Reunification
For up-to-date information regarding the reunification of Penn State's two law schools, please click here.
J.D./Master of Public Health (M.P.H.)
Penn State Law and the College of Medicine offer a joint degree leading to a Juris Doctor (J.D.) and a Master of Public Health (M.P.H.).
Admission Requirements
Admissions requirements for the joint J.D./M.P.H program are the same as those for the independent J.D. and M.P.H. programs. J.D./M.P.H. students will have to meet the admissions requirements of both programs, and each program will make a separate admissions decision. Students will first apply to the J.D. program at Penn State Law. After being accepted to and beginning their matriculation at the J.D. program, J.D. students will be eligible to submit a Penn State Graduate Application for Admission to the M.P.H. J.D. students may submit an application during their first through fourth semesters of law school.
J.D./M.P.H. students who, for whatever reason, withdraw from the J.D. program retain the option of remaining in the M.P.H. program to earn the graduate degree. J.D./M.P.H. students who, for whatever reason, withdraw from the M.P.H. program retain the option of remaining in the J.D. program to earn the graduate degree.
College-Specific Admission Requirements
Penn State Law
Penn State College of Medicine
Application Process
Students must complete the following Penn State applications, along with any other requirements in the college-specific admissions requirements section above.
Penn State Law Admissions Application
International Applicants
International applicants for the joint degree who do not qualify for the English exemption will also need to provide a satisfactory TOEFL or IELTS score. All joint degree applicants will be required to achieve a minimum TOEFL score of 575 on the paper test, 230 on the computer-based test or 88 on the internet-based test (with a minimum speaking score of 20); a minimum of 6.5 on the IELTS will also be acceptable.
College Liaisons
The Associate Director of the College of Medicine M.P.H. program and the Penn State Law Director of Joint Degree Programs are designated program advisors and liaisons between the programs. Students will need to work with these designated program advisors and their individual faculty advisors from both programs to build an individual program.
Inter-Program Transfer of Credits
Students must fulfill all requirements for each degree in order to be awarded that degree, subject to the double-counting of credits as outlined below. Degree Requirements for the J.D. are listed in the Penn State Law Bulletin. Degree requirements for the M.P.H are listed on the Degree Requirements tab of the Penn State Graduate Bulletin.
Penn State Law (PSL): Up to twelve (12) 500 or 800-level credits of M.P.H. course work may be transferred for credit toward the J.D. degree at PSL. Students must obtain a grade satisfactory to PSL for the course work to be credited toward the J.D. degree. The Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at Penn State Law shall approve, in advance of the student’s enrollment in M.P.H. elective courses, which of those courses will apply toward the J.D. degree.
College of Medicine (COM) M.P.H.: Up to twelve (12) credits of PSL course work (900-level credits) will be counted for credit for the master's degree. The M.P.H. faculty adviser shall approve, in advance of the student’s enrollment in J.D. courses, which will apply toward the M.P.H. degree.
Note: The J.D. seminar requirement and the M.P.H. capstone requirement must be fulfilled separately, using unique research topics.
Advising
All students in the J.D./M.P.H. program will have two academic advisers, one in the M.P.H. degree program and one in the J.D. program. The M.P.H. adviser will be a faculty member from the Department of Public Health Sciences at the Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, PA, who is a member of the Graduate Faculty. The J.D. advisor will be a faculty member from Penn State Law whose teaching and research focus on the area of health law.
Fulfillment of Degree Requirements and Graduation
A student in the program may complete the requirements for one of the degrees and be awarded that degree prior to completing all the requirements for the other degree; provided, however, that the student has successfully completed at least two semesters of work towards the other degree. All courses in one program that will count towards meeting the requirements of the other must be completed before the awarding of either degree. Students will be required to fulfill all requirements for each degree in order to be awarded that degree, subject to the inter-program transfer of credits.
Tuition
Students will be charged the applicable Penn State Law tuition to cover the J.D. program and the applicable graduate tuition to cover the M.P.H. degree program. Penn State Law tuition will be paid for the semesters in which the student is registered for Penn State Law courses, and graduate tuition will be paid for the semesters in which the student is registered for graduate courses in the M.P.H. program. A student may take up to one course (3 credit hours) per semester in the program where the student is not primarily registered without any change in tuition, but must pay additional tuition to the program that the student is not primarily registered if he or she wishes to take additional course work pursuant to that program during the semester. Questions regarding tuition should be directed to the law school Bursar.
Financial Aid and Assistantships
Decisions on financial aid and assistantships will be made by each school according to that school’s procedures. Students on graduate assistantships must adhere to the course load policy listed in the Bulletin. Find Information on Graduate Assistantships online. Questions regarding financial aid should be directed to the law school Financial Aid Director.
Penn State Law J.D. Degree Requirements
College of Medicine M.P.H. Program Details
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