UI Law school to add one-year master's program
Imagine you're an engineering student and, in order to understand how to make the most of your inventions and innovations, you want to learn more about property and patenting law. Do you sign up for three years of law school after graduation?
Or if you're in a highly-regulated industry, like health care or finance, is it in your best interest to try to add a juris doctor degree next to other letters by your name?
Or how about if you are looking for a career in human resources, risk management, compliance or contract management? You may need to know the law well, but do you really need a degree that allows you to practice the law, too?
Recognizing that a growing number of graduate and senior undergraduate students may be interested in studying the intersection of law and their field of study, the University of Iowa College of Law is creating a one-year, Master in the Studies of Law degree. The Iowa state Board of Regents approved the program at its meeting Wednesday.
College of Law Dean Gail Agrawal said Friday that the proposed program still needs to obtain the acquiescence of its accrediting body, the American Bar Association Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. She said the law school could not even begin to apply for acquiescence until the proposal had been approved by the university administration and regents.
Agrawal anticipates that the ABA will grant its acquiescence in late spring, but she wasn't sure if that will be enough time to begin the program in the fall of 2015.
During Wednesday's discussion of the new degree program during the regent's Education and Student Affairs Committee, concerns were raised about:
•The admission standards for the program — which will differ than those for the law school.
•Confusion over having different degrees offered by the law school.
•Whether the law school is underestimating the number of students who may be interested in the program.
The discussion ended Wednesday with the regents stating they want to receive feedback on the program on a regular basis.
Agrawal said the curriculum — which includes 30 semester hours of study — would be highly individualized to each student's needs. The master's students would take classes with the law students, and the college would not be creating a host of new courses for the degree — with the possible exception of adding an accelerated course on American government as an introductory class.
Two specialty tracks — one in Business and Innovation and another in Law and Public Policy — have been approved and will be available to students. Faculty may approve other specialty tracks in the future.
Agrawal said, based on the response for similar programs in other law schools, she wasn't anticipating a "huge master class" for the first semester in August 2015 or 2016.
"Five or 10 students that first time," she said. "That would be terrific."
Agrawal emailed later Friday to note that the college had three inquiries that day about the master's program.
3+3 program
Cornell College recently announced that it would become the latest school to partner with the UI College of Law for its 3+3 program, which allows qualified students to earn their bachelor's degree and law degree in a total of six years instead of seven.
Qualified students at the partner schools will be able to apply courses taken during their first year of law school to both their law degree and their bachelor's degree.
"For students who are certain they want a career in law, the 3+3 program will allow them an option to attend two top-tier institutions and offer a good value," Cornell College Dean Joe Dieker said in a statement issued by the college.
According to the law school website, the other partner schools include Buena Vista University, Clarke University, Coe College, Iowa State University, Morningside College, University of Dubuque, the University of Northern Iowa and Wartburg College.
Higher Education reporter Jeff Charis-Carlson can be contacted at 319-887-5435 or jcharisc@press-citizen.com.