The faculties of the College of Law and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering have approved a joint degree program culminating in both a Juris doctor degree, awarded by the College of Law, and a Master of Science (Thesis/Non-Thesis) degree, awarded by the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Under the joint degree program, a student can obtain both degrees in approximately one year less than it would take to obtain both degrees if pursued consecutively. Essential criteria relating to the joint degree program are as follows:

1. Candidates for the program must meet the entrance requirements for and be accepted by both colleges. Both colleges must be informed by the student at the time of application to the second program, that he/she intends to pursue the joint degree.
2. The joint degree program is not open to students who have already earned one degree.
3. Admission to the second program is required no later than the end of the fourth consecutive semester after beginning one degree of the joint degree program. A summer term is counted as half a single semester. An exception to this requirement will be made for two semesters for the students in residence at the time the joint degree is initiated.
4. A student must satisfy the curriculum requirements for each degree before either degree is awarded. The Graduate Division of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering will allow 12 credits of appropriate law courses to be credited toward both M.S. (Thesis/Non-Thesis) and J.D. degrees. The 12 credits selected from the law curriculum must be approved by the Associate Dean of the Graduate School upon the recommendation of the student’s graduate supervisory committee.
   Reciprocally, law students may receive toward the satisfaction of the J.D. degree, 12 semester credits for courses taken in the graduate curriculum of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Two of these courses, not more than a total of 6 semester credits, will be treated as the two graduate courses ordinarily allowed to be taken outside of the College of Law for credit toward Law School graduation.
5. A student enrolled in the joint degree program may spend the first year in either the College of Law or the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Students admitted to one college but electing to spend the first academic year in the other college under the joint degree program may enter the second college thereafter without once again qualifying for admission so long as they have notified the second college before the end of the first week of the first semester in the joint degree program and are in good academic standing when the studies commence in the second college. Any student who participates in the joint degree program beginning in the Fall semester must register for a course or courses in the second college no later than the beginning of the fifth semester, including the summer term as a semester.
   Any student who participates in the joint degree program beginning law school in the Spring semester must commence study in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering no later than the fifth semester, including Summer term as half a semester. Students must carry the minimum number of credits required by either college.
6. Department of Materials Science and Engineering courses which are to be credited toward the J.D. degree must carry a grade of “C” of higher and will not be counted in the College of Law grade point average. College of Law courses which are to be credited toward the M.S. (Thesis/Non-Thesis) degree must carry a grade of “C” or higher and will not be counted in the grade point average at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
7. Students enrolled in the joint degree program must complete the College of Law’s advanced writing requirement. An approved master’s thesis in Materials Science and Engineering will satisfy the advanced writing requirement of the College of Law if so certified by a law school faculty member. Non-Thesis students must still satisfy the College of Law’s writing requirement.
8. A student enrolled in the joint degree program will not receive either degree until he/she has satisfied the requirements of one of the degrees as if he/she had not been a joint degree candidate.
9. Students who enroll in the joint degree program but do not complete the program may receive credit toward the College of Law degree under the graduate level course option for a maximum of two courses, not to exceed 6 semester credits, taken from the graduate curriculum of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Although the grade is not computed in the student’s grade point average, a grade of “C” or higher must be earned to receive credit hours for the course(s).
10. Students who enroll in the joint degree program but do not complete the program may receive credit toward the M.S. (Thesis/Non-Thesis) degree for a minimum of two courses not exceeding 8 semester credits taken from the curriculum of the College of Law. Although the grade is not computed in the student’s grade point average, a grade of “C” or higher must be earned to receive credit hours for the course(s).
11. Students in the joint program will be eligible for the graduate teaching assistantships and research assistantships in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering on the same basis as other Materials Science and Engineering graduate students, subject to the guidelines and restrictions set by the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
12. To facilitate student progress in the joint program, it is proposed that to the fullest extent possible given the availability and consent of appropriate law faculty, the student’s graduate supervisory committee be comprised of two Materials Science and Engineering graduate faculty members and one law faculty member.
13. The program will begin Fall 2001.
14. The program must be endorsed by the Dean of the College of Law and Dean of the College of Engineering.