The J.D./ M.A. program in Law & History is designed to provide students interested in the study of law and history with top-level training in each field, as well as in the complex and fascinating intersections between the two. The program has been purposefully designed to ensure flexibility that addresses individual student’s needs and interests. It offers substantial savings in time and money as compared with the separate pursuit of each degree. Students have access to the full range of resources on campus—including not only courses, but also conferences, lectures, and workshops—devoted to law and history. For an overview of many law-and-history-related activities on campus, please visit the website for the Stanford Center for Law and History.
Course of Study
JD/MA students must begin their course of study by spending the first year in the Stanford Law School. Starting in their second year, they will begin to take classes offered by the History Department, as well as by the Law School, and should be able to complete both degrees by the end of the third year.
Cross-Crediting of Units
The Law School requires students to earn 111 units in order to obtain the JD The History Department requires students to earn 45 units to obtain the MA This is a combined total of 156 units. Students may save considerable coursework and time through cross-crediting some of these units.
- The Law School cross-credits toward the JD up to 31 units earned in the History Department.
- The History Department has the flexibility to cross-credit toward the MA up to 10 units earned in the Law School. The Department makes case-by-case decisions about which courses earned in the Law School it will credit toward the MA.
- If there are courses in the Law School that you believe are relevant to your MA studies, you should discuss with your History-Department advisor whether these are appropriate for cross-crediting.
Financial Aid
J.D./M.A. students are responsible for the cost of tuition for the joint J.D./M.A program.
- If the joint program is completed in three years through the cross-crediting of units noted above, the student pays law school tuition for three years.
- Students, who take more than three years to complete the two degrees, will be charged History-Department tuition for any quarters exceeding three years.
- Joint J.D./M.A. degree students are eligible for the full range of need-based financial aid arrangements made available by the Law School. They are not eligible for fellowships or other research-related funds offered by the History Department.
Tuition
Graduate students who are eligible to pursue more than one degree at Stanford, where each program charges a different tuition (other than concurrent enrollment in a coterminal bachelor’s and master’s program), must document a tuition payment agreement by means of the Tuition Agreement for Students with Multiple Programs (see GAP 5.1 Changes and Additions of Degree Programs).
- Each Joint Degree Program (JDP) has a pre-approved tuition agreement detailing which graduate tuition level is paid at which point in a student’s career (see GAP 4.9 Joint Degree Programs). JDP tuition agreements approved for each JDP reside with the Office of the Registrar. All students enrolled in a JDP must submit the Tuition Agreement for Students with Multiple Programs to document the tuition agreement and ensure that correct charges are applied each quarter.
- Students filing this enrollment agreement indicate the degree program to be used for tuition assessment in each quarter and academic year. The student must obtain the necessary signatures from the dean or associate dean representing each graduate or professional school program listed.
- The Enrollment Agreement for Students with Multiple Programs is not required if the programs all charge identical amounts of tuition (e.g., MA and PhD. programs that are both in the School of Humanities and Sciences).
How to Apply
Interested students must separately apply and obtain admission to the Stanford Law School and the Stanford History Department.
Timing of Applications: Applications for the MA program in History are due in early December. Applications to the Law School’s JD program are accepted on a rolling basis, generally between September 1 and February 1. To maximize potential savings in financial cost and time-to-degree, students are encouraged to apply to both the Law School and the History Department either (1) at the same time or (2) during their first year as a law student.
- Students in their second year of Stanford Law School may also apply to the MA program in History, but they are less likely to be able to complete both degrees in a total of three years and at the cost of their law degree.
- Application Process:
- In completing the online Law School Admission Council [LSAC] application form, the applicant will be directed to a set of questions unique to Stanford Law School—including a page inquiring whether they are applying to “Other Stanford Programs.” Please select “History” from the drop-down menu.
- The History Department application does not include a separate box to indicate application to Stanford Law School. Instead, the applicant should note in their required “Statement of Purpose” that they are also applying for admission into the Law School’s JD program (or that they are already enrolled in a JD program in SLS and are seeking to pursue a JD/MA in History).
Questions?
Please contact Arthur Palmon (Assistant Director of Student Services).
