Loyola University Chicago

This dual degree program offered by the School of Law and the Cultural and Educational Policy Studies program of the Graduate School focuses on the legal right of children to an education. This program will produce legal experts who have a grasp of global issues as they relate to education by joining Loyola's expertise in international issues of education with expertise in the legal right of children.

Comparative Law is the study of differences and similarities among the legal systems of nations. Comparative Education applies the intellectual tools of history and the social sciences to understanding international issues of education. The importance of these comparative fields has increased enormously in the present age of internationalism, economic globalization, and democratization. This joint program brings together the two fields of Comparative Law and Comparative Education in behalf of international advocacy for children's right to an education.

Benefits

• The dual-degree program makes it possible to earn both J.D. and M.A. degrees simultaneously and in a much shorter time than if the two degrees were pursued independently.
• Students who complete the requirements for the dual degree in Comparative Law and Education will also receive an additional credential: the Certificate in International Law and Practice. The Certificate will appear as an official honor on the J.D. recipient's record. Students who earn the Certificate signal to prospective employers, universities and funding agencies that they are uniquely qualified to study or practice in the arena of international and comparative law.
• Enjoy the support of two prestigious centers and their network of accomplished faculty and distinguished alumni throughout their professional careers:
  The Civitas ChildLaw Center (CCC)
  The Center for Comparative Education (CCE)
• Have the option to live and study two blocks from Chicago's Magnificent Mile in the Rev. Raymond C. Baumhart, S.J., Residence Hall

Degree Requirements

To complete the J.D./M.A. program, students must complete 65 Law credit hours plus 25 Education credit hours for a total of 90 credit hours. The J.D. and M.A. degrees are awarded concurrently upon the successful completion of degree requirements for both programs.

While this dual degree program has prescribed courses with a prescribed sequence, each follows the university's regular program.  All program requirements apply for each area as well as each school's broader policies and procedures.

• J.D./M.A. course sequence
• J.D. Comparative Law
• M.A. Comparative Education (Cultural & Educational Policy Studies)
• Loyola's School of Law
• Loyola's Graduate School

Admission

To be eligible for the dual-degree program, a prospective student must apply to and be admitted to both the Graduate School and the School of Law independently. Transcripts submitted to the Law School can be shared. All other admission documents need to be submitted to each school directly.

Should only one program offer admission, the applicant has the opportunity to enter that program.

More Information

To learn more about the J.D./M.A. dual-degree program, contact:

• Dr. Michael Kaufman, ChildLaw Education Institute Director
  Phone: 312.915.7143
  E-mail: mkaufma@luc.edu

• Dr. Erwin H. Epstein, Center for Comparative Education Director
  Phone: 312.915.6273
  E-mail: eepstei@luc.edu