Program Overview

Law/Public Administration - Joint Degree (JD/MPA)

The JD+Masters in Public Administration (MPA) is a joint degree program offered by DePaul University's College of Law and the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences' School of Public Service. This program promotes effective management of government agencies and fosters development of sound public policies affecting the delivery of social services.

Overview

The MPA program balances theoretical and applied approaches to contemporary challenges of administration and policy analysis, and offers courses such as ethical leadership and government financial administration. The program devotes special attention to policies and practices that promote social equity through delivery of affordable, quality services to those in greatest need.

Learning Outcomes

JD students will be able to:

• Solve legal problems by applying foundational knowledge of civil procedure, constitutional law, contracts, criminal law, property law, and torts.
• Solve legal problems by applying foundational knowledge of the rules regulating the legal profession.
• Identify and apply relevant legal authority.
• Communicate clearly in speech and writing.
• Demonstrate the fundamental professional lawyering skills for competent and ethical participation as a member of the legal profession.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of cross-cultural competence in the legal profession and the obligation of lawyers to promote a justice system that provides equal access and eliminates bias and all forms of invidious discrimination, including racism, in the law.

Master of Public Administration students will be able to:

• Apply leadership and organizational management skills and concepts in an ethical manner amidst an ever-changing public sector.
• Analyze and interact with governance structures, jurisdictional boundaries and the public policy and implementation processes.
• Analyze and synthesize data regarding an existing public affairs issue and use empirical analysis to prepare solutions for informed, decision-making in the public sector using critical thinking.
• Articulate in written or oral forms a commitment to ethical service to all people with a focus on social justice, professionalism, efficiency, cultural sensitivity, and transparency.
• Integrate the social justice lens in delivery of services and programs to a diverse public and workforce.

Degree Requirements

A joint degree program allows a student to complete two graduate degrees concurrently in less time than it takes to finish each program individually. As a specified number of credit hours apply toward both degrees, students also pay less in overall tuition by combining programs.

• Traditional JD students must complete 86 credit hours to graduate from the College of Law. However, under a joint degree program, a student earns the JD degree after completing a minimum of 76 credit hours.
• The College of Law applies up to 10 credit hours toward the JD degree for work completed in the other graduate degree program.
• Traditional Public Administration students must complete 52 credit hours to receive the MPA degree. However, under the joint degree program, students are required to complete a minimum of 36 credit hours.
• The Public Administration program will accept up to 16 credit hours for work completed in the College of Law.

Program Requirements

• MPA Requirements: 36 quarter hours
• JD Requirements: 76 semester hours

Required Courses

MPA Required Courses

• MPS 500: Public Service Management (4 quarter hours)
• MPS 501: Foundations of Public Service (4 quarter hours)
• MPS 514: Government Financial Administration (4 quarter hours)
• MPS 533: Applied Statistics for Public Service (Using Excel) (4 quarter hours)
• MPS 541: Economic Foundations of Public Service (4 quarter hours)
• MPS 542: Policy Design and Analysis (4 quarter hours)
• MPS 583: Research Methods for Public Service (4 quarter hours)
• MPS 593: Integrative Seminar (4 quarter hours)
• MPS 594: Ethical Leadership in Public Service (4 quarter hours)

JD Core Required Courses

• LAW 101: Applied Legal Skills (1 semester hour)
• LAW 105: Contracts (4 semester hours)
• LAW 112: Legal Analysis Research and Communication I (2 semester hours)
• LAW 115: Legal Analysis Research and Communication III (3 semester hours)
• LAW 119: Legal Analysis Research and Communications II (3 semester hours)
• LAW 120: Civil Procedure (4 semester hours)
• LAW 130: Preparing to Practice I (0 semester hours)
• LAW 131: Preparing to Practice II (0 semester hours)
• LAW 140: Constitutional Law (4 semester hours)
• LAW 160: Property (4 semester hours)
• LAW 170: Tort Law (4 semester hours)
• LAW 481: Legal Profession (3 semester hours)
• LAW 506: Criminal Law (3 semester hours)
• LAW 213: Domestic Violence Practicum (3 semester hours)
• LAW 559: Foreign Exchange: Madrid, Spain (1-4 semester hours)

Experiential Education Requirement

Students must complete at least six credit hours of experiential education courses from the list of approved courses.

Advanced Writing Requirement

Students must select one of the following courses to fulfill the advanced writing requirement:

• LAW 250: Senior Research Seminar
• LAW 227: Children's Human Rights Under International Law
• LAW 258: Women's Human Rights Under International Law
• LAW 427: Appellate Technique
• LAW 428: Independent Study
• LAW 429: Legal Clinic I (Advanced Criminal Appeals ONLY)
• LAW 455: Legal Drafting
• LAW 514: Legal Clinic II (Advanced Criminal Appeals ONLY)
• LAW 559: Foreign Exchange: Madrid, Spain (Master's Thesis)

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Requirement

JD students matriculating Autumn 2022 or later must complete one course from the list of approved courses that include substantial engagement with the legal system's relationship with social inequality, racism, and/or other forms of bias.

Admission

Students seeking a joint degree with a college outside of the College of Law must independently apply and be admitted to the other graduate degree program. Full-time law students typically apply to the other graduate program in the summer prior to their second year of law school. Part-time law students typically apply to the other graduate degree program in the spring semester of their second year.

Combined Credits and Expenses

Full-time joint degree students generally complete the program in four years. Part-time applicants generally complete the joint degree program in five years. A student may accelerate the program by taking classes in the summer or by taking more courses during the academic year.

Grading Standards

Joint degree students must meet the grading standards of the College of Law and the respective graduate degree program in order to remain in good standing. Grades are recorded on the transcript under the college in which the courses are taken, and the combined degree is recorded after graduation.

Leaves of Absence/Withdrawal

Students must receive permission from both colleges to take a leave of absence from the joint degree program or to withdraw from the joint degree program. A leave of absence is granted for a maximum of one year. If a student does not enroll in classes after one year, he or she will be permanently withdrawn from both programs and only may re-enroll by applying to the admission offices of both colleges as a new student.

Graduation

To receive the joint degree, a student must graduate from both schools on the same date, in the same semester/quarter and in the same year. Double counting of credits occurs only after concurrent completion of both programs.