree program with Pitt Law, you must apply and be admitted to both to the School of Law and the cooperative school. After acceptance and 30 days prior to matriculation to the cooperative school, you must also complete the Joint Degree Notification Form.  Failure to complete this form could result in loss of financial aid, higher tuition fees, and other consequences.

For more information about the joint degree programs generally, please view the following video.   

Programs

Law and Arts Management

JD/MAM, School of Public Policy & Management at Heinz College, Carnegie Mellon

The University of Pittsburgh School of Law and Heinz College offer a joint degree program designed to train students for careers in which arts management and law overlap.  This program, spanning four years, prepares you for careers in which arts management and law overlap.

Information on the career impact of the MAM is available here.  Some basic information about the joint degree program is available here

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Law and Bioethics

JD/MA, University of Pittsburgh School of Arts and Sciences and the Center for Bioethics and Health Law

The School of Law and the School of Arts and Sciences (A&S) offer a joint degree program in law and bioethics. Graduates of the program receive the Juris Doctor (JD) degree, the basic professional degree in law, and the Master of Arts (MA) degree from FAS, in bioethics. The joint degree program is directed by Greer Donley, JD, in cooperation with Lisa S. Parker, PhD, who directs the interdisciplinary Master of Arts in Bioethics.

The joint degree program has been established in recognition of the extensive and increasing overlap between law and bioethics. The objective of this educational program is to prepare graduates with an interdisciplinary background in law and bioethics so they can address those issues and situations that require knowledge of and expertise in both. Graduates will be academically prepared for professional roles as bioethicists in health care institutions, in public policy working for government or philanthropic organizations, or in the practice of law, for example, giving counsel to health care institutions.

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Law and Business Administration

JD/MBA, University of Pittsburgh Katz Graduate School of Business
JD/MBA, Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business

The daily interaction of Law and Business in our society presents attorneys, entrepreneurs, and other professionals with a diverse set of challenges arising from public and private institutions, policies, and practices. A joint degree program can provide valuable interdisciplinary skills to tackle these challenges. To prepare the next generation of leaders, the University of Pittsburgh School of Law offers an outstanding joint degree program in Law and Business with a unique option.

Students may combine a Juris Doctor (JD) degree with a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from either the University of Pittsburgh Katz Graduate School of Business, which is in the top 30 of U.S. public business schools according to the U.S. News rankings, or Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business, which is in the top 20 of all U.S. business schools according to the the U.S. News rankings. The JD/MBA program enables students to receive integrated training in Law and Business while reducing the amount of time ordinarily necessary to earn the two degrees from five years to four years.

For more information on the joint degree JD/MBA generally, please view this video from Professor Oh. For more information about the JD/MBA with Pitt’s Katz Business School, view this YouTube video.

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Law and Information Security Policy and Management

JD/MSISPM, School of Public Policy & Management at Heinz College, Carnegie Mellon University

Building on their longstanding and successful partnership, the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and Heinz College offer a joint degree program designed to train students for careers in which management, information security, and law overlap. This joint degree offering is particularly beneficial to many students’ careers because legal considerations affect many management and policy decisions, and the practice of law is enhanced by a clear understanding of the policy and security concerns facing the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.

Information on the career impact of the MSISPM is available here.  Some basic information about the JD/MSISPM joint degree program is available here

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Law and Public Health

JD/MPH, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health

The Graduate School of Public Health, Health Policy & Management and the School of Law at the University of Pittsburgh offer an interdisciplinary educational program, through which students may earn both the Juris Doctor (JD) degree, the first professional degree in law, and the Master of Public Health (MPH) degree, the primary professional degree in public health, concentrating in health policy and management. The joint-degree program has been established in recognition of extensive and increasing connections between law and the broad range of health services, both public and private, in the United States.

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Law and Public Administration, Public & International Affairs, or International Development

JD/MPA, JD/MPIA, JD/MID, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs

This program provides rigorous, integrated training for students preparing for a professional career that combines law and public and international affairs. Increasingly, lawyers in the public and nonprofit private sectors work in managerial and policy-making capacities for which legal training alone does not prepare them. At the same time, legal considerations impinge more than ever on the work of public managers and planners, although most of them have had no exposure to legal training. Students in the joint-degree program gain a broadened knowledge base and a cross disciplinary approach to solving problems involving the intersection of law, policy, and management. They also develop more marketable professional skills than are usually acquired through single-degree programs. Professionals trained in both law and public and international affairs thus enjoy expanded career opportunities. The University of Pittsburgh’s program is unique because of the range of master’s degree options available.

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Law and Public Policy and Management

JD/MSPPM, School of Public Policy & Management at Heinz College, Carnegie Mellon

The University of Pittsburgh School of Law and Heinz College offer a joint degree program designed to train students for careers in which management, public policy and law overlap.  A successful partnership that has been in existence for over a decade, this program offers students a comprehensive education that marries the analytic and quantitative strength of the Heinz School with the rigorous legal training afforded by the School of Law.

Information on the career impact of the MSPPM is available here.  Some basic information about the JD/MSPPM joint degree program is available here

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Law and Social Work

MSW/JD, University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work

The School of Social Work (SSW) and the School of Law offer a cooperative educational program through which students may earn both the Master of Social Work (MSW), the primary professional degree in social work, and the Juris Doctor (JD) degree, the first professional degree in law. The MSW-JD program will enable students with interests in a wide range of areas where law and social work converge - such as child welfare, aging, health, mental health, juvenile and criminal justice, family issues, and housing - to engage in a highly integrative educational experience that will include academic courses, field placements, and research opportunities at the intersection of both professions. The joint degree program allows one to earn both degrees in four years rather than five.

Increasingly, social work professionals and attorneys are working together to promote the well-being of their clients. These areas of convergence exist in practice with individuals, families, and groups as well as with communities and organizations. The intersection of legal and social work concerns is also evident at the policy level, and research from both professional disciplines has been used to inform these activities. It is not uncommon for practitioners from both fields to work in concert to draft, implement, and/or advocate for legislation at the local, state, and federal levels.

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