JD/MS in Environmental Health: Curriculum

Law School Curriculum

Law School JD degree requirements for students entering Fall 2009 include satisfactory completion of 88 semester credits, and six semesters of full-time enrollment (defined as 12 semester credits or more). First-year students are required to take a core curriculum totaling 30 credits and comprised of the following courses: Beyond that, all courses are elective, except that a student must take a course in Professional Responsibility (3 credits) and Constitutional Law II (3 credits) before graduating. In addition, each student must satisfy a second-year writing requirement (typically by participating in a moot court or serving as a staff member on one of the Law School's law reviews), as well as a third-year writing requirement (typically satisfied by taking a course meeting this requirement, completing an independent research paper meeting this requirement, which may be an MS thesis, Plan B paper, PhD dissertation, or capstone project, or serving as an editor on one of the Law School's law reviews).

To see requirements for students entering in years other than 2009, visit www.law.umn.edu/current/degreerequirements.html.

In addition, all students in the Joint Degree Program in Law, Health & the Life Sciences take a professional seminar. This 1-credit Proseminar is taught cooperatively by faculty involved in the Joint Degree Program, offered on a pass-fail basis, and required each Fall semester that a student is enrolled in the Joint Degree Program.

JD/MS in Environmental Health

The MS program in Environmental Health is intended to prepare students for specialized careers in environmental and occupational health. Students receive a solid technical grounding in their discipline and demonstrate proficiency in solving scientific problems through applied or basic research. The MS degree in Environmental Health is designed for those planning careers in research or academia or as practitioners in mid-level administrative and technical positions in industry, government agencies, hospitals, or private practice. Graduates are also prepared for matriculation into a PhD program and may proceed if they meet all admission requirements.

Students can pursue a general program in environmental and occupational health or focus on one of a number of specialty areas including Environmental Health Policy. Students may also designate a complementary minor field such as Law.

The MS (Plan A and Plan B options) in Environmental Health requires that students take 5 core courses (12-14 credits) in addition to electives designated by the specialty and in consultation with the student's program advisor. Students are also expected to demonstrate familiarity with the tools of research or scholarship in the field, the ability to work independently, and the ability to present the results of their investigation effectively by completing credits for a Thesis (for Plan A students) (10 credits) or an Environmental Health Project (for Plan B students) (3-5 credits). Students must also complete a final examination.

Specialty areas require or strongly encourage an internship depending on the experience of the student. The internship provides students with a means of gaining additional insight into the programs, personnel management, governmental relations, public relations, legislative support, and special investigations of the agencies where they work. In addition, the internship can be done in conjunction with participation in faculty research projects. The minimum number of credits necessary for graduation is dependent on the specialty chosen, but at least 30 credits are required.

Combining Curricula

Students in the Joint Degree Program combine their Law and science/health curricula by cross-counting up to 12 Law credits in their science or health program and up to 12 non-law credits in their Law School program. For more details, click on "Cross-Counting Courses" above.

JD/MS or JD/PhD students are eligible for a minor in bioethics, bioinformatics, or human genetics.