Dual Degrees and Certifications

 

Dual Degree Programs

Colorado Law is a part of an Association of American Universities' level-one research university and therefore offers rich opportunities for interdisciplinary study through seven dual degree programs with other University of Colorado schools and colleges. These dual degree programs offer students a way to integrate their study of law with other disciplines while earning course credit towards both degrees simultaneously. The Law School works in cooperation with these other schools to design and select courses in each program that allow students to earn a dual degree in less time than it takes to earn each degree separately.

Students apply separately to and are admitted by the two schools under their respective admissions procedures and standards. Students may elect a dual degree program at the time of initial application to both schools, or they may apply to one school after having enrolled in the other; however, only credits earned after Law School enrollment count toward the JD degree. The Law School requires that students take the first year of the JD curriculum as a unit exclusively in the Law School. Find details of each dual degree program in the Rules of the Law School. Tuition rates and fees for each program vary, depending on whether the student is doing the dual degree at the University of Colorado Boulder campus or at another campus. Students interested in pursuing a dual degree should contact the registrar's office and the relevant program advisor.

Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration (JD/MBA) with CU Boulder's Leeds School of Business:

This program allows students to earn a JD and a MBA over four years. The JD / MBA program  exposes students to the full law school curriculum, including contracts law, as well as MBA areas including strategy, management, and finance. The combined JD / MBA skill set is attractive to corporations, accounting firms, insurance companies, financial institutions, and other employers. This program also may lead to executive leadership roles, such as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer, in companies and firms. Moreover, graduates with advanced legal and business expertise are marketable as legal counsel with expertise in corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, real estate, as well as emerging company work. Students interested in enrolling in the JD/MBA program should contact Professor Brad Bernthal.

JD/MBA Info Sheet

Juris Doctor/Master in Environmental Studies (JD/ENVS) or Juris Doctor/Doctorate in Environmental Studies (JD/PhD) with CU Boulder's Environmental Studies Program:

CU has nationally renowned programs in both environmental law and environmental studies. The master's is a four-year program and the doctorate is a five-year program. Students take courses in the core areas of the law and a range of natural resources and environmental fields that encompass the legal, policy, and scientific disciplines, including environmental law, water resources law, public land law, climate change law and policy, environmental philosophy, and environmental science. Graduates have the skills to impact future policies in government, industry, law firms, or non-profit organizations and confront issues in ecosystem management, water and air quality, policy development, mineral and oil mining, wildlife conservation, and public and private land ownership. Students interested in enrolling in either of these programs should contact Professor Mark Squillace.

Juris Doctor/Doctor of Medicine (JD/MD) with CU Denver's School of Medicine on the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora:

Students study the science of healthcare delivery and the legal and financial organization of the healthcare industry. The six-year program lays a scientific foundation for further medical education and begins to equip students for a lifetime of learning, research, clinical care, and community service. Special interests can include litigation, bioethics, public health, neurology, women's health, or pulmonary medicine. Careers can focus on medical malpractice litigation, managed care and health policy, governmental regulation, healthcare administration arenas, intellectual property issues in biotechnology, and environmental law and policy. Students interested in enrolling in the JD/MD program should contact the Associate Dean For Academic Affairs.

Juris Doctor/Master of Public Administration (JD/MPA) with CU Denver's School of Public Affairs:

This four-year program encourages an interdisciplinary education in government, public policy, and law, covering areas of public management, policy analysis, public finance, and human resources management. Through electives, students develop a specialization in nonprofit management, domestic violence, local government, environmental policy and management, and emergency management and homeland security. Graduates are prepared for leadership positions within public interest organizations, state or local government agencies, administrative agencies, and law firms representing public-sector clients, healthcare, and nonprofit organizations. Students interested in enrolling in the JD/MPA program should contact Professor Helen Norton.

Juris Doctor/Master of Urban and Regional Planning (JD/MURP) with CU Denver's College of Architecture and Planning:

Students in this four-year program will learn constitutional, criminal, and contract law as well as root causes of urban and regional problems, urban spatial analysis, and planning methods. Courses will explain strategies that deploy policies, plans, resources, and regulatory approaches to create environments suited to human and ecological needs, and methods for evaluating the human and environmental consequences of urban problems. Graduate address issues at the interface of policy and law, emphasizing the use of land and real estate, and the management of the public lands and natural resources (including mineral and energy resources). Graduates who focus on local or global economic development and law will have unique perspectives on private enterprise, corporate regulation, labor markets, poverty, and international relations. Students interested in enrolling in the JD/MURP program should contact the Associate Dean For Academic Affairs.

Certificate Programs

Colorado Law offers certificate programs, including a Tax Emphasis Program, that demonstrate a completion of a concentrated course of study in a specific legal field. Certificates require at least 92 credit hours (89 are required for the JD), with at least 18 or 21 of the 92 hours in designated courses.

Students can complete a certificate program within the normal three-year law degree period by planning the program of law study effectively and taking a summer session or a heavier-than-average load each semester after the first year. Law students who wish to participate in the program should submit enrollment form no later than the end of their 2L year (June 1st at the latest). Certificates are only available for current JD students only.

Certificate Signup Form

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