Dual and Joint Degrees

Academics
Dual and Joint Degrees

Enrich your education with interdisciplinary study, either within Columbia University or with our partner institutions, and open the door to unique professional opportunities.

Columbia University’s outstanding graduate and professional schools provide Columbia Law students with the chance to participate in the life of a great research university. Through our dual degree programs at the university and joint degree programs with outstanding partner institutions, 1L and 2L students with interdisciplinary interests can further their intellectual exploration and career objectives by pursuing two degrees simultaneously.

Our options include:

10 dual degree programs with other graduate programs at Columbia University.
Joint degree program with the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.
The option to design your own dual or joint degree program (contingent on approval from both schools).

This accelerated pathway saves time and money by allowing you to spend fewer semesters in residence at each school than normal.

If you have questions about our dual and joint degrees, please reach out to Jordan Carr, Associate Director for Academic Counseling.

If you have questions about the J.D./MBA programs specifically, please reach out to Timur Pakay, Director, Reuben Mark Initiative and J.D./MBA Programs.

Recognized Programs
Program Design
Admissions
Tuition and Financial Aid

Dual degree programs at Columbia University:

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (J.D./Ph.D . in selected programs)
Graduate School of Business (Three-Year J.D./MBA or Four-Year J.D./MBA)
Graduate School of Journalism (J.D./M.S.)
Mailman School of Public Health (J.D./M.P.H.)
School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation (J.D./M.S. in Urban Planning)
School of International and Public Affairs (J.D./M.I.A., J.D./M.P.A ., and special programs offered through the Weatherhead East Asian Institute and the Harriman Institute)
School of the Arts (J.D./M.F.A. in Theatre Management & Producing)
School of Social Work (J.D./M.S.W.)

Joint degree programs:

Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. (J.D./M.P.A.)

You can also submit a petition for the Law School to accept one term of full-time residency and up to 12 academic credits for coursework completed toward a graduate degree program at another graduate or professional school, provided the other school reciprocates.

Interested in broadening your horizons on a global scale? Explore our international dual degree programs and other select study abroad programs.

Structure

Students pursuing a dual or joint degree program enroll at one school per term. The sequencing of enrollment varies by program.

You should familiarize yourself with your other school’s policies and graduation requirements—and discuss the applicable residency and academic requirements with both school’s academic advisers—before beginning your program.

Requirements

The Law School’s academic requirements for dual/joint degree students are nearly identical to those for regular, full-time J.D. students. They include:

All first-year foundation courses.
A course in professional responsibility.
A course in Legislation and Regulations
The Major Writing requirement.
The Minor Writing requirement.
A minimum of 40 hours of pro bono service.
At least six points of experiential coursework credit.

However, you must earn a total of 71—rather than the typical 83—Law School credits in order to graduate.

Admissions

Applications for admission to each school (the Law School and the other school offering the degree of your choice) must be filed separately. With the exception of the three-year J.D./MBA Program, there is no communication between the two schools at the application stage—even between schools at Columbia University. Each school’s decision to admit or not admit is based solely on that school’s selection criteria.

You can either apply simultaneously to both schools or apply only to the Law School and then apply to the other school at a later date (or vice versa, in some cases).

If you complete a degree program at another school before matriculating at the Law School, you will not be eligible for a dual/joint degree program. This means you will not receive residence credit or academic credit toward the J.D. degree for your earlier work.

If you are accepted into a recognized dual or joint degree program during your enrollment at the Law School, you should immediately:

Notify the Law School’s Financial Aid Office and Jordan Carr in Student Services.
Submit a Joint Degree Form to Registration Services.

For more information about admission requirements, contact the Office of Admissions at Columbia Law School and the other school to which you are applying.

Tuition

For each school’s entrance requirements, tuition, financial aid policies, and deadlines, visit that school’s website for the most up-to-date information. With the exception of the Columbia Three-Year J.D./MBA program, tuition will be charged according to the rates effective at the school in which the student is in residence each term.

Financial Aid

While financial aid is available, each school’s financial aid office awards financial aid packages separately, and only for the terms in which you will be in residence at its school.

When applying (separately) to the Law School and the other school at which you would like to enroll, you must submit all financial aid documents required by each school. Your financial aid will be managed by the Law School’s Financial Aid Office during the semesters in which you are in residence at the Law School, and by your other school’s Financial Aid Office when you are in residence at that school.