The Dickinson School of Law (DSL) and the Human Resources and Employment Relations Program (HRER) offer a joint degree program leading to a Juris Doctor (J.D.) and a Master of Science (M.S.) in Human Resources and Employment Relations.
Admissions Requirements
The number of openings in the joint degree J.D./M.S. program will be limited to students with an outstanding academic record who have successfully completed the first-year curriculum with the law school. Applicants to the joint degree program:
- must have been admitted to The Dickinson School
of Law
- should have successfully completed the first-year curriculum 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 HRER program after successfully completing the first-year curriculum 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.
HRER: The application for admission to the JD/M.S. HRER program must include the following materials, all of which should be submitted to the LSER Graduate Staff Assistant in 133 Willard Building: A plan of study (to be determined in consultation with the student's Law School Adviser and the Director of the HRER Graduate Program); Two letters of recommendations from Dickinson School of Law faculty; Two transcripts from Dickinson School of Law; A career statement outlining the student's objectives and reasons for applying to the program; and a completed Graduate School application.
Please note that applicants to the J.D./M.S. HRER program are not required to submit GRE, GMAT, or TOEFL scores to the Department of Labor Studies and Employment Relations.
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.
- 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.College Liaisons
The department and faculty liaisons for DSL shall be the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the student advisor shall be the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs or such other faculty member(s) as may be designated by the Dean. The liaison for HRER shall be the Department Head; contact College of the Liberal Arts for current department head information.
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).
HRER: All students must complete all requirements for the M.S. in HRER, including 37 credits of approved course work, 18 of which must be earned in 500-level courses, and a research paper or a thesis as specified below.
All students in the HRER M.S. must take the following courses (19 credits):
HRER 502 (3), HRER 504 (3), HRER 505 (3), HRER 510 (1), HRER 512 (3)*, HRER 513 (3)**,
HRER 516 (3)
*or other statistics course approved in advance by graduate director
**or other methods course approved in advance by graduate director
Additional Courses (6 credits):
Students choosing the Research Paper Option must take six (6) credits of electives from 500-level HRER courses or relevant courses from other departments approved on a case by case basis by the HRER Graduate Director. Students choosing the Thesis Option must take six (6) thesis credits (HRER 600 or HRER 610)
Masters Research Paper or a Masters Thesis
Students must complete either a Masters Research Paper or a Masters Thesis. Students choosing the Research Paper option must complete this project under the supervision of an LSER faculty member. Students choosing the Thesis option must complete the project under the supervision of a faculty committee composed of three faculty members, at least one of whom must be LSER faculty. Students choosing the Thesis option must also complete six (6) thesis credits (HRER 600 or HRER 610).
Inter-program Transfer of Credits
DSL: Twelve (12) credits of relevant course work for the HRER Graduate Program can be double-counted towards the requirements for the J.D. degree. The only two HRER courses that will not be credited toward the J.D. degree are HRER 501 and HRER 510.
HRER: Twelve (12) credits of relevant course work from the law school can be double-counted toward the 37 credits required for the M.S. degree
DSL Courses (9-12 credits): LABOR 962 (3), LABOR 963 (3), LABOR 964 (3), LABOR 970 (3),
LABOR 971 (2), TAX 960 (2-3)
Supporting Courses and Related Areas (0-3 credits): GOVMT 952 (3), SKILS 959 (3), SKILS 960 (3), SKILS 961 (2), SKILS 962 (3)
Sequence of Study (recommended)
Semester 1-2: No HRER courses. Students take normal first-year law student curriculum courses
Semester 3-4: Students should take HRER 504, HRER 505, and HRER 510 (7 credits)
Semester 5-6: Students should take HRER 512 and HRER 513 (6 credits)
Semester 7-8: Students take HRER 502 and HRER 516 (6 credits)
Students choosing the Research Paper option must take six (6) additional credits of electives and complete the Research Paper. Students choosing the Thesis option must take six (6) thesis credits (HRER 600 or HRER 610) and complete the Thesis.
Recommended Program of Study and Advising
All students in the program will have two advisors, one from DSL and one from Liberal Arts. 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.
Tuition
Students will be charged the applicable DSL tuition to cover the J.D. program and the applicable graduate tuition to cover the HRER 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 HRER 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.
Human Resources and Employment Relations (HRER) course list
