<p>I don’t know if this fits better in the law or graduate school forum, so I’m posting in both. Forgive me if these questions are elementary. I’m pretty new to all of this. </p>
<p>What are your thoughts on the many joint degree programs combining the jd with a masters in international relations (sais+stanford, gw law+elliott, american, etc.)?</p>
<li><p>I’d love to study in a program like that, but what kind of careers would it open? I’m interested in private international law / international corporate law (job market?). Would a joint degree be the best preparation, or should I just stick to a more traditional corporate law concentration at law school?</p></li>
<li><p>Many IR programs prefer a few years of international work experience. Could applying for a joint degree mitigate that requirement? Or could my chances at either school actually suffer from pursuing a joint degree (maybe I don’t fit an adcom’s vision of the ideal applicant)?</p></li>
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<p>Any feedback would be much appreciated.</p>
<p>I'm not sure about career opportunities but my understanding is that you have to be accepted to each program separately, which can quite a feat for competitive JD and IR programs. </p>
<p>I knew one guy I interened with who did a Georgetown JD with SIPA IR. I believe it was a 2-1 or 3-1 program, i'm not entirely sure on the details. However, I'd imagine that given the lack of funding provided in either programs, you're sure to wrack up a lot of debt, so just be sure that it's really worth it in the end.</p>
<p>Just wanted to point out that there is a great dual degree program at Seton Hall Law School and the Whitehead School of Diplomacy. I am fairly certain you can find information on the program at either school's website. While most law schools really look at your numbers, IR grad school admissions, like Whitehead, love to see foreign experience (anything from foreign language knowledge to Peace Corps to working abroad). As far as I know, I think you have to apply separately to the two programs and get accepted to both. However, I believe (but am not positive) that you may be able to forgo the GRE at the Whitehead School if you have competitive LSAT scores. But you would have to double check that. As a matter of fact, here: Joint</a> Degree Program in Law and Diplomacy </p>
<p>Essentially, the benefits of this program or a similar one is that, since there is so much competition in the legal market and among law school graduates, you would be graduating one step ahead of your classmates. This makes it much easier to get a job. It also gives you some sort of advanced specialization, which may boost you in the hiring process. Additionally, both schools offer a lot of networking and you have double the opportunity for interviews. Plus, if you're looking at Seton Hall's program, it's law school and IR school definitely have strong national/international reputations. Also you will almost certainly be able to land internships/jobs in NYC. So, if you can manage to get in, I would definitely recommend it.</p>
<p>My D was enrolled in the dual program at American. She was automatically accepted into the MA program by being accepted to the law school. I believe there might be a delay in starting IR classes, meaning your first semester (or maybe it was a year?) you can only take law school classes. Not too sure on that, but you can check it out.</p>