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Bulletin Archive

This archived information is dated to the 2011-12 academic year only and may no longer be current.

For currently applicable policies and information, see the current Stanford Bulletin.

Joint M.S. and Law Degree

Up one level:

Computer Science

Law students interested in pursuing an M.S. in Computer Science must apply for admission to the Computer Science Department either (i) concurrently with applying to the Law School; or (ii) after being admitted to the Law School, but no later than the earlier of: (a) the end of the second year of Law School; or (b) the Computer Science Department's admission deadline for the year following that second year of Law School.

In addition to being admitted separately to the Law School and the Computer Science Department, students must secure permission from both academic units to pursue degrees in those units as part of a joint degree program.

J.D./M.S. students may elect to begin their course of study in either the Law School or the Computer Science Department. Faculty advisors from each academic unit participate in the planning and supervising of the student's joint program. Students must be enrolled full-time in the Law School for the first year of law studies. Otherwise, enrollment may be in the graduate school or the Law School, and students may choose courses from either program regardless of where enrolled. Students must satisfy the requirements for both the J.D. degree as specified by the Law School and the M.S. degree as specified in this Bulletin.

The Law School approves courses from the Department of Computer Science that may count toward the J.D. degree, and the Computer Science Department approves courses from the Law School that may count toward the M.S. degree in Computer Science. In either case, approval may consist of a list applicable to all joint-degree students or may be tailored to each individual student program. No more than 45 units of approved courses may be counted toward both degrees. No more than 36 units of courses that originate outside the Law School may count toward the Law degree. To the extent that courses under this joint degree program originate outside of 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.S. in Computer Science is the greater of: (i) 12 units; or (ii) the maximum number of units from courses outside of the department that M.S. candidates in Computer Science are permitted to count toward the M.S. in the case of a particular student's individual program. Tuition and financial aid arrangements are normally through the school in which the student is then enrolled.

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