The University of Texas at Austin

Dual Degree Program in Law & Public Affairs

Program Purpose

The LBJ School of Public Affairs and the School of Law offer a Dual Degree program leading to the degrees of Master of Public Affairs and Doctor of Jurisprudence. The program is designed to prepare qualified law and public affairs students for careers at any level of government and in public-policy related areas of the private sector or legal profession.

Alumni currently hold positions in the offices of U.S. Congressmen, federal district judges, regulatory agencies, city attorneys, and district attorneys, and are partners or associates in law firms dealing with such issues as EEO, international law, criminal justice, and environmental law.

Program Structure

The program is structured so that students can earn the M.P.Aff. and JD degrees simultaneously in four years rather than the five years the two degrees would otherwise require. To satisfy the requirements of the program, students must complete a minimum of 33 LBJ School credit hours and 70 credit hours at the School of Law, including all the first-year core courses in each school. Degrees are awarded when the required course work in both schools is completed. In general, Dual Degree program students progress through the curriculum as follows:

  • Year I: Full academic year in either school.
  • Year II: Full academic year in the school not attended in Year I, followed by a required summer internship with a governmental agency or other organizations with a substantial public policy interest.
  • Year III and IV: Course work in both schools, including the preparation of a Master's Professional Report.

Law School Curriculum

The first-year curriculum in the Law School consists of the following courses:

  • Law 421 or 521, Contracts
  • Law 423 or 523, Criminal Law I
  • Law 427 or 527, Torts
  • Law 431 or 531, Property
  • Law 132, Legal Research and Legal Writing, taken once in the fall and once in the spring
  • Law 433 or 533, Civil Procedure
  • Law 434 or 534, Constitutional Law I

Five hour courses contain a writing component. Courses and sections for first year classes are preassigned.

Students must take a Professional Skills course, as identified by the School of Law each semester, as a first year elective or during the second or third years.

Students are required to take Professional Responsibility, Constitutional Law II (or equivalent), and a writing seminar after the first year. The remaining hours at the Law School are elective.

LBJ School Curriculum

The first-year curriculum in the LBJ School normally consists of required core courses. For more information, see the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs website.

Admissions

Students must meet the separate admission criteria of both the School of Law and the LBJ School in order to be considered for admission to the Dual Degree program.

A prospective Dual Degree program student should apply as follows:

  1. To the UT School of Law: Information on admissions may be obtained from the Admissions Coordinator, The University of Texas School of Law, P. O. Box 149105, Austin, Texas 78714-9105. This information is also available on the Law School website. The following steps must be taken:
    • Read carefully all Law School admissions information.
    • Obtain an application/bulletin from the Law School Admissions Office.
    • Take the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) no later than December.
    • Register with the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS) by January 15.
    • Complete and submit an application for admission no later than February 1.
  2. To the LBJ School: Information regarding admission may be obtained from the Office of Student and Alumni Programs (OSAP), LBJ School of Public Affairs, UT Austin, Drawer Y, University Station, Austin, Texas 78713-7450. Also, see http://www.utexas.edu/lbj/admissions/mpaff.php. Contact Admissions Records Coordinator John Yeary at (512) 232-4013, lbjadmit@uts.cc.utexas.edu.
  3. To the Dual Degree program:
    • Application to the program may be made by applying simultaneously to the Law and LBJ Schools as indicated above.
    • Presently enrolled law students may apply for admission to the program during their first year of law school by following the procedures detailed in Step 2, above, and including when possible any transcript of law school grades.
    • Presently enrolled LBJ students may apply for admission to the program during their first year of public affairs school by following the procedures detailed in Step 1, above.
    • Applicants should be sure to indicate, in writing, to both admissions office, interest in the Dual Degree program.

Financial Aid

The LBJ School has limited funds for qualified students who merit financial assistance and who can show need by completing the ACT Family Financial Statement. Dual Degree program students in law and public affairs may apply to the LBJ School for such assistance in their first full year in the LBJ School.