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Doctor of Philosophy in Education (JD/PhD)
Overview
The William S. Boyd School of Law and the UNLV College of Education offer a dual Juris Doctor/PhD in Education (JD/PhD) degree program that allows students admitted to both programs to pursue the two degrees concurrently.
Visit the UNLV College of Education website for more information.
Credit Requirements
Pursued individually, the JD degree requires the completion of 89 credit hours and the PhD degree requires the completion of a minimum of 67-72 (dependent upon program) credit hours. The JD/PhD 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 JD degree and 9-18 (dependent upon program) hours of law courses are accepted toward the PhD degree.
Application & Matriculation
Dual degree students receive the JD degree and the transfer of PhD credits only when both degree programs are completed. A dual degree student who does not finish the PhD degree will be able to count just six credits of PhD or other graduate course work toward the JD degree.
Applicants to the JD/PhD degree program must apply for, and gain admission to, both the Boyd School of Law JD program and to the College of Education PhD program, respectively.
Applicants must include a statement in each application indicating the desire to pursue the dual JD/PhD degree.
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 JD/PhD 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 JD program. JD/PhD candidates therefore normally must enroll at the Boyd School of Law and complete on year of study before taking any PhD courses.
Required Law Courses:
44 credits*
Civil Procedure/Alternative Dispute Resolution I
3
Civil Procedure/Alternative Dispute Resolution II
3
Constitutional Law I
3
Constitutional Law II
3
Contracts
5
Criminal Law
3
Lawyering Process I
3
Lawyering Process II
3
Upper-level writing-intensive course (one of various courses)
2-3
Professional Responsibility
3
Property I
3
Property II
2
Torts
4
Third Semester Lawyering Process Course
3
* First-year required courses are prerequisites to all upper-level law courses.
Directed Electives at Law School
9 credits
Students in the JD/PhD program must successfully complete at least 12 credits from the following list.
Alternative Dispute Resolution Survey
3
Appellate Clinic
1-6
Children in Society
3
Disability Law
3
Education Advocacy Clinic
1-6
Education Law and Policy
2-3
Family Justice Clinic
1-6
Family Law
3
Government and Public Interest Externship
1-12
Immigration Clinic
1-6
Immigration Law
3
Juvenile Justice Clinic
2-3
Mediation
2-3
Mediation Clinic
1-6
Negotiation
2-3
Special Topics: Legal Issues in Education
2
*These courses are not necessarily offered every semester. Students can petition to the Dean of Student Advancement to have additional appropriate courses count as a directed electives.
Free Electives at Law School:
27 credits
Students in the JD/PhD program must complete 27 other credits of "free" electives at the law school. These free electives may come from the list of directed electives or from any other elective offered at the law school. Students anticipating practice in a certain area are encouraged to refer to the Course Planning Guide in the Law School Student Policy Handbook for suggested course sequences.
PhD Curriculum: Educational Psychology:
Research Methods Core Courses
15
Learning/Development Core Courses
10
PhD Emphasis Area Courses
12
Required Dissertation in Educational Psychology
12
Specialization Strand Core Courses
Each specialization strand within the PhD 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.
PhD Curriculum: Higher Education Leadership:
Required Core Courses
18
Research Courses
12
Higher Education Electives
9
Dissertation in Higher Education Leadership
15
PhD Curriculum: Special Education:
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
For specific course listings, please see individual departments in the College of Education at http://education.unlv.edu.
