JD/PhD in Health Services Research, Policy & Administration: 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.

Health Services Research, Policy & Administration

The doctoral program in HSRP&A prepares students for careers in academia and senior research positions in the public and private sector.

PhD students complete a core curriculum from six interdisciplinary subject areas essential to health services researchers. The curriculum has a strong quantitative foundation. In addition to the core, students are required to select an Area of Emphasis and complete a minor or supporting program of at least 12 credits, with coursework in the student's Area of Emphasis. Law School coursework may be used to fulfill HSRP&A minor or supporting program requirements. Doctoral students also complete preliminary written and oral exams, write a dissertation thesis, and complete a final oral exam where they defend their thesis.

Students pursuing a joint JD/PhD program can realize time savings by fulfilling the HSRP&A electives requirements in their supporting program or minor with Law School courses.

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.