Highly qualified students interested in combining the study of law with graduate research and/or professional qualifications in cognate disciplines are invited to undertake concurrent degree study under the auspices of UC Irvine’s Program in Law and Graduate Studies (PLGS).
Students approved for this concurrent degree program may pursue a coordinated curriculum leading to a J.D. degree from the School of Law in conjunction with a Masters or Ph.D. degree from any of the graduate professional or research degree programs at UCI participating in the program.
The objective of the program is to promote interdisciplinary study of law while also enabling students to obtain both a J.D. and a graduate degree in less time than would be required to acquire both degrees separately. The normative time for completion of the program is four (4) years for J.D./Masters and J.D./M.B.A. and seven (7) years for J.D./Ph.D. combinations.
UC Irvine’s PLGS program is well suited to students interested in professional or academic careers focused on the interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary study of law and legal institutions, policy analysis, and/or applied research in law-related fields (for example, criminal justice and criminology, urban planning and environmental issues, discrimination, human rights, urban planning, environmental protection, and intellectual property).
Applicants must submit separate applications for admission to the School of Law (admission requirements are listed at http://www.law.uci.edu/admission/apply/) and to the graduate program of their choice (for example, admission requirements for graduate study in Psychological Science can be found at https://ps.soceco.uci.edu/pages/graduate-program). Once admitted for study into both components of their program, concurrent degree students will work with the PLGS director and the director of their graduate program to develop a program of study that will permit efficient pursuit of both degrees. Ordinarily, students will commence their studies in their chosen graduate program and begin their first year of law instruction after one or more years of graduate program study. However, in some individual cases it might be advantageous to begin at the law school.
Upon completion of the first year of law instruction, students will pursue a coordinated curriculum of upper-level law study and graduate program study and research. Concurrent degree students’ law enrollments will include a required 1-unit “Graduate Legal Studies” colloquium and a 3-unit “Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Law” course.
Concurrent degree students will be eligible for financial support through their chosen graduate program while pursuing graduate degree studies, and through the law school while pursuing law studies.
Additional information is available from the PLGS Program Director’s Office (949)824-9214, or by email to plgs@law.uci.edu.
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