Offered jointly with the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences’ School of Public Service (SPS), the JD/MS in Public Service Management integrates legal education with graduate study in public service leadership and administration, and it allows a student to complete a professional and graduate degree concurrently in less time than it would take to complete each program separately.
The interdisciplinary curriculum draws on sociology, economics, political science, law and the human service professions, balancing theoretical and applied approaches to contemporary challenges in administration and policy analysis. Consistent with the tradition of St. Vincent de Paul, the program emphasizes policies and practices that promote social equity and the delivery of quality services to communities in greatest need.
Students should consult the Pubic Service Management catalog page for complete program requirements.
| Program Requirements | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|
| MS Requirements | 36 |
| Total hours required | 36 |
| Program Requirements | Semester Hours |
|---|---|
| JD Requirements | 76 |
| Total hours required | 76 |
Learning Outcomes
JD Students will be able to:
- Solve legal problems by applying foundational knowledge of civil procedure, constitutional law, contracts, criminal law, property law, and torts.
- Solve legal problems by applying foundational knowledge of the rules regulating the legal profession.
- Identify and apply relevant legal authority.
- Communicate clearly in speech and writing.
- Demonstrate the fundamental professional lawyering skills for competent and ethical participation as a member of the legal profession.
Students seeking a joint degree with a college outside of the College of Law must independently apply and be admitted to the graduate degree program. Full-time JD Day students typically apply to the graduate program in the summer prior to their second year of law school. Part-time JD Evening students typically apply in the spring semester of their second year.
After admission to the graduate program, joint degree applicants must submit a copy of the acceptance letter and law school transcript to the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs at the College of Law. The transcript and acceptance letter must be accompanied by a cover letter requesting that the student’s program be changed from the JD to the joint degree program. The letter must include the student’s full name, student identification number, mailing address, email address and phone number. Students should schedule a meeting with the appropriate adviser in the graduate school to discuss the curriculum.
Credit Hour Requirements
Full-time students must complete the regular first-year JD program with a minimum GPA of 3.0 before being admitted to the joint degree. Part-time students must complete at least the first three semesters of the JD program with a minimum GPA of 3.0 before being admitted to the joint degree program.
Traditional JD students complete 86 credit hours to graduate from the College of Law. Under the joint degree program, students earn the JD after completing a minimum of 76 credit hours, with the College of Law applying up to 10 credit hours earned in the MS program toward the electives required for the JD degree.
Traditional Public Service Management students complete 48 credit hours to earn the MS degree. Under the joint degree program, students complete a minimum of 36 credit hours, with SPS accepting up to 16 credit hours earned in the College of Law. Core courses required for the MS:
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MPS 500 | PUBLIC SERVICE MANAGEMENT | 4 |
| MPS 501 | FOUNDATIONS OF PUBLIC SERVICE | 4 |
| MPS 508 | INTRODUCTION TO NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT | 4 |
| MPS 514 | GOVERNMENT FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION | 4 |
| or MPS 515 | NONPROFIT FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION | |
| MPS 519 | RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT | 4 |
| MPS 521 | LEADERSHIP IN PUBLIC SERVICE | 4 |
| or MPS 523 | GROUP DYNAMICS FOR LEADERS | |
| MPS 522 | FUNDAMENTALS OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT | 4 |
| MPS 542 | POLICY DESIGN AND ANALYSIS | 4 |
| MPS 546 | ADVOCACY AND LOBBYING | 4 |
Joint degree students may not receive credit for courses that create redundancy in coursework, and they cannot substitute graduate credit hours for required courses in the College of Law, such as Legal Profession or the Experiential Learning Requirement.
Full-time joint degree students generally complete the program in four years. Part-time joint degree students generally complete the program in five years. Students may accelerate the program by taking classes in the summer or by increasing course loads during the academic year.
Tuition
Once enrolled in the joint degree program, students no longer pay the College of Law package tuition. Instead, students pay tuition by the credit hour for law courses and courses in the other graduate degree program.
Academic Standards
Students must meet the grading standards of both the College of Law and the other graduate degree program to remain in good standing. Grades are recorded on the transcript under the college in which the courses are taken, and the combined degree is recorded after graduation.
Students dismissed from either program may be permitted to continue in the other program but must satisfy the normal program requirements of that school. No double counting of credits is permitted after dismissal from one college.
Leaves of Absence and Withdrawal
Students must receive permission from both colleges to take a leave of absence from or to withdraw from the joint degree program. A leave of absence may be granted for a maximum of one year. If a student does not enroll in classes after one year, the student will be permanently withdrawn from both programs and may re-enroll only by applying to the admission offices of both colleges as a new student.
Graduation
To receive the joint degree, a student must graduate from both schools on the same date, in the same semester or quarter and in the same year. Double counting of credits occurs only after concurrent completion of both programs.
For a December graduation, all requirements must be completed at the end of the fall semester and fall quarter. For a spring graduation, all non-law requirements must be completed no later than the end of the spring quarter and all law requirements no later than the end of the spring semester.
Students who complete non-law requirements in the spring that they expect to graduate may not have their degrees granted in time to be certified for the July bar examination. A student cannot be certified for admission to the Bar and cannot sit for a bar examination until all requirements are met for both degree programs.