Rules and Regulations

Admissions

To be eligible for LPP you must apply separately to the law school and the Philosophy Department’s Ph.D. program and be admitted to both.  Application forms for both programs provide space for indicating your interest in being in the LPP. The admissions committees of the law school and Philosophy Department initially screen all applications. Each of these committees informs the directors of the LPP of any applicant who meets the minimum standards for admission to its degree program and who has indicated interest in being in LPP.  The directors then review the applications and make recommendations to the two committees of the most promising applicants. Because a number of different factors enter into the final decisions on admission to either the law school or the Philosophy Department, our recommendations are not binding.

Timing and Scheduling of the Program of Study

Students admitted to LPP may elect to begin their studies in either the Philosophy Department’s Ph.D. program or the Law School. Both units are willing to grant deferrals to LPP students. Students who elect to begin in the Philosophy Department must then begin their first year of law school the following year. The Philosophy Department is willing to defer an offer of admission and financial aid for one year, if the student elects to begin in the law school. Students awarded University Fellowships by the Department, however, may not defer their Fellowships, though they may postpone for a year enrollment in the Department’s program. Whether a student begins in the Philosophy Department or the law school, he or she must fulfill all of the requirements of the first year of law school by the end of his or second year at the university. After the first two years of study in the LPP, students may divide years, but not semesters, between law and philosophy.

Coursework and Time Saved

LPP Students may count two law courses towards the coursework requirement for the Ph.D. They may count 12 hours (typically four courses) from philosophy toward the J.D. By pursuing the degrees in combination, a student will save roughly a full year of course work. Allowing two years for the writing of a dissertation, both degrees can be earned in seven years.

Financial Aid

In addition to the normal financial aid practices of each unit, the following opportunities will be available to LPP students: (A) The Philosophy Department expects to be able to provide TA appointments to LPP students even when they are enrolled in the law school. Such appointments depend on the enrollments in undergraduate classes in any given term and thus cannot be guaranteed. Past enrollment patterns, however, make it likely that these appointments will be available, especially in the fall term. A TA appointment will lead to in-state tuition rates for students, even with respect to law-school tuition. In general, the Philosophy Department will need to be notified by March of the preceding academic year whether a student in the LPP is seeking financial support (in the form of TAships) for some or all of the following year. (B) The law school awards one JD/PhD Scholarship to support a student in his or her first year of PhD study. The Scholarship provides a stipend (currently at $20,000) and frees the recipient from teaching duties. The recipient must pay graduate school tuition out of the stipend. He or she will also receive from the Philosophy Department a waiver of the out-of-state tuition surcharge, so the student pays the in-state rate.