Joint Degree in Conservation Biology and Law

NOTE: * indicates Conservation Biology credits that are expected to cross-count in the Law School.

JD/Ph.D. in Conservation Biology

Year one:

  • Law School first-year curriculum (30 Law credits)
  • Joint Degree Program Pro-Seminar (1 credit)

Years two and three:
Joint Degree program Pro-Seminar (1 credit each year)
Conservation Biology requirements:

  • Conservation Biology (3 Conservation Biology credits)
  • Decision Analysis and Modeling in Conservation Biology (3 Conservation Biology credits) *
  • Conservation Biology Seminar (1 Conservation Biology credit each year)
  • Contemporary Problems in Conservation Biology (3 Conservation Biology credits)*
  • Biological Dimensions of Conservation Biology:
    Three courses chosen in Organismal and Population Ecology, Ecological Structure and Function (9-12 Conservation Biology credits)
  • Human Dimensions of Conservation Biology:
    One course in Natural Resource Economics (3-4 Conservation Biology credits)*
    One course in Policy and Law (3-4 Conservation Biology credits) (may also be taken in year four or five)*
  • Methods courses as needed for research (4-8 Conservation Biology credits)
  • 12 credits in minor or supporting area, which may be Law (may be completed in subsequent years)*

Summer after year three:

  • Preliminary written and oral exams (Conservation Biology)

Years four and five:

Law courses and other requirements [need 58 Law credits (minus those also counted toward Conservation Biology, above)]:

  • Joint Degree program Pro-Seminar (1 credit each year)
  • Professional Responsibility (2 Law credits)

  • Second-year writing requirement [moot court (2 Law credits) or law review 3-6 Law credits)]

Conservation Biology requirements:

  • File dissertation title; register for 24 doctoral dissertation research credits, conduct dissertation research (Conservation Biology)

Summers after years four and five:

  • Research (Conservation Biology)

Years six and seven (with Conservation Biology research in the summer after year six):

  • Joint Degree Program Pro-Seminar (1 credit each year)
    Complete Law School courses
  • Write dissertation (satisfying the third-year writing requirements in the Law School)
  • Take final oral examination defending dissertation

JD/MS (Plan B) in Conservation Biology

Year one:
Conservation Biology requirements:

  • Conservation Biology (3 Conservation Biology credits)
  • Decision and Modeling in Conservation (3 Conservation Biology credits)*
  • Contemporary Problems in Conservation (3 Conservation Biology credits)*
  • Conservation Biology Seminar (1 Conservation Biology credit)
  • Biological Dimensions of Conservation Biology:
    Three courses chosen in Organismal and Population Ecology, Ecological Structure
    and Function (9-12 Conservation Biology credits)
  • Human Dimensions of Conservation Biology:
    One course in Natural Resource Economics (3-4 Conservation Biology credits)*
    (One course in Policy and Law taken later)
  • Completion of first Plan B paper (Conservation Biology)

Year two:

  • Law School first-year curriculum (30 Law credits)
  • Joint Degree Program Pro-seminar (1 credit)

Years three and four:

Law courses and other requirements [need 58 Law credits (minus those also counted toward Conservation Biology, above)]:

  • Joint Degree program Pro-Seminar (1 credit each year)
  • Professional Responsibility (2 Law credits)
  • Second-year writing requirement [moot court (2 Law credits) or law review (3-6 Law credits)]

Conservation Biology courses and other requirements:

  • Completion of second Plan B paper (satisfying the third-year writing requirements in the Law School)
  • Final examination (Conservation Biology)