A JD/MSW is really appealing to me. It's in line with my general career goals and seems like it would open up a broader range of opportunities after graduation. I've got a few concerns, though, and thought someone here might have done/looked into this before.
1) Is it manageable time-wise? Two degrees would be nice, but I don't want to stretch myself so thin that I do a mediocre job in both programs.
2) Is it worth the cost? Looks like I'd be paying higher tuition and staying longer to prep for the kind of career that, by its nature, isn't that lucrative. I'm not money-driven, but I also don't want to pay off debt for the rest of my life.
3) From an admissions perspective, do I make it harder on myself by applying for a joint degree? Is it possible to get rejected to the MSW but still get into the law school, or do they coordinate their decisions? Above all, I want to study law. I don't want to risk that by tacking on another application.
Anyone know about JD/MSW dual degrees? Forum
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j.wellington
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champ33
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Re: Anyone know about JD/MSW dual degrees?
I've been thinking about this as well... may be good for doing family law or something else community-related. If you don't want to overstress yourself in the application process, I'd just worry about getting into the law school and applying to the MSW during 1L. I think this is what most people do and I don't think it changes anything degree progress wise. I don't know if you're in the NJ/NY area but I've been looking at the JD/MSW at Rutgers-Newark (you can get in-state tuition there if you live in campus housing or sign a lease).
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FuturehoyaLawya
- Posts: 61
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Re: Anyone know about JD/MSW dual degrees?
j.wellington wrote:A JD/MSW is really appealing to me. It's in line with my general career goals and seems like it would open up a broader range of opportunities after graduation. I've got a few concerns, though, and thought someone here might have done/looked into this before.
1) Is it manageable time-wise? Two degrees would be nice, but I don't want to stretch myself so thin that I do a mediocre job in both programs.
2) Is it worth the cost? Looks like I'd be paying higher tuition and staying longer to prep for the kind of career that, by its nature, isn't that lucrative. I'm not money-driven, but I also don't want to pay off debt for the rest of my life.year
3) From an admissions perspective, do I make it harder on myself by applying for a joint degree? Is it possible to get rejected to the MSW but still get into the law school, or do they coordinate their decisions? Above all, I want to study law. I don't want to risk that by tacking on another application.
1. Depends on the school/program, but typically you spend one in the MSW program, and the other in lawschool, the remainder years you mix your classes (and you may have to write a thesis at the end for the MSW).
2. Probably not. You can probably do social work still with a law degree. You can just take some grad classes when you have time in the lawschool. If you are going into social work, you will be paying off debt for the rest of your life until it is forgiven.
3. You have to take the GREs, some programs will accept your LSAT score. You can b admitted to one, and rejected to the other. Just more work and application fees.
