The University of Miami School of Law and the Miller School of Medicine’s Department of Public Health Sciences offer a joint degree program in law and public health. Upon completion of the programs, a student earns the Juris Doctor degree from the School of Law and a Master of Public Health degree from the School of Medicine.
Students who apply for the joint JD/MPH program must apply both to the School of Law and to the Graduate Programs in Public Health Sciences. For admission consideration in the UM School of Law, one must achieve a qualifying score on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). LSAT scores sufficient for admission at the UM School of Law may serve as an acceptable substitute for the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) required for the MPH program. The applicant must notify both schools that he/ she is applying for the joint M.P.H./J.D. program. In order to remain in the joint JD/MPH program, students must meet minimum standards of both the School of Law and the Graduate Program in Public Health Sciences.
Average program duration:3.5 years (seven semesters plus two summer sessions). Law students begin MPH classes after completing the first year of law school.
Total required credits:115 credits
MPH Curriculum
The total requirements for the MPH portion of the MPH/JD joint degree are 33 credits. The credits must be completed to complete the core, electives, and capstone requirements.
The curriculum requirements for the MPH degree changed, effective Spring 2019, to include additional required courses. Students entering the MPH program January 2019 and beyond will complete the revised curriculum requirements as shown below.
A public health supervised field placement is required for the MPH degree. A contract of the proposed placement must be submitted to the Graduate Programs office and approved by the Capstone Faculty Advisor prior to initiation of the work. A total of 150 contact hours are required for completion of the capstone field experience. The contact hours may be registered for during several semesters.
In addition to the general law required courses (61 credits) for the JD program, students in the joint JD/MPH program must also complete the following courses:
