Combined MPA/JD and MPP/JD Programs

Students may work concurrently toward both the Juris Doctor degree in the GW Law School and the Trachtenberg School's Master of Public Administration or the Master of Public Policy. The dual degree programs typically take four years to complete, instead of the five that would otherwise be required to pursue the degrees separately. Students must be admitted separately into the law school and into the MPA or MPP program in the Trachtenberg School.

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Curriculum and Course of Study

MPA and MPP students may apply to the law school to pursue a dual degree after starting their MPA or MPP coursework. However, per the ABA, coursework completed prior to starting the JD cannot be counted toward the JD. Students must have at least 12 credits remaining prior to starting the dual degree program; students in their first year of the MPA or MPP would be eligible to apply. Students must spend their first full year of law school pursuing only law school courses (no MPA or MPP coursework); after the first year students may integrate the coursework.

After the first year, students spend the next three years combining courses in the law school with courses in either the MPA or MPP program. Up to 12 law school credit hours may be counted toward the Trachtenberg School program's 40-credit requirement, and up to 12 credit hours in the MPA or MPP program may count toward the law school's 84-credit requirement.

Law school courses that will be counted toward the MPA or MPP program must be approved after consultation with the respective program advisor.