The J.D./M.U.R.P. program is designed for those seeking professional training in planning cities and regions with specific emphasis given to their social, economic, environmental, political, and physical aspects, as well as the interaction of these factors. This program is offered in conjunction with the University of New Orleans (UNO) through its Department of Planning & Urban Studies in the College of Liberal Arts. The objective of the program is to prepare students to be planners in city, regional, state, and federal planning agencies; private consulting firms and public service organizations; and other public or private institutions.
Applicants for this joint program must apply separately to the College of Law and to the UNO Department of Planning and Urban Studies 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 45 credit hours (M.U.R.P.) are reduced to 81 semester hours (juris doctor) and 36 credit hours (M.U.R.P.) 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.U.R.P. 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.U.R.P. 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.U.R.P. program.
Students failing to meet all of the requirements of the program are awarded either the juris doctor or master of urban and regional planning 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.U.R.P., contact Dr. Marla Nelson, University of New Orleans, mnelson@uno.edu or (504) 280-3110.
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