University of Pittsburgh

Dec 03, 2024

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2023-2024 Graduate & Professional Studies Catalog [Archived Catalog]

Law and International Affairs, JD/MPIA

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This program provides rigorous, integrated training for students preparing for a professional career that combines law and public and international affairs. Increasingly, lawyers in the public and nonprofit private sectors work in managerial and policy-making capacities for which legal training alone does not prepare them. At the same time, legal considerations impinge more than ever on the work of public managers and planners, although most of them have had no exposure to legal training. Students in the joint-degree program gain a broadened knowledge base and a cross disciplinary approach to solving problems involving the intersection of law, policy, and management. They also develop more marketable professional skills than are usually acquired through single-degree programs. Professionals trained in both law and public and international affairs thus enjoy expanded career opportunities. The University of Pittsburgh’s program is unique because of the range of master’s degree options available.

Students in the MPIA degree program pursue majors in Global Political Economy or Security and Intelligence Studies. Students interested in international development have a choice of two major fields, which include Development Planning and Environmental Sustainability or Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Civil Society.

Contact

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

Faculty Advisor (JD/MPIA and JD/MID)
Ronald A. Brand
Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg University Professor
Director, Center for International Legal Education
University of Pittsburgh School of Law
3900 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
(412) 648-1307
rbrand@pitt.edu

University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs
3601 Wesley W. Posvar Hall
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
gspia@pitt.edu

Curriculum & Requirements

The structuring of this four-year degree program is flexible. A student may begin study in either school. The only requirement in this connection is that the first year in the School of Law be taken in its entirety, with no outside courses. GSPIA also expects joint-degree program students to complete the required master’s degree core courses early in their program in GSPIA.

Degrees in the joint-degree program are awarded concurrently. Therefore, it is important to note that a student who resigns from one program and elects to remain in the other will be subject to all the requirements of that particular degree program. The previously described arrangement for awarding advanced-standing credits will no longer be in effect.

Each student must satisfy both schools’ requirements as modified by participation in the joint-degree program. The credit requirements are as follows:

Program	Joint Degree Credits
Juris Doctor (JD)	79 Credits
Master of Public and International Affairs	36 Credits
Total Credits for Joint Degree	115 Credits

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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