Penn State Dickinson School of Law

The Dickinson School of Law (DSL) and the Higher Education Program (HI ED) offer a joint degree program leading to a Juris Doctor (J.D.); and a Master of Education (M.Ed.), a Doctor of Education (D.Ed.), or a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Higher Education.

Admissions Requirements

The number of openings in the joint degree J.D./M.Ed., D.Ed. or Ph.D. program will be limited to students with an outstanding academic record who have successfully completed a minimum of 22 credits at The Dickinson School of Law. Applicants to the joint degree program:

must have been admitted to The Dickinson School of Law
should have successfully completed 22 credits course work at The Dickinson School of Law with a grade point average of 3.0
must submit two letters of recommendations from The Dickinson School of Law faculty
must submit a career statement

Note: students are eligible to start taking courses in the HI ED program after successfully completing a minimum of 22 credits with the law school.

College Specific Admissions Requirements

DSL: We consider each application in its entirety, including academic transcripts, leadership activities, community activities, work experience, personal background, letters of recommendation, personal statement(s), LSAT score(s) and LSAT writing sample. Through consideration, the admissions committee seeks to identify candidates for law study who are academically prepared for the study of law and who will contribute to the promotion of diversity and excellence in the student body and the legal profession. The committee has no computational methods for making decisions. An applicant should have acquired significant oral and written communication skills before entering law school. The following are required of applicants: a completed electronic or paper application form for DSL; the $60 application fee (credit card payment acceptable) or the fee waiver application; the Law School Admissions Service (LSAC) Report, which should include the results from the Law School Admissions Test(s) (LSAT), transcripts from every undergraduate school attended, and letters of recommendation (academic references preferred) submitted via the LSAC LOR service; and finally, a current and complete resume, and the personal statement(s) which may be submitted as attachments with your electronic application or paper application.

HI ED: The following are required of all applicants: a completed Graduate School application; submission of the results of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), Miller Analogy Test (MAT), or LSAT; an official undergraduate transcript or transcripts; a personal statement; employment records since high school; and four letters of recommendation.

Application Process

Students must complete the following Penn State applications, along with any other requirements in the College Specific Admissions Requirements section above. These applications may be completed simultaneously.

DSL Admissions Application

Graduate School Application

Select: Apply Now or Continue Application in Progress
Select: I am applying to, have been admitted to, or am currently enrolled in, the Penn State Dickinson School of Law and wish to apply to an approved joint degree program.
Print and complete this application and mail it to the address indicated on the last page of the application.

International Applicants

All international applicants whose first language is not English or who have not received baccalaureate or master's degrees from an institution in which the language of instruction is English must take the Test of English as a Second Language (TOEFL) and submit the results of that test with the application for admission. A TOEFL score of 550 on the paper test or a score of 213 on the computer-based test, or 80 points on the new Internet-based test with a minimum of 23 points on the new speaking portion; or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with a minimum composite score of 6.5 is required for admission.

Residency

Students will normally spend four semesters in residence at DSL and as many additional semesters in residence as needed to complete the additional requirements for the pertinent HI ED degree. Ph.D. candidates must arrange the sequence of semesters to ensure that they are in residence as full-time students in the HI ED program for at least two consecutive semesters (Fall-Spring or Spring-Fall) excluding summer in a single twelve-month period. Ph.D. candidates must take at least 90 credits, of which at least 30 credits must be earned at the University Park campus.

College Liaisons

The department and faculty liaisons for DSL shall be the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the student advisor will be the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs or such other faculty member(s) as may be designated by the Dean. The liaison for HI ED shall be the Professor-in-Charge (PIC) or such faculty member(s) as may be designated by the PIC.

College Prescribed Curriculum

DSL: All students in the J.D. program are required to take the first-year curriculum in DSL. In the second or third year, students must take CORE 934 (Professional Responsibility).

