Joint Degree Programs

Students may apply for these joint programs at two points in time:

1. Students interested in either the J.D/M.A. or J.D./Ph.D. program must follow multiple application steps: 
   1. Apply and gain entrance to the School of Law, indicating interest in a joint degree program
   2. Apply and gain entrance to the Department of Economics, indicating interest in a joint degree program
   3. Secure permission from both Law and Economics to pursue the respective degrees as part of a joint degree program.
2. Alternatively, students may commence study in either program and then apply for admission to the other with joint degree status in both academic units.

Joint degree students may elect to begin their course of study in either the School of Law or the Department of Economics. Faculty advisors from each academic unit will participate in the planning and supervision of the student's joint program. 

• When students begin their first year J.D. studies, they must be enrolled full-time in the Law School. 
• At some points during the joint program, students may be required to devote one or more quarters largely or exclusively to studies in the Economics program, regardless of whether enrollment at that time is in the Law School or the Department of Economics.
• At all other times, enrollment may be in Economics or Law, and students may choose courses from either program regardless of where enrolled.

Students must satisfy the requirements for both the J.D. and the M.A. or Ph.D. degrees as specified in the Stanford Bulletin or elsewhere.

Both the Law School and the Department of Economics will approve courses from each other's programs. The list of approved courses may vary by individual programs of study or whether the student is pursuing an M.A. or Ph.D. in Economics. 

• J.D./ M.A. program: Up to 30 semester (45 quarter) units of approved courses may count toward both degrees. 
• J.D./Ph.D. program: Up to 36 semester (54 quarter) units of approved courses may count toward both degrees.
• In either case, no more than 24 semester (36 quarter) units that originate outside the Law School may count toward the law degree. 

To the extent that courses under this joint degree program originate outside the Law School but count toward the law degree, the law school credits permitted under Section 17(1) of the Law School Regulations shall be reduced on a unit-per-unit basis, but not below zero. 

The maximum number of law school credits that may be counted toward the M.A. or the Ph.D. in Economics is the greater of: 

1. 3 1/3 semester (5 quarter) hours in the case of the M.A. and 6 2/3 semester (10 quarter) hours in the case of the Ph.D.; or 
2. the maximum number of hours from courses outside of the department that M.A. or Ph.D. candidates in Economics are permitted to count toward the applicable degree under general departmental guidelines or in the case of a particular student's individual program. 

Tuition and financial aid arrangements will normally be through the school in which the student is then enrolled.

• At the time of application to Stanford: Students interested in this degree first apply to the Economics Department, indicating an interest in the joint program. There is one admissions application and one fee. If admitted to the department, the file is forwarded to the M.P.P. program. An admission decision will be made promptly, and the department will inform the student of that decision.
• Students may also apply to the M.P.P. after having commenced study in the Economics Department at Stanford, by first receiving the consent of the Director of Graduate Studies in Economics and then applying to the Public Policy program.

Students must have a faculty adviser from the Economics Department to assist with the planning and supervision of the joint program. The adviser is usually chosen from among the department's Public Policy-affiliated faculty.

Up to a maximum of 45 units, or one year, of the University residency requirement can be credited toward both graduate degree programs. This acknowledges the subject matter overlap between the fields comprising the joint degree.

All core courses must be taken for a letter grade. Students must maintain a 3.0 (B) grade point average overall in courses applicable to the degree. All units must be taken in upper division (100-level) courses per university policy.

Required Courses:

• PUBLPOL 301A: Microeconomics (4 units)
• ECON 102A: Introduction to Statistical Methods (Postcalculus) for Social Scientists (5 units)
• PUBLPOL 301B: Economic Policy Analysis for Policymakers (4 units)
• PUBLPOL 206: Law and Economics or PUBLPOL 302B: Economic Analysis of Law (3-4 units)
• PUBLPOL 303D: Applied Econometrics for Public Policy (4 units)
• Select one of the following courses (3-5 units):
  • LAW 7508: Problem-Solving and Decision Making for Public Policy and Social Change*Preferred Option
  • GSBGEN 646: Behavioral Decision Making
  • ECON 137: Decision Modeling and Information
  • OB 381: Conflict Management and Negotiation
• PUBLPOL 306: Writing and Rhetoric for Policy Audiences (4 units)
• PUBLPOL 307: Justice (4 units)
• PUBLPOL 308: Political Analysis for Policymakers (4 units)
• PUBLPOL 311: Public Policy Colloquium (3 units)