University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law

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Dual Degree Programs

Law students may earn dual degrees—a law degree and another graduate degree. Applicants interested in earning another graduate degree should check with the respective graduate program and the Law School to discuss degree requirements, tuition assessment, and potential financial aid issues.

The Law School offers the following Joint Degree Programs:

  • JD/MBA with Shidler College of Business
  • JD/MSW with Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work

Please see a list of graduate programs that offer a dual degree at the Office of Graduate Education’s Dual Degree page. Also see the Alphabetical Listing of Graduate Programs at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.

  • Depending on the program, up to 9 credits of law may be counted toward the graduate degree and up to 10 credits of graduate work taken after matriculation into the Law School may be counted toward the JD. Only electives may be double counted. The main advantage of the dual degree program is that it allows a student to “double count” a certain amount of credits in both the law and the graduate program, which significantly shortens the amount of time otherwise required to complete both programs.
  • There is no special application process to enter the dual degree program. It is necessary, however, to make a separate application to each graduate program, which means you have to meet the admission requirements of each program. Admission into one program does not guarantee admission into the second program. You should also know that at least for the Law School, transfer credit cannot be granted for any courses taken prior to matriculation into law school.
  • A current law student must complete the first year of law school before starting a graduate program. The first year of law school is prescribed curriculum; you are not allowed to take any courses outside of the Law School. For this reason, it is not necessary to apply to the second graduate program until after you have matriculated into law school. In fact, if you are admitted to the second program for the same year you are to matriculate into law school, you would have to seek permission to defer admission to one program or the other.
  • Simultaneous admission to a graduate program and the law school is not permitted because the first year of law school is a prescribed curriculum. A current UHM graduate student must complete at least one semester of graduate course work before starting law school. A current law student must complete the first year of law school before starting a graduate program.

Typically, law students apply to the second graduate program. If admitted and depending upon course availability, students begin course work in the second graduate program in the summer after the first year of law school or during the second year of law school. If you have specific questions about a second graduate program, you should contact that program directly for more information. You may want to do this now just to be sure that the graduate program you are interested in will meet your needs and expectations.

The most common approach to the dual degree program is for a student to concentrate first on course work for the JD degree; i.e. the primary goal is to finish the JD degree within the normal three-year time period. During the course of the JD program, the student will have completed a number of credits in the other graduate program. Once the JD degree is completed, the student then finishes up the remaining course work in the other graduate program.

There are a few students who have been able to complete both graduate programs within three years, but this is not generally recommended for two reasons. First, the heavy academic load required could result in lower grades. Second, early completion of both degrees would require taking full course loads each summer after the first and second years of law school. These summers are perhaps better used gaining work experience and lining up job offers for after graduation. The ABA requires that the law degree be completed within seven years of admission to the law school.

There are more detailed policies governing some of the more technical aspects of the dual degree program, but this introductory material should give you a good idea as to its basic workings. For more information, see the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa catalog’s chapter on Graduate Education.

Law students may also earn a law degree and a graduate certificate at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.

JD/MBA JOINT DEGREE PROGRAM

Full-time JD students may apply to the JD/MBA program offered by the Shidler College of Business and the William S. Richardson School of Law. Graduates of the program will have the tools necessary to address the various legal and business issues that they will face in their roles within legal practice, consulting, public policy, entrepreneurship, venture capital, and many other careers.

Admissions

Current full-time JD students typically apply to the Shidler College of Business during their first year. If accepted, they start their MBA classes in the fall of their second year.

To apply to the JD/MBA program, current full-time JD students must complete the MBA application [shidler.hawaii.edu], pay the application fee, and submit the required essays and résumé. The Shidler College of Business may require additional application materials before finalizing an admissions decision.

  • Full-time JD students may substitute the successful completion of the first-year law school curriculum for the two-year, full-time, post baccalaureate work requirement.
  • Full-time JD students may submit an LSAT and/or GRE score in lieu of a GMAT score taken within the last 5 years.
  • Current law students should submit the Information Request Form for Law Students [PDF, 179KB] to request that their law school application materials (LSAT score report, letters of recommendation, and transcripts) be sent to the College of Business.
Tuition

There is no additional cost to full-time law students who take part-time MBA courses during the semesters when they are enrolled in 12 or more law credits. However, after they complete their JDs, they must pay for any additional business credits to complete the MBA coursework. See Shidler College of Business Tuition and Fees.

MBA Curriculum

Most full-time JD students will earn both degrees in four (4) years. JD students take their core courses in the evening with the part-time MBA students. After graduating from the Law School, students also may elect to take their remaining MBA courses on a full-time basis.

Students in the JD/MBA program are encouraged to keep in close contact with their academic advisors at both schools to ensure that they carefully plan out their courses each semester. See the recommended JD MBA Study Path [PDF, 188KB]. For description of the required business courses visit Shidler College of Business website.

