Dual Degree Program (JD/Phd) - William S. Boyd School of Law at UNLV

Conferences

The William S. Boyd School of Law and the UNLV College of Education offer a dual Juris Doctor/Ph.D. in Education (J.D./Ph.D.) degree program that allows students admitted to both programs to pursue the two degrees concurrently. Individuals seeking this dual degree will obtain a J.D. degree and a Ph.D. in of the following:

Educational Psychology (with an emphasis in Foundations or School Psychology)
Higher Education Leadership
Special Education

Pursued individually, the J.D. degree requires the completion of 89 credit hours and the Ph.D. degree requires the completion of a minimum of 67-72 (dependent upon program) credit hours. The J.D./Ph.D. degree would require the completion of 80 law credit hours and a minimum of 54-63 (dependent upon program) education credit hours, as 9 hours of education courses are accepted toward the J.D. degree and 9-18 (dependent upon program) hours of law courses are accepted toward the Ph.D. degree.

Applicants to the J.D./Ph.D. degree program must apply for, and gain admission to both the Boyd School of Law J.D. program and to the College of Education Ph.D. program, respectively. For more information on the College of Education Ph.D. program application procedures, interested individuals should contact the College of Education at (702) 895-3374 or visit education.unlv.edu. When seeking admission to each of the two schools, applicants are asked to submit with each application a statement indicating their wish to pursue the dual J.D./Ph.D.

While applications from current students in either program will be considered, students normally should secure admission to each program upon entering the university. However, petitions requesting admission to the dual J.D./Ph.D. program from students at more advanced stages in either program will be considered.

Under American Bar Association standards, the Boyd School of Law cannot award credit for any coursework taken prior to matriculation into the J.D. program. J.D./Ph.D. candidates therefore normally must enroll at the Boyd School of Law and complete on year of study before taking any Ph.D. courses.

J.D. Curriculum

	Required Law Courses:	44 credits*
	Civil Procedures/ADR I	3
	Civil Procedures/ADR II	3
	Constitutional Law I	3
	Constitutional Law II	3
	Contracts	5
	Criminal Law	3
	Lawyering Process I	3
	Lawyering Process II	3
	Upper-level writing-intensive course (one of various courses)	1-3
	Professional Responsibility	3
	Property I	3
	Property II	2
	Torts	4
	Third Semester Lawyering Process Course	3
	* First-year required courses are prerequisites to all upper-level law courses.
	Directed Electives at Law School	9 credits
	Students in the J.D./Ph.D. program must successfully complete at least 9 credits from the following list:
	Alternative Dispute Resolution Survey	3
	Capital Defense Clinic	1-6
	Child Welfare Clinic	1-6
	Disability Law	3
	Education Clinic	1-6
	Education Law and Policy	2-3
	Employment Discrimination Law	3
	Family Law	3
	Government and Public Interest Externship	1-12
	Immigration Clinic	1-6
	Juvenile Justice Clinic	2-3
	Juvenile Law	3
	Mediation	2-3
	Negotiation	2-3
	Special Topics: Legal Issues in Education	2
	Free Electives at Law School:	27 credits
	Students in the JD/Ph.D. program must complete 27 other credits of "free" electives at the law school. These "free" electives may come from the list of directed electives or from any other elective offered at the law school. Students anticipating practice in a certain area are encouraged to refer to the Course Planning Guide in the Law School Student Policy Handbook for suggested course sequences.
	Ph.D. Curriculum: Educational Psychology
	Research Methods Core Courses	15
	Learning/Development Core Courses	10
	Ph.D. Emphasis Area Courses*	12
	Required Dissertation in Educational Psychology	12
	Specialization Strand Core Courses
	Each specialization strand within the Ph.D. in Educational Psychology has a distinct set of core requirements.
	Foundations Strand Core Courses	18
	School Psychology Strand Core Courses	24

	* Ph.D. students are required to identify a special emphasis area in addition to the specialization strand coursework. For the JD/PhD program, this emphasis area will be comprised of 12 credits from the required law degree coursework.
	Ph.D. Curriculum: Higher Education Leadership
	Required Core Courses	18
	Research Courses	12
	Higher Education Electives	9
	Dissertation in Higher Education Leadership	15

	Ph.D. Curriculum: Special Education
	Required Special Education Core Courses	26
	Required Education Research Courses	15
	Required Special Education Disability Studies Courses	10
	Required Special Education Leadership Courses	9
	Family Law	3
	Required Dissertation in Special Education	12

	For specific course listings, please see individual departments in the College of Education at education.unlv.edu.

Contact the College of Education at (702) 895-3374 or http://education.unlv.edu/