Admissions: Students interested in the LPP must apply separately and secure admission to both the Law School and the Philosophy Department. Application forms for both programs will provide space for indicating that a student is interested in the LPP. After initial screening by the regular admissions committees of the Law School and Philosophy Department, those applications from candidates who have expressed an interest in the LPP and who are deemed to meet the minimum standards for admission to each unit will be forwarded to the Director of the LPP, who will make non-binding recommendations to the admissions committees of both the Law School and Philosophy Department regarding the most promising candidates.
Timing and Scheduling of the Program of Study: A student admitted to the LPP may spend the first year in either the Philosophy Department or the Law School. However, the first year of Law School must be done (a) by the second year at the University; and (b) to the exclusion of all other studies when done. Both units are willing to grant a deferral to a LPP student. In particular, the Philosophy Department is willing to defer an offer of admission and financial aid for one year, should a student prefer to start in the law school. However, a student offered a University Fellowship by the Philosophy Department may not defer the Fellowship, though he or she may defer the admission. After the first two years of study in the LPP, students may divide years, but not semesters, between law and philosophy.
Coursework and Time Saved: Students in the LPP may count three law courses towards the coursework requirement for the Ph.D. Students in the LPP may count 12 hours (typically four courses) from philosophy towards the JD. By pursuing the degrees in combination, a student will save roughly a full year of course work. Allowing two years for the writing of a dissertation, both degrees can be earned in seven years.
Financial Aid: In addition to the normal financial aid practices of each unit, the following special opportunities will be available to LPP students: (A) The Philosophy Department expects to be able to provide TA appointments to LPP students even when they are enrolled in the Law School in a fall semester. The Philosophy Department may even have some TA appointments for spring terms as well. Philosophy enrollments are highest in the fall, however. A TA appointment will lead to in-state tuition rates for students, even with respect to law-school tuition. In general, the Philosophy Department will need to be notified by March of the preceding academic year whether a student in the LPP is seeking financial support (in the form of TAships) for some or all of the following year. (B) The Law School will fund, annually, two Teaching Fellowships for dual degree students at the dissertation stage. These Fellowships will involve only modest teaching responsibilities. Note that the two annual fellowships are available to students in any JD/PhD program. However, there is a reasonable expectation that any student making satisfactory progress in the LPP will at the dissertation stage receive such a Fellowship for one year. (C) The Law School awards a JD/PhD Scholarship to support a student in his or her first year of PhD study. The Scholarship provides a stipend (currently about $16,500) and frees the student from teaching duties; students must pay in-state graduate school tuition out of the stipend (approximately $4,000 currently).