The MBA program consists of 48 credits designed to help students become effective leaders and managers. Students may move through the program at their own pace by enrolling in 3 or more credits per semester.

  • Students must earn 24 MBA credits of core courses designed to give them experience in the various functional areas of a global business environment.
  • 21 MBA credits of electives are also included in the program, allowing students to customize their MBA program to help them meet their personal and professional career goals. Nine JD elective credits may be counted toward the MBA degree; and ten MBA elective credits may be counted toward the JD degree.
  • The final course in the MBA program is the MBA Consulting Practicum. Here students work together in small teams and pull together everything they’ve learned throughout their studies to perform a consulting project for a local business.
Shidler College of Business

The Shidler College of Business has the only AACSB International graduate business program in Hawaiʻi, so students are guaranteed that their degree will satisfy the expectations of a wide range of quality standards relating to strategic management of resources, interactions of faculty and students in the educational process, and achievement of learning goals in degree programs. AACSB accreditation is highly prestigious and the Shidler College of Business is proud to offer:

  • A nationally ranked program in international business
  • A strategic focus on the Asia-Pacific region
  • Convenient evening and day-time scheduling options
  • An Annual Business Plan Competition with thousands of dollars in cash prizes
  • A variety of internship opportunities
  • Entrepreneurship-focused workshops and bootcamp hosted by the Shidler’s Pacific Center for Entrepreneurship (PACE)
  • A multicultural student body and a diverse population

JD/MSW DUAL DEGREE PROGRAM

JD students may apply to the JD/MSW dual degree program offered by the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health and the William S. Richardson School of Law. Graduates of the program will have the tools necessary to address the various intersections of the law and social work. Students will be knowledgeable and competent to practice with diverse populations at the individual, family, group, organization, and community levels.

Admissions

Current full-time JD students typically apply to the Master’s of Social Work (MSW) Program during their first or second year of law school. If accepted, they start their MSW classes in the fall of their second year. Current part-time JD students may apply after they complete their required courses (typically, after their second year of law school). To apply to the JD/MSW program, current JD students must complete the MSW application [manoa.hawaii.edu], pay the application fee, and submit the required documents and forms. Current students should submit the School of Social Work’s JD/MSW Dual Degree Form [manoa.hawaii.edu] to the SW admissions office to request pertinent law school application material (e.g., transcripts) be sent to the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health.

Entering full-time and part-time JD students may apply for admission to the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health. Admission will be based upon MSW admissions criteria, and enrollment in the JD/MSW dual degree is contingent upon the successful completion of the first-year curriculum at the Law School (30 credits with a law school good standing GPA of 2.00 or higher). Students who do not successfully complete the first-year law school curriculum will not be eligible for the JD/MSW program. If accepted, full-time students would start their MSW classes in the fall of their second year. If accepted, part-time students would start their MSW classes after their second year of law school. To apply to the JD/MSW program, entering JD students must complete the Law School’s JD/MSW Interest Form, the MSW application [manoa.hawaii.edu], pay the application fee, and submit the required documents and forms.

Senior BSW students and current MSW students may apply for separate admission to the Law School. See Law School admissions instructions. For more information, please contact the MSW Admissions/Student Services Office at (808) 956-3833 or email us.

Tuition

There is no additional cost to full-time law students who take MSW courses during the semesters when they are enrolled in 12 or more law credits. However, after they complete their JD degree, they must pay for any additional MSW credits to complete the MSW coursework.

Curriculum

Full-time JD/MSW dual degree students may earn both degrees within four years. See the JD MSW Recommended Study Path [PDF, 76KB].  JD/MSW students will take a combination of law elective courses and core social work courses. After graduating from the Law School, students also may elect to take their remaining MSW courses on a full-time basis.

Students in the JD/MSW program are encouraged to keep in close contact with their academic advisors at both schools to ensure that they carefully plan out their courses each semester. For social work course descriptions, visit the MSW Course Descriptions [manoa.hawaii.edu].

The MSW program consists of 57 credits designed to help students achieve the aims of the profession of social work.

  • Students must earn 48 MSW credits of core courses designed to give them experience in the various functional areas of a social worker to be able to practice with diverse populations.
  • Nine MSW credits of electives are also included in the program, allowing students to customize their MSW program to help them meet their personal and professional career goals. Nine JD elective credits may be counted toward the MSW degree and vice versa.
  • MSW students are required to complete four (4) semesters of field education (practicum) totaling a minimum of 900 -hours to complete their degree.  Students who would like to overlap their Pro Bono hours with their MSW field education must obtain prior approval from both departments.
  • MSW degree must be obtained within four years after matriculation into the program.
Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health

The University of Hawai‘i established its first social work program in 1936. In 2008, the UH Board of Regents unanimously approved the naming of the school after Myron “Pinky” Thompson [manoa.hawaii.edu], who received his MSW from UH Manoa in 1953 and was a long-time community activist on behalf of the children and families of Hawai‘i. The Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work MSW program continues to be fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).