The J.D./M.P.A. program is designed for those seeking an advanced degree in the field of governmental administration. This program is offered by the University of New Orleans (UNO) through the UNO Graduate School. The program is interdisciplinary, with participation from the Graduate School of the Master of Public Administrative program at UNO.
Applicants for this joint program must apply separately to the College of Law and to the UNO MPA program and be accepted individually to both. The schools together will determine whether the applicant is eligible for the combined program. The applicant must present satisfactory evidence of having earned an undergraduate degree.
Normal degree requirements of 90 semester hours (juris doctor) and 42 credit hours including a six-hour thesis or project (M.P.A.) are reduced to 81 semester hours (juris doctor) and 33 credit hours (M.P.A.) plus the thesis or project. Each program is thus reduced by nine semester hours as each accepts, as part of its requirements, nine semester hours from the other program.
Upon completion of the program, the student will be awarded two separate degrees. The requirements for both must be completed, however, before either degree can be awarded. A student will not be allowed to enroll in Loyola College of Law courses in Clinical Seminar, Legal Research, or Independent Study. The nine hours of credit earned at UNO in the M.P.A. program will count toward the total earned hours at Loyola but will not affect the student’s cumulative Loyola grade point average. No credit will be awarded for a course taken in the UNO M.P.A. program unless the grade is at least equal to a C+ on the Loyola grading scale. No credit will be accepted until a student has successfully completed the first year of study at Loyola with an average of 2.3 or better. The student must maintain an average of 3.0 or better in the M.P.A. program.
Students failing to meet all of the requirements of the program are awarded either the juris doctor or master of public administration degree only if they fulfill the requirements for the individual degree as outlined in the Loyola College of Law or UNO graduate bulletins, respectively.
For further information on the M.P.A., please contact Dr. John Kiefer, University of New Orleans, at jkiefer@uno.edu or (504) 280-3842.
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