DENVER—With an increasing focus on the cost of higher education and reducing the amount of money and time individuals spend on their formal education, the University of Denver now offers a joint degree program in which students can earn a bachelor’s degree and a law degree in six years instead of the typical seven.
The 6-year Bachelors/JD Program will place the University of Denver among the ranks of just 16 other institutions across the United States that offers similar degrees. Currently, there are no such courses of study in Colorado.
“Students admitted to the program will spend the first three years of their DU careers fulfilling all of the requirements of their undergraduate education,” said Martin L. Katz, Dean of the Sturm College of Law at the University of Denver. “Their next three years will be spent fulfilling the requirements of the Juris Doctor degree.”
By double-counting 39 hours of graduate law classes as elective undergraduate credits, students in the 6-year Bachelors/JD Program will be able to complete the requirements for the two degrees a year early.
There are two opportunities for entrance into the program: pre-first year admission and junior year admission.
Pre-first year admissions will be limited to students who have excellent pre-admission predictors of college and graduate school success. These predictors include superb high school transcripts and premium SAT scores for high school graduates and accomplished college transcripts for undergraduate students. These scholars will have an interview with the College of Law Admissions Committee or its delegate. Those with a strong and informed interest in a law school education and a high level of maturity can be admitted to the direct admissions track.
University of Denver undergraduates in their junior year can apply for the 6-year Bachelors/JD Program. Such students must have completed all requirements for their undergraduate education by the end of their junior year.
“More students today are seeking multiple degrees,” said Katz. “They recognize that getting a graduate degree, in addition to their B.A. or B.S. degree, makes them more competitive in the job market.”
Katz adds that this course of study will demand strict attention from its students.
“Requirements for this program are rigorous,” Katz said. “We anticipate enrolling a small number of DU undergraduate students with excellent academic credentials and a strong desire to pursue the many rewarding careers that earning a law degree allows.”
The 6-year Bachelors/JD Program is expected to begin the fall of 2014. Applications will be accepted beginning September 1, 2013. For more information, please contact Iain Davis at (303)871-6128.