JD/MPA JOINT-DEGREE PROGRAM
LMU offers a joint degree program through which students may obtain both the Juris Doctor (JD) degree and the Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree. Students enrolled in LMU Law School’s JD program must successfully complete ninety (90) credit hours. The program of legal education includes sixty-seven (67) credit hours of required courses and twenty-three (23) hours of elective courses. Students enrolled in the LMU MPA program must successfully complete thirty-six (36) credit hours, including eighteen (18) required credit hours and eighteen (18) elective credit hours. Students enrolled in the JD/MPA Dual-Degree Program may use up to twelve (12) credit hours of coursework in approved JD elective courses to fulfill MPA program elective credit hours.
The Master of Public Administration (MPA) program prepares individuals to serve as managers in the executive arm of local, state/provincial, and federal/national government, and increasingly in non-governmental organizations (NGO) and non-profits. Those with MPA degrees
increasingly are being called to work in large national and multi-national organizations and in the healthcare industry. LMU’s MPA program focuses on the systematic investigation of executive organization and management. The main objective of the program is to help students in
understanding and recognizing the development and principles of the field of public
administration, including the making, management, implementation, and assessment of public policy in our society today.
You must apply to and qualify for each program separately. Admission to one program does not guarantee admission to the other program. Applications for LMU’s J.D. Program must completed through the Law School Admission Council’s website –
https://www.lsac.org. Applications for LMU’s M.P.A. Program must be completed through LMU’s website - https://www.lmunet.edu/target-x/index.html. There is no fee to apply.
J.D. Curriculum
LMU offers a traditional three-year, full-time J.D. program that averages 15 credit hours/semester.
First Year
Fall Semester Spring Semester
Course Name Hours Course Name Hours
Civil Procedure I 3 Civil Procedure II 3
Torts I 3 Torts II 3
Contracts & Sales I 3 Contracts & Sales II 3
Property I 3 Property II 3
Legal Communication I 2 Legal Communication II 2
Legal Research I 1 Legal Research II 1
Legal Foundations I NC Legal Foundations II* NC
Total Hours 15 Total Hours 15
Second & Third Year
Fall Semester Spring Semester
Course Name Year Hours Course Name Year Hours
Criminal Law 2L 3 Business Organizations 2L 3
Evidence 2L 3 Constitutional Law 2L 4
Legal Communication III 2L 2 Const. Criminal Procedure 2L or 3L 3
Legal Research III 2L 1 Professional Responsibility 2L or 3L 2
Domestic Relations 2L or 3L 3 Electives 2L or 3L 14
Wills, Trusts & Estates 2L or 3L 3 Multistate Bar Exam Skills 3L 4
Secured Transactions 2L or 3L 3 Adv. Independent Acad. Study* 2L or 3L NC
Electives 2L or 3L 9
Multistate Essay Exam Skills I 3L 3
Total Hours 30 Total Hours 30
*Mandatory for upper-level students with a cumulative GPA of 2.000 or below entering any semester. LMU also offers a reduced-load flexible J.D. program that typically averages between 9 and 12 credit hours/semester. Applicants interested in a flex option should contact the Admissions Office.
M.P.A. Curriculum
Before or After 1L / 2L Years (Public Administration)
First Semester Spring Semester Summer Semester
Course Name Hours Course Name Hours Course Name Hours
Public Administration 3 Public Policy Process 3 Public Financial Admin. 3
Qualitative Analysis 3 Quantitative Analysis 3 Pub. Serv. Ethics and Values 3
PADM Elective 3 PADM Elective 3
Total Hours 9 Total Hours 9 Total Hours 6
Program Notes
• The MPA portion of the JD/MPA Dual-Degree program may be completed in any
combination of the semesters prior to or after the first (1L) and second (2L) years of law school. Students may not complete the MPA portion of the dual degree following their third year of law school.
• Students enrolled in LMU JD/MPA Dual-Degree Program are encouraged to complete
elective requirements in either program through an externship in a legal setting that primarily serves the public and/or nonprofit sector. Students seeking elective credit through an externship for the JD/MPA Dual-Degree program must receive written approval from both the law school’s Director of Experiential Learning and the MPA Program Director. See the course description for Externship I/II below for more information.
• Students will pay the MPA tuition rate for courses in the MPA program and the JD tuition
rate for courses in the JD program, including those used to fulfill MPA requirements. Any merit scholarship awarded as part of admission to the JD program will be applied only to courses in the JD program.
J.D. Program Admission Requirements
• Law School Admission Test (LSAT)
Applicants to LMU Law must take the LSAT. Scores are valid for five years. We cannot accept scores later than five years old.
• Letters of Recommendation
Two letters of recommendation are required. Your letters of recommendation should be submitted directly to the Law School Admission Council’s Credential Assembly Service through a link it sends to each individual making a recommendation.
