JD/MS in Law and Justice

The law and justice program is designed to enhance the student’s general legal education with intensive study in the following areas of concentration: philosophical and moral foundations of justice systems; nature and causes of crime and conflict; analysis of the actual operations of the criminal, juvenile, civil, and military justice systems and their impact on society; the functioning of legislative and regulatory agencies; the broad range of informal mechanisms for dealing with crime, conflict, and injustice in society; theories of planning and management for courts and correctional institutions; and strategies for introducing constructive change in justice systems. The program enables students to complete the JD and MS degrees in four years.

Application. Students may apply to the law and justice program after completing one year of law study. LSAT scores are accepted in place of GRE aptitude scores, and application materials submitted to the Washington College of Law are reviewed for admission by the Department of Justice, Law and Society after the candidate has been admitted by the law school.

Dual Degree Requirements

Law and Justice: JD/MS. Students must satisfy all requirements for the juris doctor in the Washington College of Law and all requirements for the master of science in justice, law and criminology  in the Department of Justice, Law and Criminology to earn dual degrees. Students may apply six semester hours of School of Justice courses toward the JD degree requirements and 6 semester hours of law courses toward the MS in justice degree requirements, with the approval of the program director.