I've heard about students who have been able to set up ad hoc joint degree programs at various institutions and thereby graduate with two degrees in a shorter amount of time than would have been the case had they opted for the two degrees individually.

Some examples: an LLM degree from Columbia Law and a MIA degree from Columbia SIPA, in two or two and a half years; or an LLM from Harvard and a MALD from the Fletcher School, in two or two and a half years.

If anyone is contemplating, or have completed, such studies, it would be helpful to hear your views and some info on the logistics of it all.

Kind regards

Hey W,

It is possible to do a LLM-MALD degree in less than 3 years under an ad hoc set-up. Harvard and Fletcher have an established cross registration scheme which makes everything easier. You need to be admitted to both places separately, and then defer admission by one year at one of the schools. You can start at Fletcher and do two semester, then move to Harvard for a full LLM year at the end of which you transfer the credits earned at Harvard towards the MALD at Fletcher. You'll spend the final 5th semester at. All in all, you save one semester and get two fantastic degrees.

As for the Columbia Law/SIPA joint degree it is ad hoc, i.e. not formally offered and you have to be admitted to both schools.

The hole shebang can be done in 2 years if you sign up for summer classes and turn down holiday trips... normally you will need to spend 3 semesters at SIPA and 2 at the law school.

It is a really cool joint degree that offers the best of both worlds. At SIPA you meet cool and passionate people who you will call friends for a long time, at CLS you will get a degree that will render you job offers ;-)

Good luck

"The final 5th semester at FLETCHER", of course.

Best of luck to you W

Hi Westphalia,

Another option would be to do the LLM/MALD entirely at the Fletcher School. I found the following info on their website and plan to apply:

"Can I pursue a joint degree in conjunction with the LL.M.?

Yes. Students can pursue a joint degree with Fletchers Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy (MALD) program. A joint LL.M./MALD degree would require 2 ½ years (5 semesters) to complete. MALD students who wish to pursue a joint MALD/LL.M. degree must apply separately for the LL.M. program by the end of their first academic year. The five semesters of study must be contiguous. Please keep in mind that the LL.M. Program is a full academic program for a complete academic year beginning in the fall. Students may not start the program in January or during the summer."

Best of luck
/-/ S

Thanks!

The big issue now is of course to get admitted. What qualifications did you guys have?

Hey all,

For those interested in a shorter program in law and business there's always the "Wharton Business and Law Certificate" at UPenn Law School or the "The Advanced Professional Certificate in Law and Business" at NYU School of Law.

Certainly a certificate is not an MBA but if you want to fast-track your way to a law firm with at least some kind of business sense, they are both are good options. I took the one at NYU a couple of years ago and it was great. I've been doing M&A related work since and often think that I have had more use of the business classes that I took than the law classes.

Aim high!

Westphalia,

I had a B.A. in philosophy and a JD equivalent from a top law school in my home country with decent grades and had worked for 3+ years (law firm + government) prior to the LLM/MIA. My TOEFL score was acceptable. I had a UN type internship somewhere in the mix. I believe that I wrote a pretty sweet personal letter, I had a clear idea as to what I wanted to do at Columbia, what professors to study for et cetera. Admissions are not based on science, so I guess it is a combination of things, and, in the end, you need a bit of luck. Some people are bound to get in anywhere, I was not one of them and had accepted the fate of enrolling at schools further down on my list but Santa was good to me that year. SIPA is not at all as competitive as CLS, especially not if youre already enrolled at CLS. SIPA is a great school though, Ive met so many interesting people there. Law school is a lot more strict and business oriented.

Go for Columbia if you can! New York is an awesome city, on top of everything.

W,

I didn't enroll in the joint degree program so perhaps my qualifications are not of interest to you. I was admitted to the MALD though. It's a great program (save for the fact that, unlike the LLM, it does not allow you to take the bar exam). But if the bar is your main motive, you wouldn't go for the MALD in the first place.

BA in law with great grades from a not so great Uni. 3 yrs in the field (int'l org & NGO), another year and a half working on semi-relevant stuff (i-banking), two publications and that's about it.

You should think about why you need the extra Master's degree before you shoot for a dual degree. You could start a PhD instead.

Thanks for all the info guys!

I still haven't decided on the joint degree option. Time is running out, the Fletcher deadline is Jan 15.. It's a good point Tinfoil about getting a PhD (or JSD/SJD) instead of another Masters. A PhD will certainly give anyone interested in working for an int'l organization an edge.

I've got 4 applications out for LLM programs. It was hard to complete the applications but even harder to wait for the admissions decisions. I didn't opt for the early admissions cycle and is therefore stuck waiting until March or so... While your credentials give me an idea about what's required, I understand that I will have to wait patiently.

Why should it be that hard?

I certainly have the opportunity to attend an respectable Ivy League school and tout about a meaningless douche-bag degree just the same as any of you. However: you can get both a LLM and an MA in a year in England. Why struggle with Harvard's overrated bullshit when you can get better quality degrees from well-rated schools in a quarter the time? Check out this program:

http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fass/law/prospective/postgrad/llmint.htm

Uni Lancaster has a one-year dual major in LLM International Law and MA International Relations. Atop of that, the school is ranked 170th best university in the world, and beats many, many American institutions in related fields. Being an American ex-patriot, I just don't see the logic in blowing your money on a stupid Ivy League school.