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MPA/JD Joint Degree Program

For information on a joint degree program, contact Ray Hummert (rhummert@ku.edu).

The joint degree program is designed for the student who intends to combine career preparations in law and public administration. Examples of career objectives for this degree are the practice of law in communities (for example, a city attorney, who may be called upon to perform legal services for a municipality) and for city managers (who may need to deal with legal questions and interact with legal professionals). The program combines into four years the normal three-year JD program offered by the School of Law and the two-year MPA program offered by the Department of Public Administration. Students must complete 115 total credit hours: 78 credit hours in the School of Law (42 required and 36 elective), 25 hours in the Department of Public Administration, and 12 hours of electives of which only 6 hours may be law courses.

Of the 25 required hours in the Department of Public Administration, 6 hours of credit are earned during the internship in the fourth year of the program. The internship may not be taken concurrently with course work. At the conclusion of the internship year, each candidate must successfully pass a final written examination administered by the Department of Public Administration. The JD degree is awarded at the completion of the total required credit hours other than those associated with the internship. The MPA degree is awarded upon the successful completion of the internship and final examination. All course work counted toward any master’s degree requires a B average for the award of the degree. Specifically, students should understand that if they elect 6 or fewer hours of law requirements, the grades received in those law courses are incorporated into the MPA grade-point average, which as the Graduate School states, must be 3.0 for the award of the MPA.

For admission a student must meet requirements of both programs. Dual admission involves submitting separate sets of application materials as required by the respective programs. The MPA/JD program is open to those who have earned baccalaureate degrees and whose undergraduate academic records indicate that they have the capacity to complete these programs.

Since the total course work, excluding the internship, comes to 109 hours, students pursuing the joint degree program should plan to enroll in course work for two, and in some instances three, summers.

MPA/MUP Joint Degree Program

This program is designed for the student with career goals that center on assuming administrative and management responsibilities in urban planning and urban affairs. It combines into three years (excluding the one-year internship required for the MPA program) the normal course work required for the two-year MUP degree and the two-year MPA degree. The program offers students experience not only in public policy management, but also in management with particular expertise in urban problem resolution.

For admission, a student must meet requirements of both programs. Dual admission involves submitting separate sets of application materials as required by the respective programs. The MPA/MUP program is open to those who have earned baccalaureate degrees and whose undergraduate academic records indicate that they have the capacity to complete these graduate programs.