Doctor of Jurisprudence/Master of Arts in International Relations

Due to the increasing internationalization of relations between countries and the increase in globalization of the world’s economy, there is a need for lawyers to have an international perspective in the practice of law.

The St. Mary’s School of Law and the Graduate School offer a joint program of study leading to the degrees of doctor of jurisprudence (J.D.) and master of arts in international relations.  The joint degree program allows a student to complete the requirements for both degrees in three or four years.

The degrees may be earned with the completion of a total of 108 hours of law and international relations credits.  Credits are transferred as electives accordingly to satisfy the 90 hours of law for the J.D. degree and the 36 hours of international relations for the M.A. degree.  The first year of study consists of law courses.  During the second and third years, the student completes the remaining law courses, and appropriate international relations courses.  You must apply to and be accepted by both the Law School (www.stmarytx.edu/law/) and the Graduate School.

The degrees may be earned with the completion of a total of 108 hours of law and international relations credits, 18 hours less than the normal requirement.   To satisfy the 90 hours of law for the J.D. degree and the 36 hours of international relations for the M.A. degree, 12 hours of law courses are transferred as  credit to the M.A. degree and 6 hours of graduate international relations are transferred as elective credit toward the J.D.   The first year of study consists of law courses.   During the second and third years, the student completes the remaining law courses and appropriate international relations courses.

Program of Study

Students must complete a minimum of 24 semester hours of international relations courses at St. Mary's University. JD/IR students are required to complete IR6312 International Relations Theory, IR6340 International  Political Economy,  and IR7300 Ethical Issues in International Relations.   Additionally, students must complete 9 hours  of focus area courses and  6 hours of electives.   Students must pass a written comprehensive examination and demonstrate a working knowledge of a foreign language prior to graduation.

Admission to the joint JD/IR program requires application to both Schools, although application to the Graduate School need not be made until the student begins Law School. An acceptable LSAT score may be substituted for the GRE.