UCLA School of Law and UCLA’s Department of African-American Studies offer a four-year, concurrent degree program leading to both a J.D. and an M.A. in African-American Studies. This is the first program of its kind in the country. Graduates of the program will be equipped to practice law with a fuller understanding of its intersections with the historical, social and cultural dimensions of the African-American experience, and to provide essential social and political leadership within or for the African-American community.

Program details and requirements:

• A four-year program (120 weeks of residency credit).
• Satisfactory completion of all requirements of the Juris Doctor degree including eighty-seven (87) semester units of mandatory first-year, Professional Responsibility and upper-division elective courses.
• Satisfactory completion of all requirements of the Master's degree in African-American Studies, including required coursework, written thesis and fulfillment of a foreign language requirement.

For more detailed information about joint-degree requirements, please see the Summary of Academic Standards.

Information about the African-American Studies portion of the Joint Degree Program:
J.D./M.A. African-American Studies
310.825.7403
staff@afam.ucla.edu

UCLA School of Law and UCLA’s Interdepartmental Program in American Indian Studies offer a concurrent plan of study over four years leading to both a J.D. and an M.A. This integrated program of study is designed to produce law graduates with a rich understanding of tribal cultures that will increase their legal understanding, facilitate their practice in the field of Indian law and enhance their service to Indian nations. Legal study includes relevant tribal, United States and international law. Courses in American Indian Studies addresses the diverse histories, worldviews, values, languages and practices of North American tribes.

Satisfactory completion of at least eighty-seven (87) Law School semester units, (including the first year curriculum, specified Indian Law courses and elective courses); and (at least twenty-eight (28) non-law American Indian Studies quarter units (including certain required courses and a thesis).

For more detailed information about joint-degree requirements, please see the Summary of Academic Standards.

Information about the American Indian Studies portion of the Joint Degree Program:
J.D./M.A. American Indian Studies
310.825.7315

UCLA School of Law and the Anderson School of Management at UCLA jointly offer a J.D./M.B.A. program designed to prepare students for careers in which law and management overlap and an understanding of both fields is desired. Areas of specialization include public service, international trade, industrial relations, corporate law and finance, and specialized areas of management consulting.

Program details and requirements:

• A four-year program (120 weeks of residency credit).
• Satisfactory completion of at least seventy-three (73) first year and elective Law School semester units and at least eighty (80) Management School quarter units are required.

For more detailed information about joint-degree requirements, please see the Summary of Academic Standards.

Information about the M.B.A. portion of the Joint Degree Program:

J.D./M.B.A. (Anderson School of Management)
310.825.6944

UCLA School of Law and the UCLA Department of Philosophy offer a joint J.D./Ph.D. program for exceptionally talented and especially committed students who hope to dedicate their careers to research and teaching in law and philosophy.

Admission is extremely competitive. It would be highly unusual for more than one candidate to be admitted in a year.

Before being considered for the J.D./Ph.D. program, applicants must first be admitted independently to the law school and the Philosophy Department. Each year, the Philosophy Ph.D. program receives approximately 300 applications, and in recent years the starting class has usually numbered between five and seven students. A good candidate for the J.D./Ph.D. program would normally have a strong undergraduate philosophy background, with demonstrated ability to produce high-quality philosophical writing. One of the most important aspects of an application is a writing sample that displays exceptional aptitude for philosophical analysis. Most applicants have had substantial training in philosophy, or related subjects such as mathematics and logic, as undergraduates. A good candidate will also have a demonstrated interest in the intersection between law and philosophy.

Interested students without much background in philosophy might want to consider the UCLA Law specialization in law & philosophy rather than the joint degree program.

Program requirements:

• Apply to UCLA under the "J.D./Ph.D. Program" listed under Concurrent Programs on the application site.
• Apply and be admitted to UCLA Law. J.D./Ph.D. in Philosophy applicants are advised to take the LSAT or GRE by November 30, 2022 and apply by January 4, 2023.
• Apply and be admitted to the Philosophy Ph.D. program. Typically, successful candidates have already completed substantial background coursework in a philosophy department, and have demonstrated an ability to produce high-quality written work in philosophy. Please apply by January 4, 2023.
• Apply to the joint degree program by indicating on both the law school and Ph.D. program applications that you are applying to be admitted to the joint degree program; and submitting with each application an essay of between two and five pages explaining your  interest in law and philosophy and in the joint degree program.
• Be accepted by the Law & Philosophy Program into the joint-degree program.

If a student who has been admitted to the J.D. and Ph.D. programs is not admitted to the joint degree program, the student's admissions to the J.D. and Ph.D. programs will not be affected.