HI ED:

Ph.D. Candidates

Core Courses (15 credits)

HI ED 548 (3), HI ED 552 (3), HI ED 554 (3), HI ED 556 (3), HI ED 562 (3)

Research Requirements (12 credits)

Basic Statistics through Multivariate Analysis (6 credits from course such as, EDPSY 400, EDPSY 406, EDPSY 507, EDPSY STAT 500, STAT 501, STAT 502, AG 400, R SOC 573) plus HI ED 585 (3) and
HI ED 586 (3)

Advanced Study/Specialization in Higher Education (12 credits)

Options include any non-core higher education courses and any “law and higher education” courses

Cognate/Minor in Law (15 credits minimum): Any law courses

Proposal Writing (3-9 credits) HI ED 594

Ph.D. Dissertation

Non-credit; but must maintain continuous registration after completion of coursework and Oral Comprehensive Exam. Enrollment will be in either HI ED 601 (full time) or HI ED 611 (part time)

Ph.D. Candidates

Core Courses (15 credits)

HI ED 548 (3), HI ED 552 (3), HI ED 554 (3), HI ED 556 (3), HI ED 562 (3)

Advanced Study/Specialization in Higher Education (12 credits)

Options include any non-core higher education courses and any “law and higher education” courses

Cognate/Minor in Law (15 credits minimum): Any law courses

Proposal Writing (3–9 credits) HI ED 594

Internship (9 credits optional based on previous employment or experience in higher education administration) HI ED 595

Thesis Research (3-9 credits) HI ED 594

Dissertation (15 credits minimum) HI ED 600 or HI ED 610

M.Ed. Candidates – must satisfy 30 credits for degree

Required Courses (9 credits) – HI ED 545 and any two of the following courses HI ED 548 (3),
HI ED 552 (3), HI ED 554 (3), HI ED 556 (3), HI ED 562 (3)
Research methods (3 credits)
Minor field or General Studies Grouping (6 credits)
HI ED 596 Master's Paper (3 credits)
Elective course (3 credits)

Inter-program Transfer of Credits

DSL: A maximum of twelve (12) credits for HI ED course work may be transferred for credit toward the J.D. degree at DSL. Students must obtain a grade satisfactory to DSL for the course work to be credited towards the J.D. degree.

The following HI ED courses may qualify for credit in DSL: HI ED 545 (3), HI ED 546 (2-3),
HI ED 552 (3), HI ED 560 (3), HI ED 587 (3)

HI ED: What courses may be credited will be determined by the student's degree program. Normally a maximum of twelve (12) credits of DSL course work will be counted for credit for the minimum requirements for a master's degree, subject to approval by the student's advisory committee. Normally, a maximum of 30 credits from a master's degree program will be counted for credit for the minimum requirements for a Ph.D. or Ph.D. degree.

Sequence of Study

The sequence of courses will be determined by the student and their advisors. Students must successfully complete a minimum of 22 credits with the law school before beginning the HI ED program. HI ED courses completed prior to the successful completion of the minimum 22 law credits will not be permitted to count toward the J.D. degree.

Recommended Program of Study and Advising

All students in the program will have two advisors, one from DSL and one from HI ED. Periodic interaction between the two advisors will be encouraged. A program of study will be developed for each student, taking into account the fact that some courses at both locations are offered on a rotating or intermittent basis. Many courses are offered every year but some are offered every two or three years. Advisors will have available a list of projected relevant courses or educational experiences in order to work with the student on an individualized program of study. The standard committee structure will apply to the HI ED programs.

Tuition

Students will be charged the applicable DSL tuition to cover the J.D. program and the applicable graduate tuition to cover the HI ED degree program. DSL tuition will be paid for the semesters in which the student is registered for DSL courses, and graduate tuition will be paid for the semesters in which the student is registered for graduate courses in the HI ED program. A student may take up to one course (3 credit hours) per semester in the program where the student is not primarily registered without any change in tuition, but must pay additional tuition to the program that the student is not primarily registered if he or she wishes to take additional course work pursuant to that program during the semester.

Financial Aid and Assistantships

Decisions on financial aid and assistantships will be made by each school according to that school's procedures.

Higher Education (HI ED) course list

Dickinson School of Law (DSL) course list