Joint Degree Programs
Syracuse University College of Law students who desire a greater degree of specialization may select from a number of interdisciplinary opportunities. In a joint degree program, a student may pursue concurrently a J.D. and a related master's degree. Joint degree programs exist in economics, cultural foundations of education, forest and natural resource management (with SUNY ESF), history, information management, library information science, international relations, public administration, business administration, accounting, philosophy, political science, public communications, social work, public diplomacy and engineering and computer science. The college will also assist students in tailoring other joint degree programs to fit particular career objectives. Joint degree programs are structured so students can earn both degrees in substantially less time than would be required to earn each degree separately. 

Students enrolled in a joint degree program must complete their first year of study in the College of Law. Students may apply to both programs before coming to law school, but most students elect to apply during their second semester of their first year of law school; regardless, students must apply and be admitted to both programs separately. Admissions requirements, including submission of standardized test scores, will vary by program. Consequently, applicants must check with individual departments about their program's admissions requirements. Because a joint degree program involves the reciprocal application of electives, students are not awarded either degree until the requirements for both degrees are completed. In certain programs, this may necessitate a delay in taking the bar examination.

• J.D./Master of Business Administration and
  J.D./Master of Science in Accounting
  Business and industry must take public and private law into account in all decisions. The College of Law and the Whitman School of Management have responded by creating joint degree programs in business administration and accounting. Students may obtain a J.D. and M.B.A. or M.S. in accounting in four years instead of the five years necessary when both programs are pursued separately. These programs are particularly appropriate for students with career objectives in corporate law, tax law, or labor law.
  
  At Syracuse, the M.B.A. curriculum is flexible enough to accommodate the interests of the law/management student. Students may pursue general management programs or specialize in such areas of concentration as accounting, entrepreneurship, finance, marketing and supply chain management. J.D./M.B.A. students generally complete program requirements in four academic years. The program structure for the J.D./M.S. in accounting varies substantially depending on the student's accounting background and desire for certification.
  
  J.D./Master of Science in Public Communications
  Joint degrees in communications, offered in cooperation with Syracuse University's renowned S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, prepare students for careers in communications law and media public policy. Students may matriculate into one of a number of programs including specialized sequences in advertising, arts journalism, broadcast journalism, documentary film and history, magazine, newspaper and online journalism, media management, media studies, new media, photography, public diplomacy, public relations and television, radio and film. The duration of the joint program in communications varies according to the program chosen and the student's prior coursework.
  
  
• J.D./Masters of Science in Cultural Foundations of Education with an optional Certificate in Disability Studies
  The joint degree program in Law and Cultural Foundations of Education, with a concentration in Disability Studies was approved in January 2003 and offers students the opportunity to earn a J.D. and M.S. in Education. Eligible joint degree students may also earn a Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS) in Disability Studies, which is a New York State-approved concentration. Disability Studies applies legal, social, cultural, historical, and philosophical perspectives to the study of disability in society. This joint degree, with a concentration in Disability Studies, was the first such degree in the nation. In 1996, SU also became the first American university to offer a graduate program in Disability Studies, and the only one with a law school component. Joint degree students enroll in selected courses with the School of Education, which is ranked among the best education graduate schools in the country; its Special Education and Cultural Foundations in Education Programs are consistently ranked within the top ten nationwide. Law students who graduate with the J.D./M.S. in Law and Cultural Foundations are prepared to play leadership roles in the field of disability law and policy in such settings as federal and state government agencies, community service agencies, advocacy organizations, school districts, and law firms specializing in disability and/or education law.
  
  Students may obtain the J.D. and M.S. in three years instead of the four necessary to earn both degrees independently.
  
  
• J.D./Master of Engineering and Computer Science
  This unique combination of programs has been initiated by the College of Law and the College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS) to benefit students who are interested in technology-oriented practice. A J.D./M.S. from one of the many graduate programs offered through ECS significantly enhances the scope of a student's legal education in such areas as intellectual property, technology, computers, health care, and environmental law. The added dimension that an M.S. in engineering and computer science brings to a student's legal education increases marketability and broadens career opportunities. With an appropriate undergraduate background, a student may obtain both degrees in three academic years and a summer term. Those pursuing an ECS graduate degree in an area other than that of their undergraduate degree may be expected to complete additional remedial courses. Other requirements vary by program. M.S. degrees in ECS are offered in aerospace engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, engineering management, environmental engineering, environmental engineering science, hydrogeology, manufacturing engineering, materials science, mechanical engineering, neuroscience, solid-state science and technology, and systems and information science.
  
  
• J.D./M.P.S-Forest and Natural Resource Management
  Students may earn a joint J.D./Master of Professional Studies (M.P.S.) in Forest and Natural Resource Management or a Certificate study in Environmental Decision Making through the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF), adjacent to the Syracuse University campus. The 30 credit joint J.D./M.P.S. degree is designed for students interested in legal careers involving forest, natural, and environmental resources. As human demands on the environment increase, society needs attorneys that understand the economic, demographic, social, and political issues that drive resource use allocation. Students learn the complexities of managing both resources and people recognizing that resource and environmental decisions involve value-driven conflicts. The degree provides a comprehensive foundation in forest, natural, and environmental resources issues and an understanding of both biophysical and social science.
  
  
  
• J.D./Master of Arts in International Relations
  This joint degree option offers students a unique opportunity to combine their practical knowledge of world affairs with a Juris Doctor degree from Syracuse’s College of Law. The Master of Arts in International Relations (MAIR) is a professional degree program that combines rigorous, multidisciplinary academic coursework with real-world skills to give its graduates an edge in the global job market. The curriculum requires the completion of two Career Tracks, region-specific coursework, second language proficiency, and a professional capstone experience. Students may obtain the J.D. and MAIR in three years instead of the four necessary to earn both degrees independently. For more information, click here.
  
  
  
• J.D./Master of Public Administration
  A partnership of law and public administration is essential to effective government. The public administration program educates individuals to work in government agencies and in organizations that conduct substantial business with government agencies.
  
  The highly respected Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse, where students pursue the M.P.A., is the oldest academic training program of its kind in the United States. Since its establishment in 1924, the Maxwell School's Master of Public Administration Program and its outstanding faculty have greatly influenced the growth and development of public administration. More than 6,000 Maxwell School alumni worldwide work in federal, state, and local governments; nonprofit agencies; private firms; and colleges and universities.
  
  Students may obtain the J.D. and M.P.A. in three years instead of the four necessary to earn both degrees independently.
  
  
• Other Joint Degree Opportunities
  The faculties of the College of Law and other SU graduate departments have authorized additional joint degree programs to accommodate student interests and career aspirations. Students may pursue master's or doctoral degrees in conjunction with the J.D. in the following areas:

• Economics		• Library Infomation Science
• History • Information management • Public Diplomacy		• Philosophy • Political science • Social work