Dual Degree Law
Earning a degree in law is something that you will always be proud of but what should give you even more satisfaction is when you get to have two different degrees while you are in law school.
A dual degree in law is not really a new concept. Several prominent universities in the US are known to carry such a program. Basically, what this particular program does is integrate a course in law education with another course that you may be interested in pursuing. Generally, the other course will have to carry a graduate level education so it will be more or less in the same category as a legal degree.
If you intend to earn a dual degree in law, you need to apply separately for both courses, but within the same enrollment period. (1) The exact procedure varies, but in general, you are expected to take law subjects during your first year. Afterwards, you can take the subjects for your second course during your sophomore year.
Of course, a law school dual degree will cost you comparatively bigger expenses. For this, you can look into the possibility of availing of various financial assistance that some law schools regularly extend to students pursuing a law school dual degree. (2)
The popularity of the law school dual degree should not really come as a surprise. You may initially find legal education to be an extremely fascinating field, but then, you get to discover other courses that are equally interesting. Instead of choosing only one degree to pursue due to financial constraints, many law schools have decided to give you the option of earning both degrees in one single program.
Typically, when trying to work on two different degrees separately, it will take you at least five years to complete the requirements for both courses. With the the law school dual degree, you can earn two totally different degrees in as short as four years. (3)
In cases when you are still undecided on whether or not to pursue two degrees at one time, there is a provision in many dual degree offerings whereby you can still avail of the program so long as you submit your application during your freshman year.
Literary Citations & Article References:
(1) http://www.colorado.edu/law/programs/dualdegree.htm
(2) http://law.nd.edu/prospective_students/academics/dual_degree.html