The faculties of the University of Florida College of Law and the School of Natural Resources and Environment have approved a joint degree program culminating in both a Juris Doctor degree, awarded by the College of Law, and a Master of Science or Doctor of Philosophy degree in Interdisciplinary Ecology, awarded by the School of Natural Resources and Environment. Under the joint degree program, a student can obtain both degrees in approximately one year less than it would take to obtain both degrees if pursued consecutively. Essential criteria relating to the joint degree program are as follows:

1. Candidates for the program must meet the entrance requirements for and be accepted by both programs. Both programs must be informed by the student at the time of application to the second program, that he/she intends to pursue the joint degree as soon as possible.

2. The joint degree program is not open to students who have already earned one degree.

3. Admission to the second program is required no later than the end of the fourth consecutive semester after beginning one degree of the joint degree program. A summer term is counted as half a single semester. An exception to this requirement will be made for two semesters for the students in residence at the time the joint degree program is initiated.

4. A student must satisfy the curriculum requirements for each degree before either degree is awarded. The School of Natural Resources and Environment will allow 12 credits of appropriate law courses to be credited toward both J.D. and M.S. or Ph.D. degrees. The 12 credits selected from the law curriculum must be approved by the Director of Academic Programs upon the recommendation of the student's graduate supervisory committee. The 12 credits selected from the law curriculum will be treated as substitutes within the Interdisciplinary Ecology curriculum for either four elective courses or three elective courses and one quantitative methods course. Reciprocally, law students may receive toward the satisfaction of the J.D. degree, not more than 12 semester credits for courses taken in the graduate curriculum of the School of Natural Resources and Environment. Two of these courses, not more than a total of 6 semester credits, will be treated as the two graduate courses ordinarily allowed to be taken outside of the College of Law for credit toward Law School graduation.

5. A student enrolled in the joint degree program may spend the first year in either the College of Law or the School of Natural Resources and Environment. Students admitted to one program but electing to spend the first academic year in the other program under the joint degree program may enter the second program thereafter without once again qualifying for admission so long as they have notified the second program before the end of the first week of the first semester in the joint degree program and are in good academic standing when the studies commence in the second program. Any student who participates in the joint degree program beginning in the Fall Semester must register for a course or courses in the second program no later than the beginning of the fifth semester, including the summer term as a semester. Any student who participates in the joint degree program beginning law school in the Spring Semester must commence study in the School of Natural Resources and Environment no later than the fifth semester, including summer term as half a semester. Students must carry the minimum number of credits required by either program.

6. School of Natural Resources and Environment courses which are to be credited toward the J.D. degree must carry a grade of “B” or higher and will not be counted in the College of Law grade point average. College of Law courses which are to be credited toward the M.S. or Ph.D. degree must carry a grade of “C” or higher and will not be counted in the grade point average at the School of Natural Resources and Environment.

7. Students enrolled in the joint degree program must complete the College of Law’s advanced writing requirement. An approved master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation in Interdisciplinary Ecology will satisfy the advanced writing requirement of the College of Law if so certified by a law school faculty member. Non-thesis students must still satisfy the College of Law’s writing requirement.

8. A student enrolled in the joint degree program will not receive either degree until he/she has satisfied all of the requirements for both degrees, or until he/she has satisfied the requirements of one of the degrees as if he/she had not been a joint degree candidate.

9. Students who enroll in the joint degree program but do not complete the program may receive credit toward the College of Law degree under the graduate level course option for a maximum of two courses, not to exceed 6 semester credits, taken from the graduate curriculum of the School of Natural Resources and Environment. Although the grade is not computed in the student’s grade point average, a grade of “B” or higher must be earned to receive credit hours for the course(s).

10. Students in the joint program will be eligible for graduate assistantships in the School of Natural Resources and Environment on the same basis as other School of Natural Resources and Environment graduate students, subject to the guidelines and restrictions set by the School of Natural Resources and Environment.

11. To facilitate student progress in the joint program, it is proposed that to the fullest extent possible given the availability and consent of appropriate law faculty, the student’s graduate supervisory committee be comprised of two School of Natural Resources and Environment graduate faculty members and one law faculty member. Whether a law faculty member serves on the supervisory committee or not, theses and dissertations will deal with a topic related to law.

12. The program will begin in August 2002.

Last Modified: Tuesday, August 5, 2003 2:24 PM