LMU offers a Combined Degree Completion Pathway through which students may obtain both the Juris Doctor (JD) degree and the Master of Science in Criminal Justice (MSCJ) degree. Students enrolled in LMU Law School’s JD program must successfully complete ninety (90) credit hours. The program of legal education includes sixty-seven (67) credit hours of required courses and twenty-three (23) hours of elective courses. Students enrolled in the LMU MSCJ program must successfully complete thirty (30) credit hours, including eighteen (18) required credit hours and twelve (12) elective credit hours. Students enrolled in the JD-MSCJ Combined Degree Completion Pathway may use up to twelve (12) credit hours of coursework in approved JD elective courses to fulfill MSCJ program elective credit hours.
You must apply to and qualify for each program separately. Admission to one program does not guarantee admission to the other program.
JD Curriculum
LMU offers a traditional three-year, full-time JD program that averages fifteen (15) credit hours/semester. For information on the JD Curriculum, consult the LMU Duncan School of Law Student Handbook and Catalog.
MSCJ Curriculum
Students in the JD-MSCJ Combined Degree Completion Pathway program must complete the following courses:
JD-MSCJ Combined Degree Completion Pathway Notes
- Required MSCJ courses will be offered in a rotation during the summer terms. Combined Degree students may take up to twelve (12) hours of MSCJ coursework during a summer semester if they are NOT taking any law courses. In a summer semester, students enrolled in any law course may only take seven (7) total credit hours of coursework in any program.
- The MSCJ portion of the JD-MSCJ Combined Degree Completion Pathway may be completed in any combination of Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters except for the Fall and Spring semesters of the 1L year and the semester immediately following graduation while preparing for the bar examination. Students taking more than sixteen (16) combined credit hours of coursework in a Fall or Spring semester must seek permission to do so from the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the LMU Duncan School of Law. In a Fall or Spring semester, no student enrolled in law courses may take more than eighteen (18) credit hours of any kind, including law courses and graduate program courses.
- Students enrolled in LMU JD-MSCJ Combined Degree Completion Pathway are encouraged to complete elective requirements in either program through an externship in a legal setting that primarily serves the public, nonprofit, and health care sectors. Students seeking elective credit through an externship for the JD-MSCJ Combined Degree Completion Pathway must receive written approval from both the law school’s Director of Experiential Learning and the MSCJ Program Director. See the course description for Externship I/II below for more information.
- Combined Degree Completion Pathway students MUST consult with their advisor prior to registering for courses. Students will pay the MSCJ tuition rate for courses in the MSCJ program and the JD tuition rate for courses in the JD program, including those used to fulfill MSCJ requirements. Any merit scholarship awarded as part of admission to the JD program will be appliedonly to courses in the JD program.
JD-MSCJ Program Admission Requirements
- Applicants to JD-MSCJ Combined Degree Completion Pathway must meet the admissions requirements for each program individually. For admissions requirements to the LMU Duncan School of Law, consult the LMU Duncan School of Law Student Handbook and Catalog.