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Penn State Law (PSL) and Education Theory & Policy (EDTHP) Program offer a joint degree program leading to a Juris Doctor (J.D.); and either a Master of Arts (M.A) or a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Education Theory & Policy.

Requirements listed here are in addition to requirements listed in GCAC-211 Joint Degree Programs.

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Applicants to the joint degree program must apply and be admitted first to Penn State Law, and subsequently to the Educational Theory and Policy graduate program. Admissions requirements and applications for admission for Penn State Law are listed in the J.D. Admissions section of the Penn State Law website. When applying to the Educational Theory and Policy graduate program, applicants must include two letters of recommendation from Penn State Law faculty members and a career statement. Applicants to the joint degree program may submit LSAT scores instead of GRE scores. Students must be admitted to the program prior to taking the first course they intend to count towards the graduate degree.

Students will normally spend four semesters in residence at PSL and as many additional semesters in residence as needed to complete the additional requirements for the pertinent EDTHP degree. Ph.D. candidates must arrange the sequence of semesters to ensure that they are in residence as full-time students in the EDTHP program for at least two consecutive semesters (Fall-Spring or Spring-Fall) excluding summer in a single twelve-month period.

Students must fulfill all requirements for each degree in order to be awarded that degree, subject to the double-counting of credits as outlined below. Degree requirements for the J.D. program are listed on the Penn State Law website. Degree requirements for the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees are listed in the Master’s Degree and Doctoral Degree Requirements section.

PSL: A maximum of twelve credits for EDTHP course work may be double-counted for credit toward the J.D. degree at PSL. Students must obtain a grade satisfactory to PSL for the course work to be credited toward the J.D. degree. The following courses may qualify for credit in PSL:

Courses Eligible to Double Count for Both Degrees

EDTHP 518 Analysis of U. S. Educational Policy

EDTHP 520 Perspectives on Contemporary School Reform

EDTHP 533 Social History and Education Policy

EDTHP 541 Contemporary Philosophies of Education

EDLDR 576 Law and Education

EDTHP 587 Education Policy and Politics

EDTHP: The courses that may be double-counted will be determined by the student's degree program. Normally a maximum of twelve credits of PSL course work will be double-counted for credit for the minimum requirements for a master's or doctoral degree, subject to approval by the student's advisory committee.

The sequence of courses will be determined by the students and their advisers.

All students in the program will have two advisers, one from PSL and one from EDTHP. Periodic interaction between the two advisors is encouraged.

Students will be charged the applicable PSL tuition to cover the J.D. program and the applicable graduate tuition to cover the EDTHP degree program. PSL tuition will be paid for the semesters in which the student is registered for PSL courses, and graduate tuition will be paid for the semesters in which the student is registered for graduate courses. A student may take up to one course (3 credits) per semester in the program where the student is not primarily registered without any change in tuition, but must pay additional tuition to the program that the student is not primarily registered if he or she wishes to take additional course work pursuant to that program during the semester.

Decisions on financial aid and assistantships will be made by each school according to that school's procedures.

All courses in one program that will count toward meeting the requirements of the other program must be completed before the awarding of either degree. If students accepted into the joint degree program are unable to complete the J.D. degree, they are still eligible to receive the EDTHP degree if all EDTHP degree requirements have been satisfied.