Law and Public Health (Health Management and Policy Concentration), J.D./M.P.H.

The College of Law and the School of Public Health offer a Juris Doctor (JD)/ Master of Public Health (MPH) in the Health Management and Policy (HMGP) concentration dual degree program. This dual program provides an opportunity to pursue studies in law and public health concurrently. The JD/MPH-HMGP enables students to earn both degrees in a shorter time than would be possible if students pursued each degree separately. Dual degree programs include separate, but affiliated degree programs that are linked through shared curricular offerings and collaborative administrative processes.

Credit hours earned in one degree program satisfy some requirements of the other degree program. No credit hours for the MPH courses will be applied toward the JD requirements until a student has completed the MPH; similarly, no credit hours for the JD courses will be applied toward the MPH requirements until completion of the JD. In other words, a student cannot graduate from the JD and MPH in the same semester-a student must graduate from either program in a given semester, and then the second program in a subsequent semester. Students interested in pursuing a JD/MPH must be admitted into and enroll in both degree programs prior to completion of 30 credit hours of MPH coursework and 60 hours of JD coursework in order to qualify for the dual degree program. When admitted to the JD/MPH program, students must complete the first 30 hours of required courses in the JD program as soon as possible (immediately upon JD admission). After completion of these 30 hours of law courses, course enrollment in either college or both colleges concurrently is permitted and may resume. Students must complete the dual degree program within six years of the initial semester of enrollment. Students should be able to complete both degrees in four years.

Admissions

To participate in the JD/MPH dual degree program, students must apply separately for admission to the College of Law and the School of Public Health. Students are strongly encouraged to apply to both programs simultaneously. However, there is some opportunity to apply and enroll in the dual degree program after admission to only one of the schools, if a student has not proceeded too far in that school’s program. Students interested in pursuing a JD/MPH must be admitted into and enroll in both degree programs prior to completion of 30 credit hours of MPH coursework and 60 hours of JD coursework in order to qualify for the dual degree program.

The School of Public Health will accept the LSAT in lieu of the GRE if a student is admitted into the College of Law first. If a student applies concurrently to the College of Law and School of Public Health, or if a student is admitted to the College of Law after they are admitted to the School of Public Health, that student will need to provide a GRE score as well. Admission into one program does not presume admission into the other. Students who gain admission into both programs and become dual degree JD/MPH students should self-disclose their dual degree status to the MPH Curriculum and Advisement Coordinator at the School of Public Health and the Associate Director of the Center for Law, Health and Society at the College of Law immediately upon admission into their second program of study (either JD or MPH).

Resources like the CDC’s Public Health Law Program, Network for Public Health Law, APHA Law Section, and the American Health Lawyers Association provide connections to similarly trained individuals throughout the country through conferences, training, and networking. Read more information in the findings from the Network for Public Health Law’s interactive tool.

Degree Requirements

M.P.H. Requirements

minimum 28 School of Public Health credit hours (+ 14 or more public health-related College of Law credit hours, taken for the JD)

Required Core Courses (16 Credit Hours)

PHPH 7010 - Foundations of Public Health 3 Credit Hours (MPH students who have completed a CEPH-accredited bachelor’s degree may replace this PHPH 7010 Foundations of Public Health course with three (3) credit hours of health management and policy concentration-approved elective course(s).)
PHPH 7011 - Epidemiology for Public Health 3 Credit Hours
or
PHPH 7711 - Epidemiologic Methods I 3 Credit Hours
PHPH 7017 - Fundamentals of Biostatistics I 4 Credit Hours
PHPB 7140 - Health Promotion Planning, Administration, and Evaluation 3 Credit Hours
PHPB 7160 - Fundamentals of Health Systems, Leadership, and Policy 3 Credit Hours

Required Concentration Courses (9 Credit Hours)

PHPB 7170 - Public Health Leadership and Policy 3 Credit Hours
PHPB 7330 - Health Care Management and Finance 3 Credit Hours
LAW 7240 - Health Law: Financing and Delivery. 2 to 4 Credit Hours (in lieu of PH 8250 - Health Economics and Policy 3 Credit Hours)

