JD+MUPD

Program Overview

JD-MUPD

Cleveland State has updated graduate application processes for the 2022-2023 academic year: the application fee and GRE test score requirements are currently waived.

Personal statements may be submitted via email to urbanprograms@csuohio.edu, or uploaded directly to your admissions application. Questions? Please email us at urbanprograms@csuohio.edu.


An opportunity to study at two of Ohio's most prestigious professional colleges and earn both law and planning degrees in four years.

The JD/MUPD Program at Cleveland State University's College of Law and Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs allows full-time students to earn both a Juris Doctor (JD) law degree and a Master of Urban Planning and Development (MUPD)in four years, rather than the five years required to earn the degrees separately.

Designed to enhance the professional training and employment opportunities of students who seek careers in either the public or private sector, the JD/MUPD program is backed by the solid reputation of two of Ohio's finest professional schools and equips graduates to compete in the job market of the 21st century in law firms; municipal, county, regional, and state planning and economic development agencies; and private sector planning or real estate development firms.

Admissions

Entry into the Dual Degree Program can occur in one of two ways:

Applicants who are not currently enrolled in either the JD or the MUPD degree program must apply for admission to both the College of Graduate Studies and the College of Law concurrently and follow the normal procedures of the respective colleges. Application for admission must be specifically for the Dual Degree Program. Students who enroll in this manner will spend their first year taking courses exclusively in the JD program their second year taking courses exclusively in the MPA program. In the third and fourth years students will take courses in both degree programs.

Applicants who are currently enrolled in either the JD or the MUPD degree program must apply for admission to the other degree program prior to the completion of 60 credit hours in the JD program or 28 credit hours in the MUPD program. Students who enroll in this manner will be advised as to how to schedule the remainder of their courses in the Dual Degree Program. Under no circumstances will a student be allowed to take more than eight years to complete these combined programs.

Degree Requirements

The JD/MUPD Program requires four years of full-time study or five to six years of part-time study to complete. The requirements for the JD are fulfilled by completion of 80 semester credit hours of work in the College of Law, including all required courses and the transfer of 10 semester credit hours from courses taken in the MUPD program. The Master of Urban Planning and Development requirements are fulfilled by completion of 40 semester credit hours of work in the Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs, including all core courses, and the transfer of 8 semester credit hours from courses taken in the College of Law.

In order to insure that the degree requirements of both programs are fully maintained, while at the same time permitting the saving of a full academic year, students who pursue the JD/MUPD Program are not permitted to take elective courses outside either College's academic program for credit toward either degree without prior approval of the Directors of the MUPD and JD/MUPD Programs.

Contact Information

JD/MUPD Faculty Advisor: Dr. Carole Heyward
Email: c.heyward@csuohio.edu

Dave Arrighi, Graduate Programs Coordinator
Public Affairs Student Services Center
Telephone: (216) 523-7522 / E-mail: urbanprograms@csuohio.edu