Law and Data Science and Analytics, J.D./M.S.

Degree Requirements

The College of Law and J. Mack Robinson College of Business offer a dual degree program that allows students to simultaneously pursue advanced course work in law and analytics (the J.D./M.S.D.A. Program). The combined programs allow students to develop skills and knowledge through the latest in data science methodologies to answer legal questions and problems. Full-time students may satisfy all requirements for both a J.D. and an M.S. in Data Science and Analytics in as little as three and a half years, as opposed to the five years that would be required if the two degrees were pursued separately. This option is for individuals with a strong math background and would require summer school courses.

M.S. Requirements

For the M.S., the Robinson College of Business requires all candidates to complete 30 credit hours of business coursework. There are 21 required credit hours in the M.S.D.A. program. In addition, there are nine elective credit hours. Students can choose three elective courses from the following list or additional electives with approval:

MSA 8770 - Text Analytics
MSA 8500 - Image Analytics
MSA 8650 - Image and Text Analytics with Deep Neural Networks
FI 8460 - Introduction to FinTech

J.D. Requirements

The College of Law requires all J.D. candidates to complete 90 credit hours of law courses (43 of which are required courses and 47 of which are elective courses). For those students in the J.D./M.S.D.A. program, the nine elective credits hours from the M.S.D.A program will count towards the 90 credits needed for the J.D. program. Thus, a student enrolled in the J.D./M.S. program will be able to complete the requirements for both degrees by completing 30 credit hours in Robinson College of Business and 81 credit hours in the College of Law.

Enrollment Sequencing and Time Limits

Candidates interested in the joint-degree program must satisfy the admissions requirements and be admitted to each college separately. Applicants should contact the Office of Admissions of each school for application information. The LSAT must be taken for admission to the College of Law. The GMAT admission requirement at the Robinson College of Business will be waived for students who have already taken the LSAT and are enrolled in the College of Law. Program students who start at the College of Law must complete their first 30 credits of law school before taking M.S.D.A. courses. Program students who start in the M.S.D.A. program must declare their intent to do the dual-degree program before completing 21 credits in the M.S.D.A. program. Degree requirements for both programs must be completed within seven years of the student’s initial semester of enrollment in the JD program.

Graduation

Students must satisfy the degree requirements of each school and should consult with advisers in each school for the precise graduation requirements for each degree and for information about the course offerings.