Elective Courses (12 Credit Hours)

Required MPH HMGP Concentration-related College of Law Elective Courses:

List A

Select at least one (1) course from the following List A of HMGP concentration approved elective courses (3 credit hours):

PHPB 7521 - Evaluation Research 3 Credit Hours
PHPB 7522 - Qualitative Research 3 Credit Hours
PHPB 8260 - Spatial Population Health I 3 Credit Hours
Other appropriate research methods/statistics courses may be approved by the Department Chair on the Master of Public Health Graduate Petition form. Students should receive approval from the Department Chair prior to enrolling in, paying for, and completing the course.

List B

Select at least three (3) courses from the following HMGP List B of approved MPH HMGP/JD elective courses (9 credit hours):

LAW 7239 - Health Law: Quality and Access. 2 to 3 Credit Hours
LAW 7244 - Public Health Law. 2 to 3 Credit Hours
Other SPH approved Health law electives with a “B “grade (3.0) or better-counted below 3-9 Credit Hours

Applied Practice Experience Course

Required MPH Applied Practice Experience Course (2 credit hours) or (2 credit hours minimum) of public health-related Lawyering Skills Course:

Health-Law related experiential course, clinic or externship, and must specifically be HeLP, a health law related externship, or HLA (in lieu of PHPB 7960 MPH Applied Practice Experience) (2) *Standard MPH HMGP students complete two (2) credit hours of PH 7960 MPH Applied Practice Experience; however, JD/MPH HMGP dual degree students may satisfy this PHPB 7960 requirement by completing 3-6 credit hours of a health law related College of Law experiential learning course, clinic or externship: specifically in the Health Law Partnership (HeLP) Legal Services Clinic, the Olmstead Disability Rights Clinic, a health law related externship, or the two-semester Health Legislation and Advocacy course. For either a traditional PHPB 7960 MPH Applied Practice Experience or for an experiential learning course in lieu of a MPH Applied Practice Experience, the student must FIRST complete all MPH core courses, LAW 7240, and LAW 7244 before beginning the MPH Applied Practice Experience or lawyering skills course. If an experiential learning course is taken prior to completing those required MPH core courses, it will not count for the PHPB 7960 MPH Applied Practice Experience requirement. This is simply because the MPH curriculum design requires the MPH Applied Practice Experience to be an opportunity for students to demonstrate the specific MPH knowledge and skills they learned in their MPH courses; therefore, students cannot apply the knowledge and skills acquired through their MPH courses of study in the MPH Applied Practice Experience until after they have completed those MPH courses. Students must submit a Waiver/Substitution form to the School of Public Health for the lawyering skills course to be counted in lieu of the PHPB 7960 MPH Applied Practice Experience requirement [publichealth.gsu.edu/students/practicum/practicum-forms/], and the form must indicate how the student will demonstrate attainment of at least five public health competencies, of which at least three must be foundational competencies, in at least two products. The School of Public Health will make the final decision on if a completed lawyering skills course fulfills the PHPB 7960 requirement. Alternatively, JD/MPH students may elect to complete the standard public health Applied Practice Experience course.

Thesis or Capstone Project Course (3 Credit Hours)

Required MPH Thesis or Capstone Project Course:

PHPB 7990 - Thesis 3 Credit Hours
PHPB 7991 - Capstone 3 Credit Hours
PHPB 7992 - Integrative Learning Experience 3 Credit Hours

J.D. Requirements

minimum 78 College of Law hours (+12 School of Public Health credit hours, taken for the MPH)

Credit hours earned in one degree program satisfy some requirements of the other degree program. No credit hours for the M.P.H. courses will be applied toward the J.D. requirements until the M.P.H. has been completed. Similarly, no credit hours for the J.D. courses will be applied toward the M.P.H. requirements until completion of the J.D. If interested in pursuing a M.P.H., a student must enroll in the dual-degree program prior to completion of 60 hours of J.D. course work.