Students already admitted into either the J.D. program or the Ph.D. program who wish to pursue the joint degree may apply to do so by completing the application steps listed above.

Candidates for the joint degree program must complete all requirements for both degrees as described below; however, a limited number of philosophy courses will be counted toward the J.D. requirements, and a limited number of law school courses will be counted toward the Ph.D. requirements.

Coursework:

The J.D. normally takes three years. The Ph.D. normally takes six to seven years. Depending on individual circumstances, some students may be able to save time on the coursework component of the program and complete the joint degree program in less time than would be required to complete both degrees separately.

The program could follow one of many paths. In the typical case, the student would be expected to focus solely on philosophy for the first year of the philosophy graduate program and solely on law for the first year of the law school program. Thereafter, the student could take courses in both schools during the same academic year.

Dissertation:

Students in the joint degree program must write a dissertation on a suitable topic related to law and philosophy.

Funding:

An unique feature of the program is that it aspires to enable students to graduate with a relatively minimal debt burden to permit them to teach in both humanities programs and law schools. Funding for both the Ph.D. and the J.D. involves a very generous package including grants, teaching assistant and research assistant roles, providing an unparalleled opportunity for the student dedicated to this field.

UCLA’s J.D./Master of Public Health program is a four-year program designed to prepare students to work in the expanding field of health law: in traditional civil or criminal law practice; in representing health care providers, patients, governmental units or consumers; or in the regulation of the health care system and development of health policy.

Program details and requirements:

• A four-year program (120 weeks of residency credit).
• Satisfactory completion of at least seventy-three (73) first-year and elective law school semester units and from forty-eight (48) to eighty-eight (88) public health quarter units. A public health specialization, including a field training requirement.

For more detailed information about joint degree requirements, please see the Summary of Academic Standards.

Information about the Public Health portion of the Joint Degree Program:
J.D./M.P.H
310.825.5524

The close connection between law and public policy leads law students to seek careers in public policy formulation and administration. UCLA Law and the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs recognize the growing need for more technical policy training in order for students to secure important public policy positions, and joint study allows students to learn microeconomics, political economy and bureaucracy, and quantitative methods. The joint degree (J.D./Master of Public Policy) enables public policy-oriented law students to take a year of intensive training in relevant skills, experience an expanded academic environment and systematically prepare for their chosen careers.

Program details and requirements:

• A four-year program (120 weeks of residency credit).
• Satisfactory completion of at least seventy-three (73) first-year and elective law school semester units and at least sixty-eight (68) public policy quarter units.
• Satisfactory completion of a 400-hour field internship with an approved government agency, non-profit group or other approved organization.

For more detailed information about joint degree requirements, please see the Summary of Academic Standards.

Information about the public policy portion of the Joint Degree Program:
J.D./M.P.P. (Public Policy)
310.825.0448
mppinfo@luskin.ucla.edu

UCLA School of Law and UCLA’s Social Welfare Department offer a concurrent plan of study over four years leading to both a J.D. and an Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) in Social Welfare. This integrated plan of study provides preparation for lawyers who want to focus on social welfare law and programs. Social workers interested in legal issues related to social welfare policy also benefit from this preparation.

Program details and requirements:

• A four-year program (120 weeks of residency credit).
• Satisfactory completion of at least seventy-five (75) first-year and elective Law School semester units and at least eighty-seven (87) Social Welfare quarter units.

For more detailed information about joint degree requirements, please see the Summary of Academic Standards.

Information about the social welfare portion of the joint degree program:
J.D./M.S.W. (Social Welfare)
310.825.7737 
sw@luskin.ucla.edu

UCLA School of Law and UCLA’s School of Architecture & Urban Planning offer concurrent study leading to a J.D. and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning (M.U.R.P.) for those planning to specialize in the legal aspects of urban problems. Education in urban planning offers the student an overview of theories and methods that permit identification and treatment of urban problems; education in law offers insight into the institutional causes and possibilities for treatment of these problems.

Program details and requirements:

• A four-year program (120 weeks of residency credit).
• Satisfactory completion of at least seventy-one (71) first-year and elective Law School semester units and at least seventy-two (72) Urban Planning quarter units.

For more detailed information about joint degree requirements, please see the Summary of Academic Standards.

Information about the urban planning portion of the joint degree program:
J.D./M.U.R.P. Urban Planning
310.825.8957 
upinfo@publicaffairs.ucla.edu

To pursue one of our formal joint degree programs, students must apply both to UCLA Law and directly to the other school. Applicants should contact the appropriate graduate school or department to obtain its application, and must meet the department's requirements and deadlines. Students interested in creating an individualized joint degree program, or pursuing a joint degree program with another university, will work with the Dean of Students office during their first or second years of law school to seek approval for the joint degree.