JD/MA in International Studies

Earn both degrees in three years.

Read Aamir Wyne’s profile – a Lauder JD/MA student.

The Lauder Institute is now pioneering a new, unique JD/MA program with the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

It is a joint program that combines a Law degree, a Master's in International Studies, and intensive language and culture training that prepares leaders for the ever-evolving global economy. All course work can be completed during the three years of Law School. Students join the Lauder Institute at the conclusion of their first year of Law School.

The program is designed for Law School students who already have solid foreign language skills and hope to improve and integrate these skills into their professional careers.

Students in this program will be prepared to assume positions of leadership in International law, business, and policy making in the public, private and civil society sectors.
The program at the Institute offers students:

A JD from the Law School
An MA in International Studies from the University of Pennsylvania's School of Arts & Sciences
Advanced applied language course in one of eight languages: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish
Two-month, in-country immersion programs
Supportive global community of students, alumni, faculty, and corporate leaders
Dedicated language faculty

Program Sequencing

JD/MA students join Lauder after 1L.

May: Law students will join Lauder in early May for the Wharton Strategic Management Course, the Area History course, immersion preparation meetings and team building workshops.

June-July: Two-month, in-country immersion programs

August: Free

September: Classes start; Advanced applied language study in one of eight languages each semester: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish; International Studies Courses

Years 2L and 3L: Spent in residence at Law, but taking the required Lauder language courses (one per semester), international studies curriculum (one per semester), and International law courses (one per semester).

Summer between 2L and 3L: There are no Lauder requirements for the summer between 2L and 3L although international internships are encouraged.

Admissions

Candidates may apply at time of admission to Law School or during Fall of 1L. Application materials include:

Supplemental Lauder application
20 minute telephone oral proficiency interview (OPI) in the language of the program you are interested in. Please note that the OPI should be taken within two weeks of submitting the application.
Copy of your Law School application complete with transcripts and LSAT scores
If applying in 1L, a copy of your first semester grades once they become available

Admission deadlines for the Class of 2011:

For current Law School student:
Round 1 – Oct 9, 2008 (submit application); Dec 22, 2008 (decision released)
Round 2 – Jan 8, 2009 (submit application); Feb 19, 2009 (decision released)

For those who are applying to Lauder at the same time as Law School:
Early Decision – Nov 1, 2008 (submit application), Dec 31, 2008 (decision released)
Regular Notification – Feb 15, 2009 (submit application), mid May 2009 (decision released)

Language Requirements

The Lauder Institute offers advanced instruction in the following languages:
Arabic, French, German, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.

Candidates apply to one specific language group and its corresponding world region.

All applicants to Lauder must complete an oral proficiency interview (OPI) in their proposed language with Language Testing International (LTI). The OPI, which assesses oral-aural proficiency, is a 15-20 minute telephone conversation in the target language with a tester certified by the American Council of Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). Language test ratings are valid for a single application cycle.

To schedule an OPI, call LTI at 1-800-486-8444 (domestic) or 011-914-948-5100 (international) or apply online. The OPI may be completed any time prior to submitting the Lauder Application, but must be completed within two weeks after submitting it. (This will ensure that the results are available when the Admissions Committee reviews the complete application.)

The ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines for the OPI range from Novice to Superior. An Advanced rating is the expected level for admission to Lauder, preferably Advanced-Mid. You may listen to sample OPI clips from our entrance and graduation requirements here.

Exceptions:
“Native" means someone who was born, raised and educated in a Spanish-speaking, Portuguese-speaking, or Italian-speaking country.

For Native Spanish and Italian speakers interested in the Portuguese program:

Applicants interested in the Portuguese/Latin America program but without prior (or sufficient) background in Portuguese will be considered for admission if they are native speakers of Spanish or Italian, or in certain circumstances have achieved the Superior level on the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) for Spanish or Italian.

For Brazilians or Portuguese interested in the Spanish program:
Similarly, applicants interested in the Spanish/Latin America program who are native Brazilians or Portuguese are eligible for the Spanish program.

The OPI is only waived for some native speakers. Please consult with the Lauder office to determine your eligibility for this waiver. These students are expected to attend a 30-hour language enhancement program in the week prior to Lauder matriculation. This program, more fondly known as Language Boot Camp, will start on April 29, 2009; the Lauder Program begins on May 4, 2009. Additionally, applicants whose OPI rating is Advanced-Low may also be considered for admission with the expectation that the candidate will participate in the language boot camp.

Arabic:
In an effort to build the Arabic program, and in recognition that English is used widely in business in the Middle East, applicants for the Arabic program will be considered starting at the Intermediate level.

Degree Completion Requirements

Over the course of the 24-month program, students are expected to advance their language skills to attain the Superior rating, which is one of the requirements for the M.A. in International Studies.

For Law
Law students must complete a minimum of 89 credits, 55 hours of which must be advanced credit completed in the second and third years of Law study. Students in the joint program may apply 12 credits (4 courses) from the Lauder program toward that requirement, reducing their credit requirement to 43 credits. These four courses are the total number of non-Law courses that a Law student can take under Law School tuition in other departments of the University. Law students participating in the Lauder program are not eligible to participate, other than through the Lauder program, in Study Abroad Programs.

