Juris Doctor and MSc in Public Service Management in Chicago United States | DePaul University

A joint degree program enables students to pursue two graduate degrees simultaneously in a shorter timeframe than completing each program separately. Since certain credit hours count toward both degrees, students also reduce their total tuition costs by combining programs. Prior to enrolling in a joint degree program, both full-time and part-time law students must finish the mandatory first-year coursework and maintain at least a 3.00 GPA in those classes. Full-time students complete 29 credits in their first year, whereas part-time students must earn the same 29 credits within their initial three law school semesters. Standard JD candidates need 86 credit hours to graduate from the College of Law, but joint degree students can earn their JD with a minimum of 76 credits. The College of Law transfers up to 10 credits from the partner graduate program toward the JD requirements. Typically, public service management students must complete 52 hours for their MS degree, but joint degree participants only need 36 credits. The Public Service Management program recognizes up to 16 credit hours from law school coursework. These credit transfers only become applicable after students finish the first-year JD curriculum mentioned earlier. Joint degree candidates cannot receive duplicate credit for overlapping courses.