Joint Degree with the Stanford Law School (MA/JD)
Program Requirements
The following section pertains to the Graduate School of Education's requirements for the MA portion of the MA/JD joint degree. In addition to the following guidelines, students should consult the academic requirements specified by the Stanford Law School (SLS) for the JD portion of the joint degree and the Stanford Bulletin.
Students are strongly encouraged to begin courses for the joint degree program at SLS and must be enrolled full time in SLS for the first year of law school. After that time, enrollment may be in either school or both simultaneously as long as students maintain full-time status.
Faculty advisors from each academic unit will participate in the planning and supervising of the student's joint program of study. The proposed program of study, also known as the Program Proposal, must be established by the end of the first quarter in which the students begin to take Graduate School of Education courses.
Students must complete at least 45 units of instruction at Stanford for the MA portion of their MA/JD joint degree. The following constraints are placed on those 45 units:
- All courses must be at or above the 100 level – courses numbered below 100 do not count toward the MA degree.
- At least 23 units must be at or above the 200 level (EDUC 180 or 190 count toward this requirement).
- No more than 40 quarter units may be counted toward both degrees as follows:
- Up to 9 quarter units of SLS courses may count as part of the MA.
- Up to 31 quarter units of Graduate School of Education courses may count as part of the JD. (See the list of pre-approved cross-creditable course below. In addition, all required/core courses and the inquiry courses are cross-creditable.) Please note that any SLS units of directed research, directed writing, externship, moot court, practicum, senior thesis, or research track reduce the number of non-law units on a one-for-one basis.
- At least 15 units must be taken for a letter grade (as opposed to Credit/No Credit).
- A 3.0 GPA must be maintained for all courses applied to the master's degree.
- English for Foreign Students (EFSLANG 600 level) and Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation (ATHLETIC) courses cannot be applied towards the master's degree.
- In rare cases, students may be permitted to petition course requirements (NOT unit requirements). To petition course requirements, students must contact the Faculty Director of the program, Professor Bill Koski, and provide approval of the petition to the MA Programs Officer at the Graduate School of Education.
- Rules concerning pass-fail courses, independent study, grade point average, and so forth, will match those set for students in the Law program, and in the Graduate School of Education's MA Student Handbook in the year of matriculation in the joint degree program.
Courses
Please consult ExploreCourses and Axess for the most updated course offering and scheduling information.
Core
3 courses required. The following courses satisfy this area.
Required
Choose one
Choose one
Inquiry
Students are strongly encouraged to take a course in inquiry in education. The following courses satisfy this area:
Pre-Approved Cross-Creditable Courses
Core and inquiry courses (see above) may count as cross-creditable courses towards both MA and JD degrees within the constraints mentioned under Program Requirements above. In addition, several courses at the Graduate School of Education may count towards both degrees. These courses are:
Other activities for elective credit
Each of the following activities requires pre-approval from the Director of the MA/JD program:
- A practicum or field-based internship
- Directed reading tied to a Graduate School of Education research project
- Other directed reading
