The JD/MS in Journalism program combines into approximately three and one-half years of full-time study the Master of Science (MS) in Journalism and the Juris Doctor (JD) programs offered by the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications and the KU School of Law.
The program is designed to offer students academic grounding in both disciplines to prepare them for the professional practice of journalism, law or a combination of media law.
This joint degree prepares students to address legal, ethical, and policy problems facing communicators and media managers, legal practitioners and scholars who face complex issues within their own disciplines as well as pressing societal issues in biosciences, technology, business, intellectual property and constitutional law. Graduates of this combined degree will assume responsibilities in the public and private sectors. The goal of the joint program is to develop leaders with technical and philosophical approaches to address and communicate complex issues to policymakers and to various communities and audiences.
If you are a prospective law student, contact the KU Law Office of Admissions, 785-864-4378, admitlaw@ku.edu; or Professor Tom Volek, journalism, 785-864-7622, twvolek@ku.edu.
If you are a current KU student, contact Professor Elizabeth Kronk Warner, law school, 785-864-1139, elizabeth.kronk@ku.edu; or Professor Tom Volek, journalism, 785-864-7622, twvolek@ku.edu.
To be admitted to the joint JD/MS program, an applicant must hold an earned baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, complete the admission processes and meet the admission requirements for both the School of Law and the School of Journalism. Also, the applicant must be admitted by both schools no later than the end of the first year of study in the School of Law or the completion of more than 18 credit hours of graduate work in the School of Journalism.
The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is the only standardized test required for an applicant to the joint degree program. An applicant or student who is interested in entering the joint degree program should discuss his or her plans with the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the School of Law and the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research in the J-School as early as possible.
To receive the JD/MS, a student must complete a minimum of 109 credit hours. Of these, at least, 81 credit hours must be from courses offered by the School of Law and 28 must be from the master's program in journalism.
Students in the joint degree program should note that while the School of Law requires a 2.0 grade point average in JD coursework to remain in good standing and for graduation, the master’s degree in journalism follows the Graduate School regulation requiring a 3.0 cumulative grade point average for coursework that is counted toward the MS portion of the joint degree.
Students must complete all required first-year courses (29 credit hours) during their first year of law school enrollment. In addition to these course requirements, the School of Law has an upper-class writing requirement, a residence requirement, and a time limit for completion of the degree. Please refer to the current School of Law Catalog for details.
* Enrollment for credit toward the joint degree is subject to approval by the director of the Media, Law & Technology Certificate Program at the School of Law.
In addition to the coursework described above, students in the joint JD/MS program may count 9 credit hours of master's journalism courses toward their JD degree. Students may choose courses to complete the remaining hours necessary to reach the total of 81 hours of law school credit needed for the joint degree from any part of the law school curriculum.
JOUR 840 Seminar in: ___ (3) May be taken twice on different topics.
Graduate Degree Requirements (All Courses of Study): All Journalism master’s candidates must complete a minimum of 36 graduate credit hours in Marketing Communications (MarComm) or 37 graduate credit hours in Mass Communications with at least a B (3.0) average. Students must complete Core Course requirements, Professional Course requirements and Advanced Course requirements.
Enrollment Requirements after Completing Course Requirements: A student must enroll for at least 1 hour of credit in the semester in which he or she graduates. The student must complete 3 hours of JOUR 898 (Project) or JOUR 899 (Thesis).