Harvard Law School and Harvard Kennedy School
Overview
The Harvard Law School (HLS) and the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) offer a joint degree program in law and government. The HLS/HKS joint degree program supports and encourages students seeking an interdisciplinary education in government, public policy, and law, and prepares them for leadership positions in public service.
The joint degree program permits students to pursue a JD at the Law School and either a Master in Public Policy (MPP) or a Master in Public Administration in International Development (MPA/ID) at the Kennedy School.
A committee made up of HLS and HKS faculty (“Faculty Committee”) oversees the joint degree program. The Faculty Committee is responsible for making decisions regarding the structure and requirements of the program and for working with the students enrolled in the program. The Faculty Committee may also grant exceptions to the requirements in this document, so long as they are not inconsistent with other HLS or HKS rules.
Admissions
Prospective students must apply separately and be separately admitted to both the Law School and the Kennedy School, each of which will independently review and admit applicants. Questions relating to the admissions processes at each school should be addressed directly to the individual admissions offices.
Prospective JD/MPP or JD/MPA/ID students may apply to both schools during the same admissions season or they may apply during the first year of study at either the Law School or the Kennedy School. The HLS deadline is usually February 1 of each year (HKS application details). All Law School applicants are required to submit GRE or LSAT scores, in accordance with application guidelines. For matriculated 1L students only, HKS will accept an LSAT score in lieu of the GRE for students interested in the JD/MPP joint degree program. Current HLS students applying to the MPP program should contact the HLS Registrar’s Office to request release of their LSAT scores to HKS. Students applying to the JD/MPA/ID joint degree program must submit GRE scores to HKS.
Once admitted to both schools, students who want to enroll in the joint degree program should send an email indicating their intent to do so to the MPP Program Office, and to April Pettit, HLS Associate Director of Academic Affairs. In addition, students who apply to both schools and are admitted during the same admissions cycle should contact JD Admissions at HLS and the HKS Office of Admissions about deferring admission, as applicable.
Students may not transfer into the Kennedy School’s MPA2 or MC/MPA degree program once admitted to the joint degree program.
Coursework
Students in the HLS/HKS joint degree program have four academic years to complete both degrees. In the first two years of the program, students are generally required to enroll for one full year of study at the Law School and for one full year of study at the Kennedy School; either can come first. In the third and fourth years of the program, joint degree students are enrolled in, and take courses at, both schools. Both schools have their own requirements for these upper-level years, as described below.
Course and Credit Requirements
Tuition and Financial Aid
Tuition and Fees
Enrollment in the joint degree program will result in significant tuition savings, compared to pursuing the two degrees separately. Tuition is paid as follows. During the first two years, students will pay full tuition at the school in which they are enrolled. During the third and fourth years, students will pay: (i) 75% of the then-current Law School tuition, and (ii) 25% of the then-current Kennedy School tuition.
Students in the joint degree program will be required to pay a $300 annual fee to the Law School during their upper-level years of combined study. The fees will be used to offset the costs of programming for joint degree students.
Financial Aid
Students interested in the joint degree program should contact the financial aid offices at both schools prior to enrolling.
Joint degree students should apply for financial aid through the Law School for the first year in the Law School and for the two upper-level years of combined study. All financial aid determinations for these semesters are made through Harvard Law School under its standard policies. Students should apply for financial aid through the Kennedy School for the first year in the Kennedy School.
Academics and Administration
Course Overlaps
Students will not be permitted to enroll in HKS and HLS courses with time overlaps.
Exam Schedules
Students will be expected to complete all HLS and HKS exams at the times they are scheduled; exceptions are at the sole discretion of each school, in accordance with their respective policies.
Grade Calculations
Grades earned in HKS courses will not be included in HLS GPA calculations or in the consideration of grade-based HLS prizes. HKS does not calculate students’ GPA.
Students will remain on student e-mail lists at both schools for all four years of the joint degree program.
Registration
Each upper-level semester, students will be required to submit their course enrollment information and their completed course information to both the HLS and the HKS Registrars.
Withdrawal from the Joint Degree Program
Once enrolled, a student intending to leave the joint degree program must petition the HLS Administrative Board and the HKS Registrar for permission to leave the program and complete only one of the two degrees.
Contact
Law School
Admissions
617-495-3179 | jdadmiss@law.harvard.edu
Student Financial Services Office
617-495-4606 | sfs@law.harvard.edu
Low Income Protection Plan
Program Information
April Pettit, Associate Director of Academic Affairs
Kennedy School
Admissions
617-495-1155 | admissions@hks.harvard.edu
Student Financial Services Office
617-495-1152 | financial_aid@hks.harvard.edu