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Juris Doctor/Master of Science

The Juris Doctor/MS joint degree program leads to both a Juris Doctor (JD) Degree from the FSU College of Law and a Master of Science Degree from the College of Information. Graduates of this program will be particularly suited to work in law libraries and other organizations involved with the creation and dissemination of legal information. Students in the joint degree program will receive academic advising from both the College of Law and the College of Information: 

• Professor Faye Jones - College of Law
• Professor John Gathegi - College of Information

We have compiled admissions requirements and applications for U.S. Students and International Students. If you have additional questions, please contact the Graduate Student Services.

Hours: Total of 112 hours from both programs:

• 79 hours of Law courses
• 33 hours of LIS courses

In effect, 9 hours of graduate course work in Information Studies are credited toward the 88 hours normally required for the Juris Doctor Degree, and 9 hours of LAW are credited toward the 42 hours normally required for the MS degree. This will save the joint degree student 18 credit hours of coursework which would otherwise be required to complete both degrees separately.

Completion: All coursework for both degrees must be completed within a five-year period and both degrees will be awarded at the same time. With the exception of the 18 special credit hours described above, students will be expected to fulfill all requirements of both degrees.

Course Sequence: The normal sequence of courses is for students to take 29 hours of law courses in the first year. In subsequent years, students may combine LIS and LAW courses each semester.

Course Offerings: We have provided some Course Descriptions in Information Studies that may interest students pursuing the Juris Doctor/MS. All courses are not offered each semester. You can see what graduate courses are currently scheduled on the Course Lookup site.