Juris Doctor Dual Programs

Juris Doctor/Master of Social Work (JD/MSW)

Pursued individually, the JD requires the completion of 89 credit hours and the MSW requires the completion of 60 credit hours. The dual MSW/JD degree would require the completion of 80 law credit hours and 51 social work credit hours, as 9 hours of law courses are accepted toward the MSW and 9 hours of social work courses are accepted toward the JD.

Applicants to the JD/MSW degree program must apply for, and gain admission to, both the Boyd School of Law JD program and to the School of Social Work MSW program, respectively. Admission requirements are the same as those listed under the regular JD and MSW programs.

While applications from current students in either program will be considered, students normally should seek and satisfy admission to enter both programs upon entering the university. However, petitions requesting admission to the dual JD/MSW program from students at more advanced stages in either program will be considered.

Those interested are encouraged to submit a request for permission to participate in the program, along with applications for admission, at the earliest possible time. Contact the William S. Boyd School of Law at (702) 895-2440 and the UNLV School of Social Work programs at (702) 895-3311 or http://socialwork.unlv.edu/ for further information on admissions requirements.

 Juris Doctor/Doctor of Philosophy in Education (JD/PhD)

The William S. Boyd School of Law and the UNLV College of Education offer a dual  Educational Psychology & Juris Doctor Dual Ph.D./J.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. one 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 one year of study before taking any Ph.D. courses.

Curriculum: Educational Psychology Ph.D. 

• 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.

Curriculum: Higher Education Leadership Ph.D. 

• Required Core Courses 18
• Research Courses 12
• Higher Education Electives 9
• Dissertation in Higher Education Leadership 15

Curriculum: Special Education Ph.D. 

• 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