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Dual Degrees

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Attending Duke Law School gives you the opportunity to pursue two world-class degrees at once and prepare yourself for a career at the intersection of law and another discipline. Choose from one of our three most popular programs – the JD/LLM in International and Comparative Law, the JD/LLM in Law and Entrepreneurship, or the JD/MA in Bioethics and Science Policy – or combine a JD with a graduate degree in business administration, environmental management, medicine, public policy, or divinity.  

With more graduate students than undergraduates, Duke University has a tradition of interdisciplinary teaching and is uniquely focused on the needs of students who are engaged at the highest levels of academic study and research. Nearly 15 percent of our JD students pursue another graduate degree, generally saving a full year of study that would otherwise be required if they earned their two degrees consecutively. Dual degree programs are intense, but the benefits are plentiful: You’ll satisfy all your intellectual interests and earn a second Duke degree.

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Nita Farahany
Testimonial

Duke is an innovative institution that has bridged the barriers to cross-disciplinary collaboration. A dual degree lets you tap into the amazing intellectual energy here, and discover synergies with the law and your legal education.

Author
Nita A. Farahany JD/MA ’04, Ph.D. ’06, director of the JD/MA in Bioethics and Science Policy program

Which dual degree is right for you?

  JD/LLM in International and Comparative Law JD/LLM in Law and Entrepreneurship JD/MA in Bioethics and Science Policy
Purpose
 

Prepare for a career in the increasingly international practice of law, whether you plan to work in the U.S. or abroad, in private practice, a business, or the public sector

Meet a growing need within the legal and business communities for lawyers who can creatively counsel and lead early-stage ventures and other innovative companies

Learn how to identify, analyze, and propose solutions to myriad complex issues at the intersection of science, technology, ethics, and policy

First-year classes
 

Develop specialized knowledge and skills by taking International Law and Research Methods in International, Foreign and Comparative Law during your first year

Take Business Associations in your first year to build a foundation for coursework in business and policy. Follow it by learning how to counsel startups during an exclusive summer intensive

Get an introduction to issues of bioethics and science policy by taking Foundations of Bioethics during second semester of your first year

Exclusive programs
 

Upper-level seminar devoted to late-breaking issues and in-depth case studies

Second-year seminar on current issues in entrepreneurship and priority enrollment in the Start-Up Ventures Clinic

Join the Journal of Law and the Biosciences, a co-venture between Duke Law School, Harvard Law School, and Stanford University

Summer experiences
 

An international internship, followed by the four-week summer institute in The Hague

Travel to an entrepreneurial ecosystem, connecting classroom experience to real-world practice

Capstone project during summer after first year

Networking opportunities
 

Tap into a global alumni community located in 80 countries around the world willing to share their experience and network as well as mentor Duke Law students

Engage with local, national, and international entrepreneurs, lawyers, executives, and investors during the summer immersion and throughout the academic year

Participate in the Science, Law & Policy Lab (SLAPLAB), an interdisciplinary laboratory of faculty, postdocs, graduate students, and undergrads working together on shared research projects and publications

Employment outcomes
 

Recent employers include:

  • Simpson Thacher & Bartlett (Los Angeles, CA)
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit (New York, NY)
  • Weil, Gotshal & Manges (New York, NY)

Recent employers include:

  • Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati (Palo Alto, CA)
  • Davis, Polk & Wardwell (New York, NY)
  • Latham & Watkins (Chicago, IL)
  • Linklaters (London, UK)

Recent employers include:

  • Simpson Thacher & Bartlett (Palo Alto, CA)
  • Cooley (Washington, DC)
  • Willkie Farr & Gallagher (New York, NY)
  Learn more about the JD/LLM in International and Comparative Law Learn more about the JD/LLM in Law and Entrepreneurship Learn more about the JD/MA in Bioethics and Science Policy