<p>I have two competing interests: law and literature. On the one hand, I'd like to pursue intensive studies in English and some day work as a publisher or author. However, another part of me feels drawn toward practicing law. Does anyone know of any respectable Ph.D./JD joint programs I could look into when the time comes?</p>
<p>There are a lot out there, but that’s really not the point.</p>
<p>“When the time comes” you should hopefully have figured out which career path you want. Even if your choice is publisher or author, you do not need a PhD to do that. PhDs are for people who want to teach and live their lives in academia. To pursue one for any other purpose is almost always a bad idea.</p>
<p>Don’t get me wrong. I’d love to teach English, if it were to work out that way. However, I thought it might be nice to have an option on the table which involves pursuing both of my passions.</p>
<p>In my opinion, the best joint degree program out there is at Duke. They really foster the interdisciplinary nature of law as a field of study there. That being said, it is still really important that you not go after a PhD unless you are very certain that teaching is what you want to do. Even then, think long and hard before going joint degree - it’ll take more time, more effort, and more money, and there are very few schools where you could teach and make use of both degrees. Chances are you’d ending up teaching one subject or the other and completely neglect the degree you aren’t using.</p>
<p>Once again, this is just my opinion, but I really fail to see any utility in a JD/PhD program outside of the fields of political science (or public policy), history, or economics. It is ok to have two distinct passions, but you don’t really need two distinct degrees.</p>