Students must also satisfy the pro bono requirement of the Public Service Program and fulfill their Law senior writing and professional responsibility requirements (more on these requirements can be found in the Law Student Guide to Policy and Procedures). Students can also fulfill the law writing requirement by linking it to the required M.A. thesis.

A note on classes and credits: the Law School operates, in order to comply with accreditation standards, on a credit hour basis while courses in the MA program are typically worth 1.0 credit units. In converting between the two programs, a Law course will count as 1.0 credit units (or cu) in the MA program, and a course in Lauder/SAS will be worth three credit hours at the Law School.

For the Masters program
Students must complete 14 credits for the Masters in International Studies degree plus one summer course and a language immersion program.

These courses will include five INTS language credits, an INTS area history course, INTS 732 (Comparative Capitalist Systems), INTS 721 (International Political Economy of Business Environments), and two School of Arts & Sciences (SAS) electives.

These courses include the four MA courses that will be counted toward the completion of the JD degree.

This program will also include MGMT 654/655 (Competitive Strategy and Global Strategic Management), a Wharton core course, in the May on-campus summer session.

MA candidates will also participate in a summer immersion program in the summer following the 1L Law year. The summer immersion program's activities include work in language on a small consulting project for a small to medium-sized local company that makes use of concepts taught in the management strategy course. The project is a graded component of the Lauder program.

Additionally, MA students must complete four JD courses, from a defined list of available courses (determined and reviewed by the Law School's Associate Dean and the Lauder Program Director on an annual basis), that will be counted toward the completion of the MA degree.

An MA thesis is also required. This can potentially be linked to/coordinated with the Law senior writing requirement (see below).

Combining non-course requirements from both programs
Students may combine the Law School's senior writing requirement with the School of Arts & Sciences MA Thesis requirement, with prior written approval and ongoing supervision by a Law faculty member and an Arts & Sciences faculty member. It is anticipated that this approval will be granted by the Law School if the proposed project is at least in part an examination of legal issues and of the requisite quality and nature to satisfy Law School expectations and requirements on the one hand, and if the project at least in part considers these issues in an international context and from the perspective of one of the Arts & Sciences disciplines and of the requisite quality and nature to satisfy School of Arts & Sciences expectations and requirements.

Details for the class of 2010 (JD/MA)

The University of Pennsylvania allows you up to six consecutive years in which to complete your degree, should additional time be necessary. This means that you have an additional four years beyond your original completion-of-program date. In order to remain eligible, however, you must maintain continuous registration until you complete all remaining requirements. Here are links to the University’s rules for graduate degrees.

General Rules for the Master’s degree

Rules regarding Continuous Regulation for all graduate degrees

Summer Immersion

The Summer Immersion includes:

Intensive daily language classes
Lectures on history, art, politics and culture
Corporate visits
Cultural visits and travel in country
Management consulting project
Home stay where possible

Start Date
Students arrive at the Lauder Institute at the beginning of May and spend 4 weeks preparing for their Summer Immersion. Preparation includes: courses in the area history of their chosen regions, as well as courses in management strategy. All students depart for their respective countries the first week of June and return at the end of July.

Housing
Housing options vary according to the region. Students may stay in dormitories, hotels, apartments, or arrange home stay accommodations.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Students will have three payments, one as tuition to the Law School, one as tuition to the School of Arts and Science for the summer course (Area History course, taken in May), and one as a fee to the Lauder Institute, as follows:

Lauder Fees for 2008-2009:
Lauder summer fee:	$ 10,270
SAS May course tuition and general fee	$ 4,700
Estimated out of pocket cost for summer:	$ 10,230
Lauder academic fee, year 1:	$ 7,900
Lauder academic fee year 2:	$ 7,900
Estimated books/supplies for 2 years:	$ 2,100
Total:	$43,100

NOTE: Please note that some of these expenses are estimates and actual expense will depend upon the country of immersion and personal spending habits. However, these numbers are approved for financial aid and loan purposes. Lauder does cover travel costs within the country of immersion.

Financial aid decisions are made independently by each school. JD/MA students will be eligible to compete for a limited amount of Lauder financial aid. For financial aid and loan application purposes, the approved budget will be increased by the additional costs of the Lauder program.

For more information on the JD/MA program, contact:

Questions about course selection, scheduling, tuition concerns, etc.: Gary Clinton, Associate Dean for Student Affairs, gclinton@law.upenn.edu
215.898.7491

Questions about financial aid: Anthony Henry, Director of Financial Aid, henry2@law.upenn.edu
215.898.7400

Questions about the Lauder program, language requirements or Admissions:

Nellie Kanjo, Associate Director, Nelliebk@wharton.upenn.edu
215.898.6560

Marcy Bevan, Director of Admissions, bevanm@wharton.upenn.edu
215.898.1204

Questions about Lauder Program course selection and requirements:

Sherri Davis, Managing Director, davissm@wharton.upenn.edu
215.898.1196

To schedule a visit to a Lauder class:
lauderinfo@wharton.upenn.edu
215.898.6560