Dual Degree Program in Law & Graduate Program In Community And Regional Planning
The University of Texas at Austin offers a dual degree program leading to the simultaneous award of a Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.) degree and a Master of Science degree in Community and Regional Planning (M.S.C.R.P), School of Architecture. Students enrolled in the dual degree program may receive the J.D. and M.S.C.R.P degrees in four years rather than in five years as is ordinarily required by the two programs independently.
The proposed program draws upon the resources of the two curricula with a view to developing professionals capable of dealing with both the legal and planning aspects of urban and regional policy problems. The dual degree program is designed to prepare for a variety of professional roles in which knowledge of planning methodology and process, coupled with the analytic skills and professional expertise of lawyers, are essential. These may include private practitioners in law and planning; administrators and staff of public agencies and consulting firms in the fields of planning, housing, environmental protection; research analysts; staff members of governmental commissions and agencies; and executive assistants to elected and appointed officials.
The University of Texas at Austin is well positioned to offer a high quality program of this nature. The School of Law has long been considered to have one of the best faculties in the nation. It has distinguished professors interested in Environmental Law, Property, Constitutional Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution and other topics relevant to urban and regional policy issues. Professors in the Graduate Program in Community and Regional Planning faculty are recognized nationwide for their scholarship and teaching. Students will have access to extraordinary library resources. The Tarlton Law Library is the fifth largest academic library in the United States and has strong government, land use and environmental law holdings. The Public Affairs, Perry-Castaneda, and Architecture and Planning Libraries provide strong coverage for all aspects of community and regional planning. The Center for Public Policy Dispute Resolution provides a forum for faculty from both academic units to collaborate in the study and resolution of conflict at community and regional levels.
A student admitted to the dual degree program must begin in the Fall Semester and complete the normal first-year course work at the School of Law during the first year of the program. This must be done before taking any courses relating to the dual degree program. Both degrees are awarded simultaneously upon completion of all requirements of the dual degree program. Therefore, students should arrange their course schedules so that both degree requirements are completed in the same semester.
To enter this program, students must apply separately to both the School of Law and the Graduate Program in Community and Regional Planning, and must be accepted independently by both. Students must plan ahead and have completed the GRE and LSAT tests so that test scores are available by respective admission deadlines of each school. After spending the first year in Law, students will divide their course load between the two programs as needed to complete the dual degree program requirements within eight semesters.
A prospective dual degree program may apply in two ways. First, the candidate can apply to the J.D. program and the dual degree program simultaneously. As noted previously, however, the candidate must defer any course work relating to the M.S.C.R.P degree for one year. Alternatively, during the student's first year of law school (and prior to applicable deadlines), the student can apply for admission to the dual degree program.
A minimum of 116 credit hours must be completed to receive both degrees; 86 credit hours for the J.D. and at least 30 credit hours completed in Planning. Six of the 86 credit hours for the law degree shall be comprised of community and regional planning courses (beyond the basic 30 Planning credit hours).
All Law School requirements applicable to students in the normal J.D. program must be satisfied. As noted above, however, six of the 86 total credit hours for the award of the J.D. degree shall be completed in Community and Regional Planning.
Students must complete all core course requirements with the exception of the course CRP 381 (Planning Law) for a total of 21 core course credit hours. An additional 3 credit hours of Planning-related electives must be completed either within the graduate Planning curriculum or, if outside of the School of Architecture, with approval from the Dual Degree Program Coordinator and CRP Graduate Advisor.
In addition to the core course and elective requirements, students in the dual degree program must complete a thesis in the final year of study that makes full use of the combined degree education. Ideally, this would culminate in a manuscript suitable for publication in a planning related law review. The thesis must be read and approved by a supervising professor and at least one reader. The supervising professor must be a member of the CRP Graduate Studies Committee and the second reader will be a member of the School of Law faculty. Except as set forth above, all degree requirements applicable to students of the Community and Regional Planning degree program apply to students in the dual degree program.
Law offerings [30 hours, all required 1st year courses]
Planning offerings [9 hours]
Law offerings [21 hours]
Planning offerings [15 hours]
Law offerings [15 hours]
Planning offerings [12 hours]
Law offerings [20 hours]