Public Administration, Master of (M.P.A.)/Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the University of Richmond [dual degree]

This is the preliminary (or launch) version of the 2024-2025 VCU Bulletin. Courses that expose students to cutting-edge content and transformative learning may be added and notification of additional program approvals may be received prior to finalization. General education program content is also subject to change. The final edition and full PDF version will include these updates and will be available in August prior to the beginning of the fall semester.

Program accreditation
National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration

A cooperative arrangement with the University of Richmond School of Law makes it possible for students to receive a law degree from the University of Richmond and the Master of Public Administration from VCU. The dual degree program is designed to provide its graduates with competency in both public administration and law. This competency is applicable to areas of practice drawing upon knowledge and skills from each of these fields. The program brings together persons interested in both the broader aspects of public policy and government affairs and the law. It also brings together two fields that require complementary knowledge and skills that may be directed toward solving problems that are associated with the affairs of the government and nonprofit sectors. This integration of education in public administration and law draws on the contributions that each discipline can make to a professional knowledge base for practice in both fields.

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Application process

Application for admission to each program must be made separately to VCU and the T.C. Williams School of Law of the University of Richmond and the candidate will be subject to the admission requirements for the respective programs at each institution. Only students admitted to both programs will be eligible for the dual degree program.

Once admitted to the program, students are encouraged to meet with their advisers at both VCU and the University of Richmond to review the proposed course of dual degree study, keeping in mind the timelines and requirements for each program.

Students in the dual degree program may begin their studies at either institution and the primary program during the student’s first year of study will determine the sequence of courses to be completed. Students must spend the entire first year at either VCU or the T.C. Williams School of Law, but may attend either institution in subsequent years. The first-year curriculum at the law school must be completed in its entirety during a single academic year.

Students who are accepted into the dual degree program are permitted to apply 12 credit hours of work in the M.P.A. degree program toward meeting the graduation requirements in the T.C. Williams School of Law and up to 12 credit hours of work in the law school are applied as elective credits toward meeting the degree requirements for the M.P.A. This credit application enables participants in the dual degree program to complete the requirements for the J.D. and the M.P.A. in an estimated four years of full-time course work after the completion of 99 or 102 credits, rather than a minimum of 123 or 126 if the degrees were pursued separately. Applicants for this program are required to meet all admission and academic standards of the T.C. Williams School of Law of the University of Richmond, the VCU Graduate School and the M.P.A. program.