The School of Public Affairs and the University of Colorado
at Boulder School of Law jointly sponsor a dual degree program leading to the
simultaneous granting of the master of public administration (MPA) and juris
doctor (JD) degrees. The program may be of particular interest to students who
wish to practice law within the public sector, obtain a senior administrative
post, represent public-sector clients, represent private-sector clients in
transactions with government agencies and institutions, and/or develop
scholarly expertise in the relationship between law and public administration.
Interested persons must separately apply to and be admitted
by both SPA and the School of Law. Upon admission, students may begin full-time
study at either SPA or the School of Law; however, law study must be initiated
no later than the beginning of the second year of enrollment in the program,
and the first year of law study must be taken in its entirety and exclusive of
non-law course work.
Through the choice of electives, students may develop a
limited substantive specialization within the study of law and public
administration. The dual degree program is structured to allow for 12 credits
from the law school to be accepted as electives in the 36-credit MPA program, and
12 credits from SPA to be accepted into the law school's 89-credit JD program.
Students are thus simultaneously awarded both degrees with a cumulative total
of 101 credits; the program therefore allows students to complete all dual
degree requirements in approximately four years of full-time study.
Students without prior public-sector work experience will be
required to complete an internship in an appropriate governmental institution
or closely related nonprofit organization. The dual degree program allows
students to receive both degrees more quickly than they could by pursuing each
separately.
Degree plan