Dual Degree Programs

The Law School offers a four-year J.D./Master en Droit dual degree program with the Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne. The J.D./Master en Droit requires fluency in French and English. The program is small and extremely selective. For participants admitted by Cornell with Paris I concurrence, it involves legal studies for two years at Cornell and two years at Paris I. Students may apply to the program in their initial application to the Law School or, if spaces are available, following matriculation. Participants admitted by Paris I with Cornell concurrence must have a Baccalaureate degree or a first level Master’s degree before arriving at Cornell. They must complete 62 credits at Cornell over two years and return to Paris I for their final year of study. Following completion of studies in Paris, the participants receive both the J.D. degree from Cornell University and a Master’s degree (at the M1 and/or M2 level) from the Université Paris I. Students must complete the requirements for a Paris I Master degree before they can receive their Cornell J.D. and be certified to take the bar exam of a U.S. state. In some cases, the timing of the dual degree program may require students to receive their J.D. degree in August and sit for a U.S. bar exam in February rather than July.

Cornell Law School offers certain J.D. students the opportunity to receive both the J.D. degree and an LL.M. (Master of Laws) in International and Comparative Law in three years. The combined pathway for the J.D. and LL.M. degree is a more comprehensive approach and requires 20 credits more than the standard J.D. Students may earn both a J.D. degree and an LL.M degree with a specialization in International and Comparative Law in three years. This pathway offers an opportunity to complete courses on a compressed timeline with the inclusion of a Summer Session at Cornell-Paris 1 Summer Institute.
In addition to the credits required for the J.D. degree, the requirements for the program include
completing an additional 20 credit hours of study in international, comparative, and foreign law
subjects. The twenty credits must include required courses of conflict of laws and public international law, as well as a specifically designated comparative law course that is general in scope and includes instruction in civil law systems (several options may be available). Students seeking both the J.D. and LL.M degree through the three-year pathway may take a maximum of 21 credits per semester. The degree requirements also include participation in the Paris Summer Institute for at least 4 credits. In no event may a student receive a total of more than 12 credits toward the required 20 credits from summer/winter intersession courses, including credits earned from the Paris Summer Institute. Students in the program must maintain an overall grade point average of at least 3.0 to graduate with the joint degree. Students may apply for the program in their initial application to the Law School or in the spring semester of their first year.

Students who are admitted by Cornell into the J.D./Master en Droit dual degree program may, if spaces are available, apply to transfer into the three-year J.D./LL.M. in French, European, and International Business Law dual degree program with the Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne. Students who are interested in transferring into this program should discuss their interest with International Programs (L53 Hughes Hall, 1-607-255-2434, international.law@cornell.edu) by the start of their second year at Cornell. Requests to transfer into the program also require approval by the Université Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne. The program requires complete fluency in French and English. It involves legal studies for two years at Cornell and one year at Paris I. Following completion of studies in Paris, the participants receive both the J.D. degree from Cornell University and the LL.M. degree in French, European, and International Business Law from the Université Paris I.

The Law School offers a three-year J.D./LL.M. dual degree program with the University Heidelberg. The J.D./LL.M. requires complete fluency in German and English. Students may apply for the program in their initial application to the Law School or, if spaces are available, following matriculation. The J.D./LL.M. program involves legal studies for two years at Cornell followed by one year at the University of Heidelberg. Following completion of studies, the participants receive both the J.D. from Cornell University and the LL.M. from the University of Heidelberg. The program is small and extremely selective.

The Law School offers a three-year J.D./LL.B. or J.D./B.A.-LL.B. advanced standing program with Jindal Global Law School. Participants, who are nominated by Jindal Global Law School and admitted by Cornell, complete at least two years of advanced study at Jindal Global Law School before arriving at Cornell. They must complete 62 credits at Cornell over two years. Following completion of studies at Cornell, the participants receive a J.D. from Cornell University, in addition to a B.A./LL.B. or LL.B. degree from Jindal Global Law School.

Candidates for the J.D./M.B.A. (4 year) must apply to, and be accepted by, both schools. Students will
spend their first year entirely in one school and their second year entirely in the other school. During the third and fourth year, they will take a mix of courses from the Law School and Johnson to meet the degree requirements of both programs.
Students must satisfactorily complete 84 credit hours of Law School coursework. 72 of the 84 credits for the law degree must be earned in the Law School. Cross-listed courses will count towards the 72 credits and will be factored in to the student’s law school merit point ratio (MPR). In addition, students may take up to 12 credits of courses related to legal training taught by members of the university faculty outside of the Law School, subject in each case to the approval of the Law School’s Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. To receive credit for such courses, they must fill out and submit the Notification of University (Non-law) Course Enrollment for Law Students form before the end of the add/drop period for the course in the semester the course is taken.
During six of the eight terms, they must register for at least 9 credits in the Law School (which may
include courses cross-listed between Johnson and the Law School). A total of 117 credits is required for the receipt of both degrees.

Candidates for the J.D./M.B.A. (3-year) will spend their entire first year at the Law School, totaling 31 or 32 credits. All courses for credit must be taken at either Johnson or the Law School. In total, students must take 20 credits of foundational courses and 25 credits of elective courses at Johnson and a minimum of 9 credits per semester and a total of 72 credits of the 84 credits for the law degree earned in the Law School.
Cross-listed courses will count towards the 72 credits and will be factored in the student’s law school merit point ratio (MPR). In addition, students may take up to 12 credits of courses related to legal training taught by members of the university faculty outside of the Law School, subject in each case to the approval of the Law School’s Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. To receive credit for such courses, they must fill out and submit the Notification of University (Non-law) Course Enrollment for Law Students form before the end of the add/drop period for the course in the semester the course is taken.
The first year is spent entirely in law courses. The entire second year is spent primarily in Johnson.
During the second year, students must also take a minimum of 9 credits of Law School coursework each semester (which may include courses cross-listed between Johnson and the Law School). The third year is spent mainly in the Law School. During the third year, students must take a minimum of 9 credits of Law School coursework per semester. They should take one course in Johnson each semester (which may be a cross-listed course). Students should expect to take a total of up to 30 credits or more for the third year.
As part of the Law School curriculum, students are required to take Business Organizations during the spring semester of the first year. Students must also take Federal Income Taxation in the Law School, which can be during the second or third year.