A dual degree in economics and law can be applied to virtually any area of legal practice and is especially valuable in corporate law, tort law, contract law, civil procedure, and international law. Additional career options include mergers & acquisitions consultant, policy advisor, legislator, regulatory investigator, and several options in the financial services sector.
Admission to Graduate Studies
An applicant seeking to pursue graduate study in the College may be admitted as either a degree-seeking or non-degree seeking student. Policies and procedures of Graduate Studies govern the process of Graduate admission. These may be found in the Graduate Studies section of the online catalog.
Please consult the Departments & Programs section of the online catalog for information regarding program-specific admissions criteria and requirements. Special admissions requirements pertain to Interdisciplinary Studies degrees, which may be found in the Graduate Studies section of the online catalog.
Application Timeline
Students must first be accepted to the University of Kansas Law School before applying to the Economics M.A. program. In the spring semester (Year 1) of law school, students can apply for the Economics M.A./J.D. degree. The application deadline for a summer or fall start is May 1. The Graduate Program Coordinator in Economics can assist with questions.
M.A.-J.D. Degree Program
In this program a student can earn both the Juris Doctor and the Master of Arts in economics in 3 years and 1 summer session. The requirements for the combined degree are as follows:
- Admission to the M.A./J.D. degree program must be approved by the School of Law, the Department of Economics, and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
- The program requires 100 credit hours of course work, of which 82 hours must be completed in the law school and 18 hours in the Department of Economics. The department gives credit toward the M.A. degree for 12 hours of pertinent work in the law school, and the law school counts 8 credit hours in economics toward the J.D. degree. The 8 hours of economics courses that count toward the J.D. degree can be chosen from certain courses numbered 500-799 and from all 800-900 level courses. Prerequisites continue to apply, as does the requirement that all students seeking the M.A. degree must have taken several foundation courses that do not count toward a graduate degree in economics: microeconomics, macroeconomics, and calculus. In addition, ECON 700, ECON 701, and ECON 715 must be included in the M.A. program. The student takes only law classes the first year and spreads out the 18 hours of credit in economics in the following semesters (e.g., one course per semester).
- The M.A./J.D. degree is a nonthesis degree in economics.
