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The College of Social Work and the School of Law participate in a dual degree program that allows individuals to complete both the Master of Social Work and Juris Doctor degrees in less time than if the degrees are completed separately. Application to the MSW program is made through the USC Graduate School and application to the law program is made through the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). Application reviews, including required supplemental application materials required by the programs, and admission recommendations are made independently by the College of Social Work and by the School of Law. Official notification of admission into the MSW Program will be made by the Graduate School.  Students enrolled in both Master of Social Work and Juris Doctor courses in any term may be subject to fees for both programs.  

 Students enrolled in either the social work or law program beyond their first year of graduate study cannot apply for the dual degree program.  Advanced Standing social work students enrolled beyond the summer term cannot apply for the dual degree program. The Juris Doctor degree is not offered as a part-time program; therefore, students enrolled in the Part-time social work students are not eligible for the dual degree program. 

Degree Requirements M.S.W (60 Hours) / J.D. (90 Hours)

Students must complete the dual degree program by starting in the Juris Doctor program. Each program offers a typical sequence of courses; through academic advisement with a dual degree coordinator in each program, students select specific courses to satisfy the requirements for each degree. All curriculum and hour requirements must be satisfied in order to graduate from the dual degree program.  Students in the dual degree program must complete the program within seven academic years. See the Social Work, M.S.W.  and the J.D. bulletin for additional information.

The law program accepts up to nine (9) hours of social work courses as electives in its program and the MSW Program accepts up to six (6) hours of law courses towards the MSW degree. Thus the 60-credit hour MSW degree and 90-credit hour J.D. degree can both be completed with a total of 135 credit hours. However, according to the American Bar Association (ABA), the Juris Doctor program cannot accept any social work credits earned prior to matriculating in the law program. The first year of law studies must be completed at one time. Students enrolled in the dual degree MSW/JD program must be enrolled concurrently in SOWK courses and at least three (3) credit hours of LAWS courses in the semester during which they plan to share SOWK credit hours toward the J.D. degree.

The table below reflects the plan of study for a full-time student who begins the dual degree program in law. Note that the courses beyond the first year of law studies may be adjusted due to program or accreditation changes.