University of Pittsburgh

Dec 30, 2024

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2019-2020 Graduate & Professional Studies Catalog [Archived Catalog]

Law and Information Security Policy (Carnegie Mellon), JD/MSISPM

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Building on their longstanding and successful partnership, the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and Heinz College offer a joint degree program designed to train students for careers in which management, information security, and law overlap. This joint degree offering is particularly beneficial to many students’ careers because legal considerations affect many management and policy decisions, and the practice of law is enhanced by a clear understanding of the policy and security concerns facing the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Participants in the program will emerge with a broad knowledge of the fundamental intersections of law, government, privacy and information security, and management. The fields of cybersecurity, information privacy, intellectual property law, cybercrime, and other IT-related sectors are growing rapidly. There are many job opportunities in this emerging space. Many of those jobs have legal dimensions and will be filled by people with legal training. Graduates of the joint degree program will be better prepared to compete for those jobs and to succeed in them because of their broader, interdisciplinary training. Furthermore, the interdisciplinary nature of this program allows for practical skill sets to solve economic and social problems that require technological, managerial, and legal expertise.

The joint-degree program is designed to be completed in eight semesters over four academic years instead of the five years required if pursued separately. Students interested in the joint degree program can pursue both programs simultaneously. During the first year, students study at either the Heinz School or the School of Law, taking the standard first-year curriculum of the respective school. The second year involves full-time study at the other school. For the third and fourth years, students take courses at both schools. In order to graduate with both degrees, students have to fulfill both schools’ degree requirements.

Contact Information

University of Pittsburgh School of Law
Office of Admissions
3900 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
(412) 648-1413
admitlaw@pitt.edu

Faculty Advisor
David Thaw
Assistant Professor of Law
University of Pittsburgh School of Law
3900 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
(412) 648-7855
dbthaw@pitt.edu

School of Public Policy & Management at Heinz College, Carnegie Mellon
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
(412) 268-2164
(800) 977-3498
hnzadmit@andrew.cmu.edu

Curriculum & Requirements

The Heinz School of Public Policy and Management and the Law School have different degree requirements. Carnegie Mellon courses are counted in units and University of Pittsburgh courses are counted in credits. A 12-unit course is the equivalent of a 4-credit course. To fulfill the program requirements for the Law School, students have to complete 88 credits while the Heinz School requires 198 units for the MSISPM degree. Students in the joint degree program are able to transfer 30 units to the Heinz School degree after completing their JD degree and 14 credits to the JD degree after completing their MSISPM degree.

Students are required to register for a minimum of one class per semester at Heinz College during years 3 and 4 in order to qualify for the transfer of credits between institutions. A full listing of the requirements for graduation from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law can be found on the Graduation Requirements page.

Before selecting courses for each program, students are required to meet with their Academic Advisors at both programs to map out a course of study. In addition to the course work for both programs, Heinz School students are required to complete a summer internship after their first year at the Heinz School. Students can receive assistance from the Career Services Office in securing an internship.

Since degrees in the joint programs are awarded concurrently, it is important to note that a student who resigns from one program will be subject to all the requirements for graduation from the remaining degree program.

Note

For detailed term-specific course descriptions, please go to the Schedule of Classes Course Lists on the Law School web site.

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