Combined MA (Economics)/JD Program

Queen’s University’s Faculty of Law and Department of Economics have partnered to offer a combined program that allows students to obtain both a Master of Arts in Economics and the Juris Doctor (JD) in three years. The program provides highly focused interdisciplinary training for students interested in the many areas where law and economic analysis intersect, for example international trade law and policy, corporate law and policy, competition law and policy, environmental and resource management and tax law and policy. Combined MA (Econ)/JD students will receive excellent training and gain a strong comparative advantage to pursue careers in specialized legal work that requires knowledge of economic theory and social science methods, high-level policy work and academia.

Program Requirements and Structure

1 In the first year, students register full time in the School of Graduate Studies. Students are eligible for funding from Ontario Graduate Scholarships (https://osap.gov.on.ca/OSAPPortal/en/OSAPStarttoFinish/GraduateStudents/index.htm) or funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRCC) for this year. For more information about SSHRCC grants, see www.sshrc.ca/site/apply-demande/students-etudiants-eng.aspx. In the first year as a graduate student, combined program students must complete the following courses:
(a) The three economics courses ECON-810 Microeconomic Theory, ECON-852 Quantitative Methods and ECON-848 Economic Analysis of Law.

(b) Any two other graduate economics courses with a sufficient connection to law, subject to the approval of the Graduate Coordinator (Economics) in consultation with the Combined Program Director (Law). The following courses are illustrative of courses that would satisfy the requirement: ECON-825 International Trade, ECON-835 Development Economics, ECON 837/437 Cost Benefit Analysis, ECON-840 Public Finance I, ECON-841 Public Finance II, ECON-845 Industrial Organization I, ECON-846 Industrial Organization II, ECON-870 Finance Theory, ECON-890 Natural Resource Economics, and ECON-891 Environmental Economics.

(c) The four law courses LAW-140/141/142 Public Law, LAW-150/151/152 Constitutional Law, LAW-160/161/162/163/164 Contracts and LAW-115/116/117 Introduction to Legal Research.

(d) In the spring/summer term of the first year, students will complete the MA essay requirement. Students may also elect to take some of their economics courses during the spring term.

2 In the second year of the program, students register full time in the Faculty of Law as second year JD students taking a full course load of between 15 and 17 credits per term. Students must complete the remaining courses from the required first-year law curriculum as follows: LAW-180/181 Property Law, LAW-190/191/192/193 Tort Law, and LAW-170/171/172 Criminal Law.

3In the third year, students must register full time in the Faculty of Law as third year JD students. Students must ensure that they complete the requirements for the combined program and the JD degree during the second and third years.

(a) Two upper-year law courses with a substantial connection to law and economics. Given changes in course offerings from year to year, the list of approved courses is to be determined annually by the Combined Program Director (Law) in consultation with the Graduate Coordinator (Economics). The following list is illustrative of some three-credit courses that would satisfy the requirement: LAW-454 International Trade and Investment Law; LAW-302 Law and Development; Law 443 Insurance Law; LAW-511 Corporate Taxation; LAW-506 International Tax; LAW-512 Corporate Finance; LAW-608 Advanced Corporate Law; LAW-448 Securities Regulation; LAW-441 Commercial Law; LAW-517 Environmental Protection Law; and LAW 538 International Environmental and Assessment Law. This list is illustrative only. Students who wish to pursue specialization in other areas within the law and economics tradition in areas such as criminal law, family or labour law could also be easily accommodated within existing law course offerings.

(b) The following JD degree requirements: Mandatory Course Requirement (LAW-225 Civil Procedure); Advocacy Requirement; Practice Skills Requirement; and Substantial Term Paper Requirement and upper-year credit requirement of 59 upper-year credits.

Tuition and Financial Assistance 

Students in the combined MA/JD program pay tuition as graduate students in their first year and as JD students in the second and third years of the program. Students in the combined program are eligible, according to their registration status, for the financial support and funding available to students in the MA and JD programs respectively.

For further financial information, see:
MA: http://www.econ.queensu.ca/pub/graduate
JD: http://law.queensu.ca//prospectiveStudents/jdProgram/funding.html
 

Admissions

Applicants must meet the admission requirements of both the JD degree and the MA (Economics) programs. Selection for admission to the combined program is not guaranteed to applicants who meet only the minimum criteria for admission. A maximum of five students per year will be admitted to the program.

Separate simultaneous applications to both the Faculty of Law (through OLSAS by November 1 for the following September) and Graduate Studies (by January 15) are required. Applicants should indicate that they wish to be considered for the combined program in their MA application. Late applications may still be considered, but early applications are encouraged. See http://qed.econ.queensu.ca/pub/graduate/.

The minimum requirements for admission to the combined program are:

1. Completion of an Honours BA in Economics or a related field (e.g. Math, Physics, Finance). Most students admitted to the MA will have a B+ average as a minimum. Most successful JD applicants will generally have at least a B+ average cumulatively and A- average in the final two years of their undergraduate program.
2. LSAT score ≥160 (81st percentile).
3. Applicants whose previous degree is not from a Canadian or U.S. university are required to submit the results from the Graduate Record Exam (GRE).
4. If applicable, an acceptable score on an approved English facility test is also required (TOEFL).
5. Two academic references are required to support the application for the graduate degree.

A maximum of five students per year will be admitted to the program.

Further Application Information:

JD: http://law.queensu.ca/prospectiveStudents/admissioninformation.html
Economics: http://www.econ.queensu.ca/

Contact Information

Economics Program Gateway: http://www.econ.queensu.ca/pub/graduate/

Department of Economics
Dunning Hall, Queen’s University
Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6
Phone: (613) 533-2259
Fax: (613) 533-6668

Graduate Coordinator: Professor Allen Head
Contact Email: grad@econ.queensu.ca
http://www.econ.queensu.ca (Department Page)
http://www.econ.queensu.ca/pub/graduate (Program Gateway)

Faculty of Law
128 Union Street
Macdonald Hall, Queen's Univercity
Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6
Phone: (613)533-2220
Fax: (613)533-6509
    
Combined Program Director:  Professor Cherie Metcalf
Contact Email: metcalfc@queensu.ca

JD Admissions: Jane Emrich (Assistant Dean of Students)
Contact Email: jane.emrich@queensu.ca