The Dickinson School of Law (DSL) and the School of International Affairs (SIA) offer a joint degree program leading to a Juris Doctor (J.D.), and Master of International Affairs (M.I.A.).
Admissions Requirements
Students must apply to DSL and SIA separately and must meet each school's admissions requirements. Students are eligible to start taking courses in the SIA 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.
SIA: Students must complete the Graduate School application. The following are required of M.I.A. applicants: (1) a bachelor's degree from a U.S. regionally accredited institution or (2) a postsecondary degree that is equivalent to a U.S. baccalaureate degree earned from an officially recognized degree-granting international institution. There is no standard prescribed undergraduate curriculum. All applicants will submit GRE scores, two letters of recommendation and a personal statement addressing their reasons for pursuing a graduate degree in international affairs and discussing their plans and goals. Upon the student's request, the LSAT may replace the GRE for joint degree admissions purposes. More detailed information on the SIA admissions process can be found here.
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, complete, and mail this application to the address indicated on the last page of the application.
International Applicants
International applicants who do not qualify for the English exemption, must provide a satisfactory English test score. Joint degree applicants will be required to achieve a minimum TOEFL score of 575 on the paper test, 230 on the computer-based test or 88 on the internet-based test; a minimum of 6.5 on the IELTS will also be acceptable.
Residency
A typical J.D./M.I.A. joint degree student will be in residence at DSL for six semesters and at SIA for two semesters.
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 SIA shall be the Director or such faculty member(s) as may be designated by the Director.
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).
SIA: All students in the SIA M.I.A. program must take the following courses (21 credits): INTAF 801 (3), INTAF 802 (3), INTAF 803 (3), INTAF 804 (3), INTAF 805 (3) and INTAF 590 (3). Students have an option of either a master's paper INTAF 594 (3) or an internship INTAF 595 (3).
In addition, there are nine (9) credits of electives to be chosen from a prescribed list of courses.
Inter-program Transfer of Credits
DSL: A maximum of nine (9) credits for M.I.A. course work may be transferred for credit toward the J.D. degree at DSL. Courses eligible for cross-counting towards the J.D. and M.I.A. include the courses on the current M.I.A. electives list and any other courses taken as M.I.A. electives with the express written permission of the S.I.A. and J.D. advisors. Students must obtain a grade satisfactory to DSL for the course work to be credited towards the J.D. degree.
SIA: Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the M.I.A. degree, courses taken in DSL as a part of the elective component of the M.I.A. automatically count towards the SIA. Courses eligible for cross-counting towards the J.D. and M.I.A. include the courses on the current M.I.A. electives list and any other courses taken as M.I.A. electives with the express written permission of the S.I.A. and J.D. advisors.
Sequence of Study
The sequence of courses will be determined by the student and their advisor(s). However, students must successfully complete a minimum of 22 credits with the law school before beginning the M.I.A. program. It is expected that most joint degree students will complete the first two semesters of the M.I.A. consecutively in either the first or second year after completion of the 22 minimum credits with the law school.
Recommended Program of Study and Advising
All students in the program will have two advisors, one from DSL and one from SIA. 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 SIA programs.
Tuition
Students will be charged the applicable DSL tuition to cover the J.D. program and the applicable SIA tuition to cover the M.I.A. degree program. The DSL tuition will be paid for the semesters that the student is in residence at DSL, and the SIA tuition will be paid for the semesters that the student is in residence there. A student may take up to one course (3 credit hours) per semester in the school where the student is not in residence without any change in tuition, but must pay additional tuition to the non-residential program if he or she wishes to take additional course work at that campus during that semester.
Financial Aid and Assistantships
Decisions on financial aid and assistantships will be made by each school according to that school's procedures.
School of International Affairs (SIA) course list
Dickinson School of Law (DSL) course list
