Duke Law School's focus on interdisciplinary studies and programs extends across the Duke campus and around the world. In fact, 25 percent of our students are in joint-degree programs – more than any other top law school.
Duke is the only elite law school in the country that allows students to earn both a law degree and a master's degree in three years. Students pursuing a JD/MA, JD/MS or JD/LLM enroll in June and begin their first-year curriculum prior to the JD students, who enroll in August. For academic joint-degree programs, students need not apply separately to the Graduate School or take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). Instead, they include a statement of interest with their Law School applications, and the Law School admissions department will work with the graduate department to make the admissions decision.
Another advantage of Duke’s joint degree program is that students do not pay separately for Graduate School courses. Students simply pay for three years of law school and one summer session.
In addition to its academic joint-degree programs, the Law School also offers several professional joint-degree programs through formal agreements with the Duke Divinity School, Fuqua School of Business, the Medical School, the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences and the Terry Sanford Institute for Public Policy, several of which are located in close proximity to one another. Students in the four-year joint-degree professional programs usually spend their first year at the Law School, and then their second year in the non-legal program of study. During the third and fourth years, students take courses at both schools. Students must apply separately to each school to qualify for a professional joint-degree program.
JD/LLM
The Law School has pioneered a distinctive three-year, joint-degree program that makes it possible for students to concurrently earn a JD and a Master of Laws in International and Comparative Law. Students matriculate in June and take a portion of their first-year curriculum during that summer. During the first half of the following summer, students attend one of Duke’s Institutes of Transnational Law. The remainder of their curriculum is completed during three years of fall and spring semesters. Summer Institutes are located in Geneva and Hong Kong.
View the International Programs website for more information.
JD/MBA
The Law School and Fuqua School of Business have established a combined four-year program in law and graduate level business administration. Acceptance into this program requires applying separately for admission to each school. The students in the JD/MBA program may enroll the first year in either the Fuqua School of Business or the Law School. If the student begins in the former, the first-year curriculum is the same as that of other Fuqua students; if the student begins in the latter, the first-year curriculum is the same as that of other law students. The student’s second year consists of the full first-year program of the other school. In the third and fourth years of the program, the student takes courses in both schools. Approximately two-thirds of these courses are taken in the Law School. For additional information and student contacts, contact the JD/MBA Club.
JD/MD
The Law School and Medical School have established a combined six-year program in legal and medical education. Acceptance into this program requires applying separately for admission to each school. The student in the JD/MD program begins the six-year course of study in the School of Medicine. As in the regular MD program, the first year is devoted to the basic medical sciences, and the second year is devoted to the basic clinical disciplines. After those two years, the student enrolls in the Law School, taking the prescribed first-year courses. After completing seventy-two credits in the Law School, the student returns to the Medical School for elective clinical work tailored to the student’s specialized interests. The student will complete eighteen additional semester hours (two summer sessions) of basic science work.
JD/MEM
The Law School and Nicholas School of the Environment have established a combined four-year program in law and graduate level environmental management. Acceptance into this program requires applying separately for admission to each school. The students in the JD/MEM program may enroll the first year in either the Nicholas School of the Environment or the Law School. If the student begins in the former, the first-year curriculum is the same as that of other Nicholas School students; if the student begins in the latter, the first-year curriculum is the same as that of other law students. The student’s second year consists of the full first-year program of the other school. In the third and fourth years of the program, the student takes courses in both schools. Approximately two-thirds of these courses are taken in the Law School.
JD/MPP
The Law School and the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy have established a combined four-year program in law and graduate level policy studies. Acceptance into this program requires applying separately for admission to each school. The students in the JD/MPP program may enroll the first year in either the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy or the Law School. If the student begins in the former, the first-year curriculum is the same as that of other Sanford Institute students; if the student begins in the latter, the first-year curriculum is the same as that of other law students. The student's second year consists of the full first-year program of the other school. In the third and fourth years of the program, the student takes courses in both schools. Approximately two-thirds of these courses are taken in the Law School. MPP application and admissions requirement inquiries may be sent via email to mppadmit@duke.edu.
JD/MTS
The Law School and Divinity School have established a combined four-year program in law and theological studies. Acceptance into this program requires applying separately for admission to each school. The students in the JD/MTS program may enroll the first year in either the Divinity School or the Law School. If the student begins in the former, the first-year curriculum is the same as that of other Divinity School students; if the student begins in the latter, the first-year curriculum is the same as that of other law students. The student’s second year consists of the full first-year program of the other school. In the third and fourth years of the program, the student takes courses in both schools. Approximately two-thirds of these courses are taken in the Law School.