Water Resources Concurrent J.D. Degree

Entry Requirements

Completion of requirements for admission to both the College of Law and the specific Water Resources option area.  Students are required to apply separately to the College of Law and the College of Graduate Studies, Water Resources Program, and on acceptance to each college, must apply to the concurrent degree program.  Acceptance to both colleges does not have to occur simultaneously.  A Steering Committee consisting of the Director of the Water Resources Program, the Associate Dean for Administration and Students of the College of Law, one non-law member of the Water Resources faculty and one member of the Law faculty will make admission decisions to the concurrent degree program.

Common Courses               

The following courses are required of both M.S. and Ph.D. students in all of the Water Resources Tracks.

                WR 501 Water Resources Seminar (1 cr.)

                WR 506 Integrated Water Resources Methods (3 cr.)

                WR 507 Integrated Water Resources Projects (3 cr.) *Available spring 2009

A 500 level elective in either of the Water Resources Tracks that are not the student’s Option Area (3 cr. for Ph.D.)

Core Courses

As specified for the particular Water Resources Track for the M.S. or Ph.D. and as required by the Law School for a J.D.

Electives

The student and faculty committee will select courses appropriate to satisfy the requirements of the College of Graduate Studies and College of Law. 

Concurrent Degree Details:

Students in the Water Resources concurrent J.D. track must meet all graduation requirements set forth by the College of Graduate Studies for the M.S. or Ph.D. degrees and the College of Law for the J.D.

Each student shall have a “graduate committee.”  The student’s graduate committee must meet the requirements of the College of Graduate Studies and must have at least one member from the faculty of the College of Law.

Up to 12 credits of M.S. and Ph.D. graduate school credit are allowed toward the J.D.  degree.  The courses must be approved by the student’s advisor in the College of Law with the following guidelines:

Courses approved for credit, toward a J.D. must be complementary to an emphasis in water law, must enhance the candidates ability to serve clients and the legal profession in the area of water law, and must not be the equivalent substantive coverage to a course offered in the College of Law and available to the student.

Up to 6 credits from Law are allowed toward the M.S. degree and up to 9 credits toward the Ph.D. degree from the following list:

Law 901  Indian Resource Management (3 cr.)

Law 906 Natural Resources Law and Policy (3 cr.)

Law 907 Administrative Law (3 cr.)

Law 937 Natural Resources Law and History (3 cr.)

Law 938 International Environmental and Water Law (3 cr.)

Law 939 Law and Science (3 cr.)

Law 942 Water Law (3 cr.)

Law 946 Water Policy Seminar (3 cr.)

Law 947 Environmental Law I (3 cr.)

Law 948 Public Lands and Resources Law (3 cr.)

Law 949 Indian Law (3 cr.)

Law 951 Environmental Law II (3 cr.)

Satisfactory completion of both degrees is required to qualify for the exchange credit, the degrees are granted concurrently. The first year of study for either an M.S. or Ph.D. student must be exclusively in the College of Law.M.S. students are required to write a thesis. Ph.D. students are required to write a dissertation. If the student fails to complete the M.S. or Ph.D. program, only 6 credits are allowed toward the J.D. degree.  If a student fails to complete the J.D. degree, the student must satisfy all requirements for the particular option area in the Water Resources Program.