Full-time students must complete the regular first year JD program with a minimum GPA of 3.0 before being admitted to the Joint Degree. Part-time students must complete at least three law semesters with a minimum GPA of 3.0 before being admitted to the Joint Degree. The second and third years provide some flexibility to tailor a student’s program. For example, students might take three law courses in the Fall Semester and two law courses in the Spring Semester, while taking one CDM course in the Fall Quarter, two CDM courses in the Winter Quarter, and two CDM courses in the Spring Quarter. The fourth year might consist of three law courses in the Fall Semester, one CDM course in the Fall Quarter, three CDM courses in the Winter Quarter, and three CDM courses in the Spring Quarter.
This schedule allows for completion of the JD as well as completion of 14 CDM courses (the MS program plus four prerequisite courses) in four years. It is possible that, because of introductory coursework, the program may take some students more than four years. Since each student will require a different number of CDM introductory courses and each student will select courses based on semester/quarter availability, any particular curriculum might be different from the above-described curriculum. Students are encouraged to select courses with the assistance of the program advisors at both the College of Law and CDM.
CDM Requirements for an MS Degree
For the CDM portion of the joint degree, students may major in:
Each program listed above follows the requirements as listed on the page for that major. These requirements are divided into phases. Upon completion of the major requirements, each student will move to the Elective Phase as described below.
Students with a GPA of 3.9 or higher will graduate from CDM with distinction.
College of Law Certificate Programs: In addition to the Joint Degree, students may obtain one of the Certificates offered by the College of Law, providing that they have met the requirements for the Certificate.
For DePaul's policy on repeat graduate courses and a complete list of academic policies see the DePaul Graduate Handbook in the Course Catalog.
Elective Phase
Students must complete
12 additional graduate quarter hours fulfilled by courses from the IP Certificate. These courses will also be counted toward the JD degree.