The dual degree in law and public health involves the Juris Doctor degree from the College of Law and the Master of Public Health from the College of Public Health. The objective of the program is to combine the 3-year JD and the 2-year MPH into four years of study. The program seeks to offer a thorough academic grounding in both law and public health while emphasizing the increasing the convergence of these professional areas.

The JD degree requires a minimum of 90 hours, and the MPH requires a minimum of 44 hours. A dual-degree student will actually complete 80 hours of coursework at the law school, while also receiving credit for 10 hours of relevant coursework completed at the College of Public Health.   Likewise, the College of Public Health will grant a dual-degree student 8 hours of course credit for relevant courses completed at the law school.   All MPH-JD students must begin their studies at the law school for an entire year.  After that year, the student may begin taking courses at the College of Public Health.   Any elective courses will be chosen by the student with the approval of faculty from each college. As part of the required 44 MPH hours, a dual-degree student must satisfactorily complete both a Practicum in accordance with College policies and an examination covering the practicum and the student’s coursework at the College of Public Health.

Students interested in the dual program must be accepted by both colleges.  Both degrees will be awarded during the same academic season.  Each college should be consulted for current requirements. Click here to view a list of recommended and required courses (link opens in new window). For more information, contact Steven Mattachione at steven-mattachione@ouhsc.edu.

The College of Law permits students to pursue unique dual degree programs through other colleges of the University of Oklahoma. Applicants must be admitted separately to the graduate program on the Norman Campus. Students wishing to pursue such a program should contact the College of Law Office of Student Services early on in the application process to obtain a suggested course of action.

The joint J.D. and Master of Arts in International Studies is an accelerated program that exposes students interested in law to political, economic and cultural courses designed to enrich their future international law practice. Persons interested in pursuing the dual J.D./M.A.I.S program must make regular application for admission to be accepted by both the College of Law and the Graduate College. Applicants should apply to M.A.I.S. during the second semester of their first year of law school, by Feb. 15, to begin the following fall semester.

Nine hours of the elective credit will count toward both J.D. and M.A. requirements, allowing the opportunity to combine into four years of study both the three-year J.D. program offered by the College of Law and the two-year M.A.I.S offered by the College of International Studies.

For more information on the M.A.I.S., email mais@ou.edu or call (405) 325-2337.

OU Law and the Department of Native American Studies have created an innovative interdisciplinary program of study that allows a student to earn both a J.D. and an M.A. in only three years, rather than the four years required for separate study. Through this concurrent program, graduates will be not only well-versed in law, but will achieve a broader understanding of its historical and social contexts, as well as the varieties of tribal experience, language, literature, and culture.