Dual Degrees

This combined degree pathway program is a 30 or 36 credit hour program intended for individuals who are in the process of earning a Juris Doctor (JD) degree at Lincoln Memorial University. The objective of the MBA portion of the pathway is to stress the student’s role as manager and leader, while providing a foundational knowledge in business to complement the corresponding professional degree.

The MBA portion of the pathway begins with a summer session of four (4) three (3) credit hour core courses. The courses taken within the first summer term consist of MBA 545, 550, 570, & 575. These courses are offered in an online format. Students will then take an additional four (4) core courses and two (2) electives in an online format throughout the remainder of their professional program. JD/MBA students will complete the General MBA or concentrated MBA curriculum. JD/MBA students are eligible to substitute LAW 1021 - Contracts & Sales 1 and LAW 2095 - Business Organizations as electives within the General MBA curriculum.

For more information, visit: LMU Graduate Catalog

LMU offers a combined degree between the Doctor of Jurisprudence (JD) degree and the Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree. Students enrolled in LMU Law's JD program must successfully complete ninety (90) credit hours. The program of legal education includes sixty-seven (67) credit hours of required courses and twenty-three (23) hours of elective courses. The LMU MPA program must successfully complete thirty (30) credit hours, including eighteen (18) required credit hours and twelve (12) elective credit hours. Students enrolled in the JD-MPA Dual Degree Program may use twelve (12) elective credit hours of JD coursework to fulfill MPA program elective credit hours.

During Summer terms, Law students can only enroll in 7 credit hours of courses total between Law and PADM. Students not taking law courses are permitted to take the normal 9 credit hours (full load). 

LMU MPA courses are offered online through Canvas and a video conferencing platform such as Zoom. MPA courses are typically offered both synchronously (live) and asynchronously (recorded) to accommodate for student work schedules.

Suggested Electives
Students enrolled in the JD-MPA Combined Degree Program may use twelve (12) elective credit hours of JD coursework to fulfill MPA program elective credit hours. Law courses will be counted toward the MPA elective requirements if they are at least reasonably related to the operation of government or the nonprofit sector. The following courses are suggested electives for students pursuing the LMU JD-MPA Combined Degree within the LMU Duncan School of Law (DSOL):

• LAW 3010 Legislation and Regulation
  This course provides an introduction to the substance and procedure of drafting legislation, the administrative state, and canons of statutory interpretation. Specifically, it focuses on: (1) the politics and policy underlying legislative and administrative actions, including campaign finance law and ethical issues; (2) the process of developing, drafting, and enacting legislation; (3) the implementation of legislation by administrative agencies through the promulgation of regulations, and (4) the interpretation of both statutes and regulations by the courts. The course will also provide students with an introduction to career opportunities both inside of government and outside government as lawyer/lobbyists.

• LAW 3011 Administrative Law
  This class is designed to build on the foundation acquired in Evidence and to facilitate thinking about evidence in a trial setting. The focus of this course will be to "think evidentially." The course will take the student through a number of trials, both criminal and civil, using prepared fact patterns. The course will focus on the Federal Rules of Evidence and cover evidentiary law including relevance, character evidence, hearsay, impeachment, opinion evidence, expert testimony, and evidentiary privileges. It will examine the rules governing the presentation of evidence, including motions in limine, objections, and motions to suppress.

• LAW 3012 Nonprofit Organizations
  This course introduces concepts of how nonprofit organization and tax exempt organizations are defined in context of the law. Students will understand how to create and organize a nonprofit/tax exempt organization, how to maintain proper standing, and how to dissolve a nonprofit organization. The course provides an overview of the rules, regulations, and limitations imposed on nonprofit organizations by the courts, the IRS, and/or other governing bodies. Students will understand the crucial importance of governance and ethics in the operation of the organization. The duties and responsibilities of nonprofit directors as well as potential for liability issues relating to service on nonprofit boards will also be examined. Students will be exposed to the role attorneys play in the nonprofit sector. The course exposes students to the interplay between different types of organizations and their role(s) in the community.

• LAW 3092 Municipal Government Law
  Local governments enjoy substantial law-making and regulatory authority, bearing significant responsibility for the financing and provision of most domestic public goods and services. This course will consider the source, scope and limits of local government power. It will address the allocation of these powers and the legal rules that provide the foundation and corresponding obligations associated with their use. Some specific topics will include public administration, public financing, liability and risk management, zoning and annexation, public utilities, eminent domain and condemnation, inducements to business and industry, public law enforcement, municipal courts, and education.

