MASTER OF SCIENCE (M.S.) IN JOURNALISM from the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications
JURIS DOCTOR (J.D.) from the School of Law

The joint degree program combines into approximately three and one-half years of full-time study the Master of Science (M.S.) in Journalism and the Juris Doctor (J.D.) programs offered by the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications and the KU School of Law.

The joint degree program in journalism and law is designed to offer students academic grounding in both disciplines to prepare them for the professional practice of journalism, law or a combination of media law.

This joint degree prepares students to address legal, ethical, and policy problems facing communicators and media managers, legal practitioners and scholars who face complex issues within their own disciplines as well as pressing societal issues in biosciences, technology, business, intellectual property and constitutional law. Graduates of this combined degree will assume responsibilities in the public and private sectors. The goal of the joint program is to develop leaders with technical and philosophical approaches to address and communicate complex issues to policymakers and to various communities and audiences.

Admissions Requirements:
To be admitted to the joint M.S./J.D. program, an applicant must hold an earned baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, complete the admission processes and meet the admission requirements for both the School of Law and the School of Journalism. Also, the applicant must be admitted by both Schools no later than the end of the first year of study in the School of Law or the completion of more than 18 credit hours of graduate work in the School of Journalism.

The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is the only standardized test required for an applicant to the joint degree program. An applicant or student who is interested in entering the joint degree program should discuss his or her plans with the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the School of Law and the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research in the J-School as early as possible.

Joint Degree Requirements:
To receive the M.S./J.D., a student must complete a minimum of 108 credit hours. Of these, at least, 81 credit hours must be from courses offered by the School of Law and 27 must be from the masters program in journalism.

Students in the joint degree program should note that while the School of Law requires a 2.0 grade point average in J.D. coursework to remain in good standing and for graduation, the master’s degree in Journalism follows the Graduate School regulation requiring a 3.0 cumulative grade point average for coursework that is counted toward the M.S. portion of the joint degree.

In planning their enrollments, students should inform themselves of course prerequisites and plan their course schedules accordingly. Please refer to the J-School and Law School web sites for the most current information about admission and graduation requirements: www.journalism.ku.edu and www.law.ku.edu

Journalism Requirements:
All candidates for the M.S. in Journalism must complete the following required courses.

Core Courses (12 hours)
JOUR 618 First Amendment and Society (3)
JOUR 801 Research I: Theory (3)
JOUR 802 Research II: Methods (3)
JOUR 803 Survey of Mass Media and Popular Culture (3)

Professional Courses (6 hours)
Students in the joint degree must complete a minimum of 6 credit hours of professional journalism courses. These courses are numbered from JOUR 500 to JOUR 797. Students in the Strategic Communications course of study must include JOUR 676 Strategic Campaigns. Students in News and Information must include at least one course designated as advanced media.

In addition to the credit hours of coursework described above, students in the joint M.S./J.D. program may count 9 credit hours of elective law courses toward the 15-credit hour professional course requirements of the master’s degree.

Advanced Courses (9 hours)
JOUR 840 Seminar in: _________ (3) May be taken twice on different topics.
JOUR 898 Master’s Research (3)
JOUR 899 Master’s Project/Thesis (3)

Final General Examination
Students in journalism must also complete a final general examination in the major field, as required by the Graduate School. The student’s project/thesis committee administers the master’s final general examination during the semester of the student’s final enrollment in coursework and when the project or thesis has been substantially completed. A defense of the project/thesis does not take the place of the required general examination.

Continuous Enrollment in Project/Thesis
Master’s degree students are subject to J-School and Graduate School rules relating to continuous enrollment (at least 2 hours of credit each semester, excluding summer session) while completing the project or thesis. Please refer to the J-School web site for current rules, as well as the Graduate School Catalog. A student must complete the master’s degree program within seven years of admission.

Basic Skills Requirement
A student entering the joint degree program is expected to have basic journalism skills. This requirement may be fulfilled by significant professional experience or undergraduate coursework in journalism and mass communications from a school accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. Students who do not meet the requirement must complete the following two courses, which do not count toward the total graduate credit requirement:
JOUR 445 Multimedia Writing and Production (3)
JOUR 419 Multimedia Editing (3)

School of Law Requirements:
All candidates for the J.D. degree must complete the following required courses:

First-Year
LAW 804:Civil Procedure I (3)
LAW 805:Civil Procedure II (3)
LAW 809:Contracts I (3)
LAW 810:Contracts II (3)
LAW 814:Criminal Law (2)
LAW 818:Criminal Procedure (3)
LAW 820:Lawyering I (3)
LAW 821:Lawyering II (3)
LAW 826:Property I (3)
LAW 827:Property II (2)
LAW 831:Torts I (4)

Upper-Class
LAW 873:Commericial Law: Secured Transactions (3)
LAW 882:Constitutional Law (4)
LAW 908:Evidence (3)
LAW 972:Professional Responsibility (2)

Students must complete all required first-year courses (32 credit hours) during their first year of Law School enrollment. In addition to these course requirements, the School of Law has an upper-class writing requirement, a minimum grade point average requirement, a residence requirement, and a time limit for completion of the degree. Please refer to the current School of Law catalog for details.

In addition to the 44 hours of coursework (described above) required of all law students, students in the joint M.S./J.D. program must complete the following coursework:

Any four of the following courses:
LAW 888: Copyright Law and Digital Works (3)
LAW 958: Media Law (3)
LAW 959: Media Law Clinic (3)
LAW 976: Public Policy Clinic (3)
LAW 955: Legislative Clinic (3)

One of the following courses:
LAW 867: Law and the Arts (3)
LAW 946: Law and Literature (3)
LAW 968: Intellectual Property (3)

One of the following courses:
LAW 954: Legislation (3)
LAW 850: Administrative Law (3)
LAW 982: Regulatory Law and Policy (3)

The Academic Committee shall have the authority to make changes or substitutions to this list upon showing of changed circumstances, such as changes in the fundamental nature of a course or the discontinuance of a course.

In addition to the coursework described above, students in the joint M.S./J.D. program may count 9 credit hours of master’s journalism courses toward their J.D. degree.

Students may choose courses to complete the remaining hours necessary to reach the total of 81 hours of Law School credit needed for the joint degree from any part of the Law School curriculum.

Typical M.S./J.D. Program Format:

The policies of the two Schools (Journalism and Law) and the University of Kansas Graduate School govern waivers, substitutions and all other degree requirements. Students should consult the respective associate deans if they have questions about degree requirements.

For more information, please contact:

Tom Volek
Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Faculty Development
William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications
University of Kansas
203B Stauffer-Flint Hall
Lawrence, Kansas 66045
785-864-7622
twvolek@ku.edu
www.journalism.ku.edu

Stephen W. Mazza
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
School of Law
University of Kansas
Green Hall
Lawrence, Kansas 66045
(785) 864-9266
smazza@ku.edu
www.law.ku.edu

Proposed: April 2006
Authority: J-School Graduate Faculty approval: May 5,2006
Law School Faculty approval: April 21, 2006
Copied to University of Kansas Graduate School: May 5, 2006