The University of Miami School of Law and School of Medicine/Graduate Programs in Public Health offer a joint degree program in law and public health. Upon completion of the program, a student earns the Juris Doctor degree from the School of Law and a Master of Public Health degree from the School of Medicine, Teaching Programs in Public Health.
To effectively address public health policy problems and influence policymakers, students will gain a concrete understanding of how public health policies are expressed in laws and regulations, develop the ability to analyze the legal environment and carry out public health programs and activities in compliance with legal requirements, comprehend legal ramifications of proposals for health care and social welfare reform, and gain the skills to advocate for sound public health policy.
Admissions
Students who apply for the joint JD/MPH program must apply to both the School of Law and the School of Medicine, Graduate Programs in Public Health, with their designated application material.A student may be able to complete requirements for both degrees within three and a half years in an intensive program of seven semesters and three full summers.
The applicant must achieve a qualifying score on the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) for admission to the respective schools. The applicant must notify both schools that he or she is applying for the joint JD/MPH program, and in order to remain in the joint JD/MPH program, students must meet minimum standards of both the School of Law and the School of Medicine, Graduate Programs in Public Health.
Snapshot: Timing & Credits Saved
Begin Taking Graduate Courses
2nd Year
Shortest Completion Time
7 semesters + 1 summer
JD Credits Required
82
Graduate PGM Credits Required
33
Number of Credits Saved
18 (6 JD, 12 MPH)
Requirements: Juris Doctor (JD)
In addition to the general law required courses (58 credits) for the JD, students in the joint JD/MPH program must complete the following required health law courses:
Administrative Law (3 credits)
Environmental Law (3 credits)
Health Law and Policy (3 credits)
Students also have to complete at least 12 credits from among the following courses:
Children and Youth Law Clinic (6 credits)
Climate Change and Human Rights (1 credit)
Health Rights Law Clinic (6 credits)
Environmental Justice Clinic (6 credits)
Finance and Regulation of Health Care (3 credits)
Health Law: Practice and Workshop (2 credits)
Hospitals, Health Care Services and Access (3 credits)
Insurance Law (3 credits)
International Environmental Law (3 credits)
Mental Health Law (1 credit)
New Directions in Lawyering (3 credits)
Sexuality and the Law Seminar/Workshop (2 credits)
State and Local Government Law (3 credits)
Requirements: Master of Public Health (MPH)
The following 30 credits in core courses are required for the MPH degree:
Basic Pathology and Pathophysiology (3 credits)
Environmental Health (3 credits)
Ethical Issues in Epidemiology (3 credits)
Fundamentals of Epidemiology (3 credits)
Health Education and Behavior (3 credits)
Medical Biostatistics I (3 credits)
Medical Biostatistics II (3 credits)
Public Health Administration (3 credits)
Public Health Project (3 credits)
Research Seminar (3 credits)
Students also have to complete 3 credits from among the following courses:
Accident Prevention Systems (3 credits)
Advanced Demography (3 credits)
Air Pollution (3 credits)
Biochemical Toxicology (2 credits)
Cancer Epidemiology (3 credits)
Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention (3 credits)
Chronic Disease Epidemiology (3 credits)
Environmental Microbiology (3 credits)
Forensic Epidemiology (3 credits)
HIV/AIDS as a Public Health Issue (3 credits)
Industrial Hygiene I (3 credits)
Industrial Hygiene II (3 credits)
Infectious Disease Epidemiology (3 credits)
In addition to the 33 public health credits, students must also complete the 12 credits in required health law courses (for a total of 45 credits) before the MPH degree will be conferred.
