International Studies

JD/Master in Global Business Law

Description

Duke Law School and a consortium of two French universities, l’Universite Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne and Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (known as “Sciences Po”), offer a dual JD/Master in Global Business Law degree. This dual degree program allows students to receive after three years of study both the JD and the Master of Laws. The Master of Laws is a French national law degree that entitles students to sit for the French Bar exam. Students in the JD/Master program spend two years at Duke and a third year studying in Paris. View the current brochure from the Consortium with a more complete description of the Paris component of the program.

Who Is Eligible to Participate

Students may participate after they have completed two years at Duke Law School. In exceptional cases, students may participate after completing the first year at Duke Law School. Students must demonstrate appropriate French language facility. In addition, they must be in good academic standing at Duke Law School, have obtained a grade point average of 3.2 or more at Duke Law School, and must be good representatives of the Law School. Additional requirements are contained in the policies below. Students are welcome to consult with the JD/Master faculty advisor Professor Ralf Michaels about the appropriateness of the JD/Master degree for the student’s educational and professional objectives.

Policies

  1. Enrollment in the JD/Master program is subject to availability of spaces as established by the Consortium. Assuming spaces are available, no more than two students from Duke Law School may attend the JD/Master year in Paris during the same academic year.
  2. JD students enrolling in the JD/Master must complete at least two-thirds of the credits required for the degree at Duke. JD/LLM or other dual degree applicants who wish to receive the dual degree plus the JD/Master must also complete the additional requirements for the dual degree at Duke.
  3. All students enrolling in the JD/Master must complete any academic requirements for graduation, such as the ethics component, while at Duke. JD degree requirements are available here. Students intending to apply to the JD/Master program should be aware that they cannot receive credit for courses offered by the Consortium that are substantially the same as courses they have taken at Duke. Students should therefore review the courses offered by the Consortium and select upperclass courses at Duke accordingly.
  4. Students may receive a maximum of 28 academic credits towards the JD degree for course work satisfactorily completed in Paris. The ABA requires a student to be in class for 700 minutes per credit hour received. Satisfactory completion as required by the Consortium of the course work in Paris will also allow students to receive a Master degree from the Consortium.
  5. The student’s proposed course of study in Paris must be approved by the International Studies office prior to the conclusion of the academic year before the student intends to study in Paris.
  6. Credit toward the Duke JD degree will be awarded only for courses taken in Paris earning a grade of 2.1 (equivalent to "C" in a letter based grading system) or higher.
  7. Tuition will be paid to Duke Law School, and the student will be responsible for all other expenses, including travel, special fees, health insurance, etc. Financial aid questions can be addressed to John Ahlers, Director of Financial Aid. The Sciences-Po Alumni Association USA offers a scholarship for American law students studying in the JD/Master program. Information is available here.
  8. Students must have a valid passport and will be responsible for handling their own visa applications. Students are also responsible for securing housing arrangements at the exchange site.
  9. Proof of medical insurance coverage (either Duke or an equivalent insurance policy) will be required by the host institution.
  10. At the conclusion of the study in Paris, the student will need to arrange to have an official transcript submitted to the Law School Registrar’s Office no later than the Tuesday before graduation. Students will also be required to write an evaluation of the JD/Master program before graduation. The evaluation should be filed with Tonya Jacobs, Director of Overseas Programs and should include the following information: a) an evaluative description of the Master program, the courses taken in Paris, the facilities of the Consortium, and the resources available to visiting students; b) an analysis of how the study abroad program met the student’s educational and professional objectives; and c) recommendations for future students interested in the JD/Master.

Application Procedures

Please complete the application and return it to the Director of Overseas Programs, along with a resume, a copy of your transcript, and a one-page “statement of intent” detailing why you wish to enroll in the JD/Master program.

Application Deadline

The application is due by the last day of classes of the student’s first year.

An administrative committee will review your file, and you will be notified whether or not you have been selected to participate in the program. The Associate Dean or Assistant Dean for International Studies will be glad to provide additional information. Final selections will be announced no later than the first day of classes of the following semester. Students selected for the program will also be required to complete and submit application information required by the Consortium and will need to be admitted by the Consortium. Once notified of acceptance by the Consortium, students within one week must submit a letter in writing stating that they will enroll in and attend the JD/Master program.