MUP + JD

Taken separately the programs in Law and Urban and Regional Planning require 142 graduate credit hours and a five-year commitment, or 90 credits and three years of study toward the JD and 52 credits and two years of study toward the MUP. The MUP/JD dual-degree program reduces this commitment to 124 credits hours over four years of full-time study. Reduction in course credits results from allowing students to count 18 credits of courses toward both degree requirements.In particular, the Law School will accept nine credit hours of graduate planning courses toward the JD degree while the Department of Urban and Regional Planning will accept nine credit hours of law courses toward the MUP degree. 

Students may begin the dual degree with either Law or Urban and Regional Planning.  For tuition purposes, students are resident in the Law School for three years of study and in the School of Architecture and Planning for one year. 

Year 1 and 2: Students take a full foundational curriculum in each program (e.g., a year of law followed by a year of urban and regional planning or vice versa).  Students take a leave of absence from the program in which they are non-resident during these years. By the third semester of study, all MUP students, including dual degree students, must either declare an option to pursue one of our specialization options.

Year 3 and 4: Students combine law and urban and regional planning, mixing courses from both schools to complete the curriculum.  Students enroll in a full-year law clinic in year three concurrent with an MUP/JD colloquium. In the fourth year, students enroll in a graduate planning studio and Law Seminar, and complete degree requirements toward the dual degrees. Students may choose to tailor their elective choices to concentrate studies in a cross-professional topic area, such as land use and environmental law/planning; housing and community development law/planning; international law/planning; or state and local governance. Courses marked with an asterisk in the matrix count as credits toward both degree programs.

Students in the dual program may further choose to concentrate their elective choices in one or more optional areas of concentration, such as land use and environmental law/planning; housing and community development; state and local governance; international law/planning; or another area designed by the student. Sample course offerings in these areas follow, for illustrative purposes only. Course selections may also include relevant law clinics, law seminars, planning studios, and other electives.

Possible sequencing of courses - students should carefully plan the sequence with both departmental advisors.

[1] Dual degree students can start in either program. Thus, the first and second years could be reversed. 

[1] Professional competency (I and II) courses include: URP 569 (GIS Applications); URP 601 (Advanced GIS); URP 526 (Site Planning and Design); URP 565 (Urban Design); and URP 577 (Planning Techniques in Action).

[2] See website for a list of courses under the six MUP specialization areas: MUP Specialization Courses.

[1] Depending on availability, this course may have to be taken in the spring. It must, however, be taken in the second year of law school (third year of joint program).

[2] Same as note 4.

[3] If students are in the bottom 40% of their entering law classes, then certain bar topic courses are required and would replace law electives.

[4] Bridge courses are taken during the winter session.  Thus, credits taken over bridge are not part of the maximum number of credits that may be taken by students over the spring semester. Anything over 16 credits per semester (whether solely law school courses or a combined set of law and URP courses) requires a waiver by the law school.  In no event may a law school student take over 18 credits a semester when taking a law or combined law and URP semester due to accreditation standards.