The University of Texas at Austin

Dual Degree Program in Law & Global Policy Studies

Program Purpose

The LBJ School of Public Affairs and the School of Law offer a Dual Degree program leading to two graduate degrees: the Master of Global Policy Studies (MGPS) degree and the Doctor of Jurisprudence. The dual degree program responds to an increased need in both the public and private sectors for specialists with an advanced understanding of the global environment and facility in legal reasoning and credentials for the practice of law.

Program Structure

The program is structured so that students can earn both degrees simultaneously in approximately four academic years. Degrees are awarded when the required course work in both areas is completed. In general, students will progress through the dual degree curriculum by taking either degree's first-year sequence in their first year, taking the other degree's first-year sequence in their second year, and then taking electives and specialization requirements in subsequent years. Students in the dual degree program take the following courses, which total 107 credit hours of work:

School of Law

  • The Law School's first-year curriculum, for which courses and sections are preassigned (except for the elective) as follows:
    • Civil Procedure, One semester, 4 or 5 hours
    • Constitutional Law I, One semester, 4 or 5 hours
    • Contracts, One semester, 4 or 5 hours
    • Criminal Law, One semester, 4 or 5 hours
    • Legal Research and Writing, Two semesters, 1 hour each semester
    • Property, One semester, 4 or 5 hours
    • Torts, One semester, 4 or 5 hours
    • Elective, spring semester, 2-4 hours
  • Law School courses in Professional Responsibility, Constitutional Law II (or equivalent), and a writing seminar after the first year.
  • Students must take a Skills course, as identified by the School of Law each semester, as a first year elective or during the second or third years.
  • Law School electives for the remainder of the total of 70 credit hours in the Law School.

Global Policy Studies

For more information, see the LBJ School of Public Affairs website.