JD/MPP Programs
A Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree, also offered through McGeorge School of Law, may be earned while pursuing the JD degree. The dual JD-MPP requires a minimum total of 112 units, typically adding a fourth year of enrollment for a Day Division student or a fifth year of enrollment for an Evening Division student. Students pursuing the JD/MPP Dual Degree take only JD courses in their first year of enrollment and then both JD and PUB courses in subsequent years consistent with academic advising for the two degrees. The GPA requirements for graduation of the two degrees must be met: A minimum of 2.33 for the JD and a minimum of 3.0 for the MPP calculated on the basis of LAW courses taken toward the JD and on the basis of PUB courses taken toward the MPP.
Admission
Students must be admitted separately to the McGeorge School of Law JD Program and to the program that will confer the Master’s degree. Admittance to McGeorge’s JD Program does not guarantee admission into other degree programs, even those housed within the McGeorge School of Law.
Approval
JD students who want to pursue a dual degree should consult with the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs regarding their planned course of study. You can schedule an appointment by contacting the Office of Student Affairs at sacstudentaffairs@pacific.edu or 916.739.7089. They should also schedule an appointment for Program Director of the Public Policy program at the earliest stages of planning. Students in the Directed Study Program may not pursue the JD/MPP dual degree without approval of both the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and the Public Policy Program Director.
Transfer of Credit
To be accepted by McGeorge as elective credit toward the JD unit requirements, the credit (1) must be for graduate level courses, and (2) must have been earned concurrently between initial matriculation and graduation from the McGeorge JD program. An official transcript of completed course work must be furnished to the Registrar; only the number of units (not grades) accepted are reflected on the McGeorge JD transcript.
Application of Units to the JD and MPP Degrees
The JD/MPP Dual Degree program allows students to earn both degrees with a reduced total of 112 units, instead of 127 if taken separately (JD – 88, MPP – 39). Of the 112 total units, 88 units must be applied to the JD under ABA rules. The reduction is achieved by the following: 1) for the MPP degree, waiving two required LAW courses (6 units), LAW 201: Law for Public Administration and LAW 517 Statutes and Regulations, and one LAW elective (3 units) from the approved list of LAW courses required for the MPP concentration; and 2) for the JD degree, allowing students to take 2 PUB courses (6 units), from the approved MPP core curriculum as electives for the JD.
Other Programs
Occasionally, a JD student may be interested in pursuing a Master's degree in an area in which a dual degree program is not available, such as public administration, history, international relations, or social work. The student should consult with the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs to determine if any credit for the Master's program coursework would be accepted by McGeorge. Upon approval of a written proposal, up to 9 units of credit may be accepted toward the JD degree.
Blended, 3+2 Programs, for a BA or BS from the University of the Pacific and an MPP are described in the catalog sections for those degrees.