There are no specific requirements as to who should write them, such as a professor, employer, acquaintance, etc.; however, they should explain in detail how they know you and the traits they have observed that leads them to recommend you for law school. Once the letters are received by the Credential Assembly Service, YOU MUST ASSIGN each letter to each school you want to receive them. They will not be assigned
automatically. If you fail to assign both of them to each school, then your file will
remain INCOMPLETE until they are assigned by you. • Personal Statement
Prospective students must submit an essay detailing the student’s purpose for applying to law school. Relevant skills, qualifications, preparations, and of goals after completing the program are always helpful in the explanation.
• Bachelor’s Degree
A bachelor’s degree must have been earned or be in the process of being earned from an institution accredited by a regional entity recognized by the United States Department of Education.
• Credential Assembly Service (CAS) Report
An official transcript from each educational institution attended since high school must be sent from each institution directly to the Credential Assembly Service. The address to which each transcript must be sent is:
LSAC Credential Assembly Service 662 Penn Street
Newtown, Pennsylvania 18940
If you received Advanced Placement (AP) credit(s) for courses taken in high school, then you must submit your high school transcript(s) to the Credential Assembly Service as well.
In addition to the Credential Assembly Service fee, the applicant must pay for a Law School Report for each law school to which he/she applies. The current cost of the fall 2020 admission cycle is $45, and again, it must be paid for each law school to which the applicant wants her/his Law School Report sent.
The Law School Report is commonly called the CAS Report.
If you are an undergraduate student when you submit your transcripts to the Credential Assembly Service, then you must update (resubmit) transcripts from any schools in which you have taken classes since they were submitted initially.
After you graduate, you will need to submit a final official transcript from the institution from which you received your bachelor degree. The degree received and the date it was conferred must appear on the final transcript.
M.P.A. Program Admission Requirements
• Completed Bachelor Degree
Degree must have been awarded from an institution with regional accreditation or equivalent verification in the case of international degrees. An international degree must follow university policies in existence for certifying international degrees and/or credit. • Grade Point Average (GPA)
Undergraduate GPA of 2.75 or higher on a four (4)-point scale
Entrance interview may be required if one or more requirements are not met. • Minimum Undergraduate Coursework
Two courses that focused on the U.S. Federal Government, State and Local Government, or any equivalent courses focused on the three branches of government.
Recommended undergraduate coursework: courses about government structure,
policymaking, administration, and budgeting. • Letters of Reference
Two letters of reference from the applicant’s undergraduate instructors or one letter from an instructor and one from a professional source are required.
• Personal Statement
Prospective students must submit an essay detailing the student’s purpose for applying to the LMU Master of Public Administration program, relevant skills, qualification,
preparation, and a statement of goals after completing the program. • Transfer Credits
A maximum of nine (9) graduate credit hours or its equivalent of graduate work closely related to the MPA degree will be allowed in transfer by approval of the AHSS Graduate Admissions Committee.
Suggested Electives
The following MPA courses are suggested electives for students pursuing the JD-MPA Dual Degree within the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program:
• PADM 550 Economics for the Public Sector
This course examines the role of the government as defined by economic theory in the creation of public policy. It will focus on concepts from micro and macroeconomics such as externalities, public goods, public education, income redistribution, welfare programs and tax policy to understand policy problems including issues that affect subnational governments and the local community.
• PADM 551 Local Government Management
This course explores the responsibilities, capacity and practicalities of state and local government. The focus will be not only what state and local governments should or should not do but what these entities accomplish and how it does so. While the principles of this course will apply to any of the 50 states, many examples will feature Tennessee state government and features of its county and municipal governments. Features of other state and local governments may occasionally be discussed as part of a comparative analysis.
• PADM 601 Managing Public and Nonprofit Organizations
The purpose of this course is to aid students in understanding the process of managing public service organizations, and thus enhance their management and leadership skills for use in the public sector. The course provides students with the tools needed to diagnose and solve organizational problems, to influence the actions of individuals, groups, and organizations, and to lead high-performing, successful public service organizations.
• PADM 611 Legal Context for Policy and Public Management
This course is intended for non–lawyers such as public planners or government
administrators who wish to understand how the law affects the operation of governments as it relates to issues including planning, budgeting, land use and zoning, the
environment, infrastructure development, social welfare, and healthcare.
• PADM 613 Grant Proposal Writing for Public Administration
This course will help to develop the skills necessary for students to have the knowledge to be able to develop a solid funding grant proposal. This course is ideal for students who pursuing careers in nonprofit and government agencies and are seeking to develop the skills needed to become an effective grant writer. Additionally, this course is ideal for students who work with and/or supervise grant-based programs or agencies and who wish to acquire the knowledge of how the grant process works.
The following elective law school courses may also be used to fulfill up to 12 elective credit hours for the MPA program for students enrolled in the JD/MPA Dual-Degree program:
• LAW 3010 Legislation and Regulation
This course provides an introduction to the substance and procedure of drafting
legislation, the administrative state, and canons of statutory interpretation. Specifically, it focuses on: (1) the politics and policy underlying legislative and administrative actions, including campaign finance law and ethical issues; (2) the process of developing,
drafting, and enacting legislation; (3) the implementation of legislation by administrative agencies through the promulgation of regulations, and (4) the interpretation of both statutes and regulations by the courts. The course will also provide students with an introduction to career opportunities both inside of government and outside government as lawyer/lobbyists.
