2011-2012 Archived Catalog Information

JD/MPA
The JD/MPA degree program is designed to integrate professional education in law and public administration for those seeking to obtain skills and concepts necessary for public and not-for-profit sector management. The JD/MPA is offered by the Sawyer Business School and the Law School.

Admission
The JD/MPA is available to full- or part-time students. Candidates must meet the admission requirements established by the Suffolk University Law School and the Sawyer Business School. The LSAT is required by the University Law School. Applicants may apply to both programs before entering Suffolk University, during their first or second year of enrollment in the Law School or as a first-year MPA student. The Law School requires candidates for admission to have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and to have taken the LSAT by February of the year of application. Applications must be submitted to the Law School by March 1. For further information, contact the Office of Graduate Admission, Suffolk University, 8 Ashburton Place, Boston, Massachusetts 02108-2770, (617) 573-8302 or Suffolk University Law School Admissions Office, 121 Tremont Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02114-4280, (617) 573-8144.

Accreditation
Suffolk University is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. The Sawyer Business School’s Master of Public Administration program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA). The Law School is an accredited member of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) and is accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA).

Curriculum Requirements
The requirements for the JD/MPA program are determined by the respective schools. The JD/MPA degree will be granted upon completion of 110 credit semester hours of work: 80 credit hours are completed in the Law School and a minimum of 30 (36 for an MPA with a concentration) credit hours are completed in the Sawyer Business School’s MPA curriculum.

All summer credits applied to the final semester of the joint degree program have been determined based on the semester credits of each individual program so as not to permit students to enroll in fewer than two credits in the final semester.

All joint degree candidate are subject to II (G) of the Rules and Regulations limiting credit for ungraded activities to two credits per semester. Any student who is not in good academic standing is disqualified from the joint degree programs. Law School Regulation VII (E) states that a joint degree candidate, who is academically deficient (as defined in the Law School regulations) within the Law School curriculum, shall be disqualified from the joint degree program.

Programs of Study
Specific programs and course selections are arranged through the Associate Dean of each respective School. Curricula requirements are arranged by year according to the following schedule:

JD/MPA Curriculum (For Full-Time Students)

Track I

First Year

Fall Semester (12– 15 Credits)

PAD 711 Foundations of Public Organizational Administration

PAD 712 Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation

PAD 713 Budgeting and Financial Management

PAD 716 Public Service Human Resource Management

PAD 717 Organizational Effectiveness in Government

Spring Semester (12– 15 Credits)

PAD 715 Quantitative Analysis

PAD 718 Leadership Strategies for an Interconnected World

PAD 890 Strategic Management (for in-service students)

Two Public Management electives

Students with no professional experience are required to take

PAD 858 Internship (for pre-professional students)

Second Year

Fall Semester (14 Credits)

Law School courses 

Contracts (3 credits)

Torts (2 credits)

Property (2 credits)

Civil Procedure (2 credits)

Criminal Law (3 credits)

Legal Practice Skills (2 credits)

Spring Semester  (16 Credits)

Law School courses 

Contracts (3 credits)

Torts (2 credits)

Property (3 credits)

Civil Procedure (2 credits)

Constitutional Law (4 credits)

Legal Practice Skills (2 credits)

Third Year

Fall Semester (13– 15 Credits)

Law School courses  

Spring Semester (13– 15 Credits)

Law School courses

In addition to Fiduciary Relations which is taken in the first semester of the second year of Law School, 2140 AD Professional Responsibility may be taken at any time during the second or third year of Law School.

At the end of first year of Law School, students must complete at least three courses from the Base Menu, as specified by the Law School.

Fourth Year

Fall Semester (10 Credits)

Electives (13-15 credits)

Choose courses in Law or Public Management with your advisor

Spring Semester (10 Credits)

LAW/MPA Electives (in Law or Public Management)**

* A student must enroll in the Professional Responsibility course in either the fall or spring semester of Year 3 or Year 4.

**All Sawyer Business School electives are three credit courses while a Law School elective can be two or three credits. In any event, students must take enough credits of electives to meet the minimum requirements of at least 80 hours in the Law School and 30 hours in the Sawyer Business School.