Students who wish to examine the law in an interdisciplinary context may arrange to earn a combined degree with another school or department on the UC Davis campus. Students may find a combined degree involving law and another discipline such as economics, business, sociology, or science advantageous.
Currently the law school has an MOU in place with the School of Management for combined J.D./M.B.A. degrees and the Graduate Program of Environmental Policy and Management (EPM) for combined J.D./M.S. degrees. Students have previously pursued degree programs in combination with other UC Davis departments for an M.A. degree in ecology, economics, philosophy, computer science and sociology. To encourage this kind of study, the law school will attempt to work out an additional program if you are interested in other disciplines.
Eligibility
To be eligible for a combined degree, law students must successfully complete the first-year UC Davis law school curriculum and have earned a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or higher before beginning coursework in another discipline.
Enrollment Process
Students wishing to pursue a combined degree must apply separately to each program and follow application procedures for each respective program. Students can apply to each program concurrently or apply to the law school and later apply to the second program. Each academic program reviews applications and renders admissions decisions completely independently of other academic programs at the university. Students who are interested in pursuing a combined degree should notify the School of Law Registrar’s Office after such an application is accepted.
To obtain initial approval by the law school, students will be instructed to submit a written statement of objective and proposed curriculum to the law school’s Senior Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, outlining their entire remaining course of study, both in the law school and the master’s program. Students enrolled in the combined degree program must submit a Combined Degree Authorization Form each semester.
Students may enroll in a combined degree any time before the beginning of their third year in law school. Students working toward a combined degree are required to spend their first year entirely at the law school. Students are also required to spend the first year of their master’s program entirely at their master’s program. During the remaining years, course work may be divided between the law school and the related discipline.
Normally, a Combined Degree Program will take at least four years. Students can normally complete the combined degrees in less time than it would take to earn the two degrees separately.
Transfer Units
Students will usually be able to earn up to 10 semester-hours of law school credit for work in the related discipline. The law school will award 6 units upon completion of the first year of the master’s program. Upon conferral of your master’s degree and receipt of official certification of graduation to the Law School Registrar, 4 units additional units may be transferred from the other discipline to the law school. Under extraordinary circumstances, the law school will consider awarding the additional 4 units prior to the completion of the degree in the master’s program.