• LAW 3011 Administrative Law
This class is designed to build on the foundation acquired in Evidence and to facilitate thinking about evidence in a trial setting. The focus of this course will be to "think evidentially." The course will take the student through a number of trials, both criminal and civil, using prepared fact patterns. The course will focus on the Federal Rules of Evidence and cover evidentiary law including relevance, character evidence, hearsay, impeachment, opinion evidence, expert testimony, and evidentiary privileges. It will examine the rules governing the presentation of evidence, including motions in limine, objections, and motions to suppress.
• LAW 3012 Nonprofit Organizations
This course introduces concepts of how nonprofit organization and tax exempt
organizations are defined in context of the law. Students will understand how to create and organize a nonprofit/tax exempt organization, how to maintain proper standing, and how to dissolve a nonprofit organization. The course provides an overview of the rules, regulations, and limitations imposed on nonprofit organizations by the courts, the IRS, and/or other governing bodies. Students will understand the crucial importance of
governance and ethics in the operation of the organization. The duties and responsibilities of nonprofit directors as well as potential for liability issues relating to service on
nonprofit boards will also be examined. Students will be exposed to the role attorneys play in the nonprofit sector. The course exposes students to the interplay between different types of organizations and their role(s) in the community.
• LAW 3092 Municipal Government Law
Local governments enjoy substantial law-making and regulatory authority, bearing significant responsibility for the financing and provision of most domestic public goods and services. This course will consider the source, scope and limits of local government power. It will address the allocation of these powers and the legal rules that provide the foundation and corresponding obligations associated with their use. Some specific topics will include public administration, public financing, liability and risk management, zoning and annexation, public utilities, eminent domain and condemnation, inducements to business and industry, public law enforcement, municipal courts, and education.
• LAW 3101 Labor and Employment Law
This course provides a study of the statutes, regulations, and cases dealing with a number of legal rights and concerns of employees and employers, including labor relations between private employers and employees acting in a collective capacity. Areas covered may include: (a) historical background and economic considerations of labor and
employment laws; (b) at-will employment and wrongful discharge; (c) organization and representation of employees; (d) union collective action and collective bargaining; (e) worker's compensation law and practice; (f) labor standards legislation, such as wage-and-hour laws (e.g., Fair Labor Standards Act-FLSA, public contract "prevailing wage" requirements); (g) health-and-safety laws (e.g., Occupational Safety and Health Act-OSHA); and (h) an introduction to pension-protection laws (e.g., Employee Retirement Income Security Act-ERISA).
• LAW 3202 Healthcare Law
This course provides a study of the key concepts in health law such as the structure of health care organizations, quality of health care, and liability of health care providers. It also addresses access to health care; financing mechanisms of health care, including Medicare and Medicaid; regulation of health care; and oversight of managed health care. New developments in health care law will also be examined.
• LAW 3211 Immigration Law
This course provides a study of the legal, historical, and policy perspectives that shape U.S. law governing immigration and citizenship, including the constitutional bases for regulating immigration, the history of immigration law in the United States, and the source and scope of congressional and executive branch power with regard to immigration. The course will also examine the role of the judiciary in interpreting immigration law, citizenship and naturalization, the admission and removal of
immigrants and non-immigrants, and the issue of undocumented immigration. Students will also analyze the impact of immigration in other areas, including employment, criminal law, family unification, and discrimination.
• LAW 4131 Tennessee Constitutional Law
This course introduces students to the basic principles of U.S. Constitutional law, including the text of the U.S. Constitution, the American system of federalism, the federal courts and their authority for judicial review, limits on the federal judicial power, federal legislative power, federal executive power, limits on state regulatory and taxing power, the structure of the Constitution's protection of civil rights and civil liberties, economic liberties, equal protection and fundamental rights under due process and equal protection.
• LAW 5210 Externship I/LAW 5220 Externship II
Students will spend time at off-campus "sites" which have been previously approved by the Director of Experiential Learning. These sites will have a supervisor, who may be an attorney or judge. Weekly journals and writing assignments will be completed and reviewed by the Director. Students may participate in up to two externships for course credits of either two or three hours each. These courses are graded on a pass/fail basis.
For additional information about LMU’s J.D. Program, please contact:
Randy Mathews
Associate Dean for Enrollment Services
Lincoln Memorial University – John J. Duncan, Jr. School of Law (865) 545-5303
[email protected] https://law.lmunet.edu
For additional information about LMU’s M.P.A. Program, please contact:
Dr. Stephen Adkins Director
Lincoln Memorial University Master of Public Administration (865) 585-3637
https://www.lmunet.edu/academics/graduate-professional/masters-degree/master-of-public-administration-mpa/about-us.php
