Master of Arts, International Relations/Juris Doctor (MA/JD)

The USC Gould School of Law and the School of International Relations jointly offer a three-year program leading to the JD and MA degrees. (Students may extend the dual degree program to four years.) Applicants must apply to both the law school and the School of International Relations and meet requirements for admission to both. In addition to the LSAT, students interested in this program are required to take the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE). Law students may apply to the School of International Relations during their first year at the law school.

In the first year, students take their course work in the law school exclusively. The second and third years include 24 units of courses in international relations and 40 units of law. Students pursuing the dual degree must complete LAW 662  or LAW 764  and one additional international law course. To earn the JD, all students (including dual degree students) must complete 35 numerically graded law units at USC after the first year. The associate dean may make exceptions to this rule for students enrolled in law school honors programs.

Students pursuing the dual degree must complete 24 units within the School of International Relations at the 500 level or above. These students are required to successfully complete IR 500 International Relations Theory , either IR 513 Social Science and Historical Research Methods: Introduction to Research Design  or IR 517 International Policy Analysis , and two domain courses selected from among IR 502 Conflict and Cooperation , IR 509 Culture, Gender, and Global Society , IR 521 Introduction to Foreign Policy Analysis  and IR 541 Politics of the World Economy . Like all other international relations master’s degree programs, students in the dual degree program must complete a substantive paper or alternative project. The requirements, standards and evaluation procedure for the substantive paper are identical to those listed above for all MA students except that one member of the examining committee must come from the law school.