JD/MA in Live Entertainment Management

The University of Miami School of Law and the Frost School of Music offer the first-ever joint degree program in law and arts presenting. Upon completion of this program, a student earns the Juris Doctor degree from the School of Law and a Master of Arts in Live Entertainment Management.

In this specialization, students learn not only the essentials of law but also the common practices of the arts presenting and live entertainment industry – essential skills for becoming a successful attorney in this area of the music and entertainment industry. Through this joint program, students can complete both degrees in less time (3 to 4 years) while studying at a top law school and one of the best music schools in the country. And as one of the major music cities in the U.S., Miami offers exceptional internship and work opportunities.

Admissions

• Applicants may apply before they begin the JD program or apply during their first or second year of law school. (Students must be accepted into the JD program before they are eligible for acceptance into the JD/MA program.)
• Students should let Professor Gary Wood know that they are applying to the MA program.
• Students will find an application for the joint degree program under the list of graduate program applications.
• Only the LSAT exam is required.
• Students who apply to the joint degree program are giving the MA program admissions staff and faculty permission to review their complete JD application.  
• Students already enrolled in the MA program are not eligible to apply to the joint program.
• All the requirements of the JD and MA programs must be fulfilled.

Curriculum

• Students will complete the first-year law school curriculum in its entirety before taking any MA courses.
• All other JD requirements must be met. Six credits will be satisfied by two MA courses. These courses must be completed before the JD degree is conferred.
• Twenty-one credits of MA courses are required and cover tour management and production, live entertainment industry agreements and legal aspects, music copyright, performing arts center and facility management, sponsorship in the live entertainment industry, marketing and promotion, etc. More information about courses in the MA curriculum can be found in the UM Academic Bulletin.
• Nine School of Law credits will be applied to the MA degree in intellectual property, business, and tax law topics. The MA degree will not be conferred until these nine credits are completed.
• Students are encouraged to fashion a balanced upper-class law school curriculum that prepares them to provide legal services to clients in the business and entertainment industries, including specific offerings regarding arts and entertainment law, as well as more general offerings in domestic and international aspects of fields such as antitrust, business associations, commercial law, intellectual property, tax, and torts.
• The MA curriculum is prescribed and is offered primarily in the fall and spring semesters, with limited offerings in the summer. Most courses are offered only in the fall or spring of a given academic year. Some courses may be available to take online.
• If a student in the joint program wants to take elective music courses (e.g., musicology, psychology of music, audio for producers, etc.), arrangements will be made to accommodate the request.
• Students can complete the joint degree program within three years if summer courses are taken.  Students may also choose to complete the program within three-and-a-half years or four years. 

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