JD/MPH: Law and Public Health
The Juris Doctor (JD)/Master of Public Health (MPH) program offers students the opportunity to pursue JD and MPH degrees simultaneously. By combining the programs, students are able to develop a special expertise in public health-related legal issues.
- May be completed in seven semesters
- First year at the School of Law
- Year two is spent at Rollins (minimum 32 credit hours)
The JD/MPH program prepares students to advise and advocate for public health departments, organizations, private NGOs, individuals, and communities.
Post graduate employment examples:
- Attorney, Atlanta Legal Aid Society
- Research fellow, Emerging Leaders Program, CDC
- Associate attorney, Nashville Law Firm-specializing in healthcare practice
- Students must apply to and be accepted into each school separately in order to be eligible for a dual degree.
- All applications to Rollins are completed through SOPHAS – The Centralized Application Service for Public Health.
- For instructions on applying to the Emory University School of Law, click here.
- For instructions on applying to Rollins, click here.
Graduates of the JD/MPH dual-degree program can find work as public health professionals (possessing an acute awareness of legal and policy issues) or as a lawyers specializing in health care issues.
A graduate might work for a government or nongovernment organization developing policy and/or drafting legislation and regulations for food fortification, population planning and control, improving the status of women, protecting the human rights of refugees, or other similar domestic or global public health matters. Alternatively, the graduate might work as a lawyer specializing in protecting the rights of disabled individuals, as general counsel in a public or private hospital, as a lawyer or legal adviser for a state or federal public health agency, or in a similar capacity.
Skills Learned in the JD/MPH Program
- A special ability to solve public health problems using legal tools
- A concrete understanding of how public health policies are expressed in laws and regulations
- An ability to analyze the legal environment and carry out public health programs and activities in compliance with legal requirements
- Special skills to advocate for sound public health policy
- The ability to comprehend the legal ramifications of proposals for health care and social welfare reform.
Degree Requirements
Students are required to complete 79 credit hours for the JD degree and a minimum of 32 credit hours for the MPH degree. Students must enroll for a minimum of 32 hours while in residency at Rollins. Eleven credit hours of electives are waived by the School of Law and 10 credit hours of electives are waived by Rollins. While pursuing coursework at Rollins, students will concentrate their courses in their prospective department. Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.7 or higher at Rollins a 2.25 or higher at the School of Law.
Students must complete all courses prescribed for the JD program, with no fewer than five semesters of residence in the School of Law. Enrollment in at least two semesters at Rollins is also required. Candidates for the JD/MPH program must apply separately to each school. LSAT scores may be substituted for GRE scores as part of the public health application. Please note, the submission of GRE scores are not required for all candidates applying to our MPH and MSPH programs. Other evaluation criteria remains the same for public health applicants.
Emory University School of Law Admissions
Rollins School of Public Health Admissions sphadmissions@emory.edu