The MCP/JD is a joint degree program sponsored by Weitzman School and the Law School. The aim of the joint degree program is to train leaders who can blend the professional concerns of law and city and regional planning. This is a four-year program, plus one summer of office practice in the planning field. Students apply to each school independently through each program’s specified admission process.
In order for a student to receive both degrees, they must complete the independent degree requirements of each program. Law students must complete a minimum of 89 credits, 55 hours of which must be advanced credit completed in the second and third years of Law study. Students in the joint program may apply twelve semester hours (four courses) taken in the MCP program or elsewhere in the University while in their 2L and 3L years of the Law program toward that requirement, reducing their upper level credit requirement to 43 credits. These four courses are the total number of non-Law courses that a Law student can take in other departments of the University. Students must also satisfy the Law School’s pro bono requirement via the Public Service Program and fulfill senior writing and professional responsibility requirements (more on these requirements can be found in the Law Student Guide to Policy and Procedures).
Students must complete 18 course units for the Master of City Planning (MCP) degree. Of these, 10 course units are core requirements and must be taken in the MCP Program and 4-6 course units are courses taken in their area of concentration, selected from a list designated by the Department. Students are also required to complete four course units in the Law School selected in consultation with their Law School and MCP program advisors. Students may satisfy the elective requirements via City Planning related courses offered in the Law School. Electives must be approved in advance by the MCP Program Advisor.
Combining non-course requirements from both programs: MCP students must complete a non-credit bearing internship, usually undertaken in the summer. The Law School requirement for a Public Service placement may qualify for fulfillment of this requirement.