• LAW 3101 Labor and Employment Law
  This course provides a study of the statutes, regulations, and cases dealing with a number of legal rights and concerns of employees and employers, including labor relations between private employers and employees acting in a collective capacity. Areas covered may include: (a) historical background and economic considerations of labor and employment laws; (b) at-will employment and wrongful discharge; (c) organization and representation of employees; (d) union collective action and collective bargaining; (e) worker's compensation law and practice; (f) labor standards legislation, such as wage-and-hour laws (e.g., Fair Labor Standards Act-FLSA, public contract "prevailing wage" requirements); (g) health-and-safety laws (e.g., Occupational Safety and Health Act-OSHA); and (h) an introduction to pension-protection laws (e.g., Employee Retirement Income Security Act-ERISA).

• LAW 3211 Immigration Law
  This course provides a study of the legal, historical, and policy perspectives that shape U.S. law governing immigration and citizenship, including the constitutional bases for regulating immigration, the history of immigration law in the United States, and the source and scope of congressional and executive branch power with regard to immigration. The course will also examine the role of the judiciary in interpreting immigration law, citizenship and naturalization, the admission and removal of immigrants and non-immigrants, and the issue of undocumented immigration. Students will also analyze the impact of immigration in other areas, including employment, criminal law, family unification, and discrimination.
• LAW 4131 Tennessee Constitutional Law
  This course introduces students to the basic principles of U.S. Constitutional law, including the text of the U.S. Constitution, the American system of federalism, the federal courts and their authority for judicial review, limits on the federal judicial power, federal legislative power, federal executive power, limits on state regulatory and taxing power, the structure of the Constitution's protection of civil rights and civil liberties, economic liberties, equal protection and fundamental rights under due process and equal protection.

LMU offers a combined degree program through which students may obtain both the Juris Doctor (JD) degree and the Master of Science in Criminal Justice (MSCJ) degree. Students enrolled in LMU Law School's JD program must successfully complete ninety (90) credit hours. The program of legal education includes sixty-seven (67) credit hours of required courses and twenty-three (23) hours of elective courses. Students enrolled in the LMU MSCJ program must successfully complete thirty (30) credit hours, including eighteen (18) required credit hours and twelve (12) elective credit hours. Students enrolled in the JD-MSCJ Combined Degree Program may use up to twelve (12) credit hours of coursework in approved JD elective courses to fulfill MSCJ program elective credit hours.

The Master of Science in Criminal Justice (MSCJ) program at Lincoln Memorial University is an online graduate degree program that provides knowledge and skills that will prepare students either seeking leadership roles in criminal justice organizations or preparing for doctoral study. The LMU MSCJ program requires thirty (30) credit hours to graduate and provides tracks in Administration, Applied Professional, and Research. All students will demonstrate proficiency in theories of crime and justice, justice ethics, scientific research methodology, policy analysis, and leadership. The program offers a variety of elective courses that provide students with the opportunity to tailor coursework to meet their individual needs and interests

Interested students must apply to and qualify for each program separately. Admission to one program does not guarantee admission to the other program.

MSCJ Curriculum

Before or After 1L / 2L Years (Criminal Justice)
Course Name	Hours	Course Name	Hours
Theories of Crime and Crim. Justice	3	Criminal Justice Research Methods	3
Ethics and Issues in Criminal Justice	3	Justice Admin. and Leadership	3
Crime and Public Policy Analysis	3	Qualitative Research Methods	3

Required MSCJ courses will be offered in a rotation during the summer semesters. Students enrolled in the LMU JD-MSCJ Combined Degree program have five years to complete the MSCJ portion of the coursework to complete the program. Combined degree students must consult with their advisor prior to registering for courses.

Program Notes

• The MSCJ portion of the JD-MPA Combined Degree program may be completed in any combination of the semesters prior to or after the first (1L) and second (2L) years of law school. Students may not complete the MSCJ portion of the dual degree following their third year of law school.
• Students enrolled in LMU JD-MSCJ Combined Degree Program are encouraged to complete elective requirements in either program through an externship in a legal setting that primarily serves the public and/or nonprofit sector. Students seeking elective credit through an externship for the JD-MSCJ Combined Degree program must receive written approval from both the law school's Director of Experiential Learning and the MSCJ Program Director. See the course description for Externship I/II below for more information.
• Students will pay the MSCJ tuition rate for courses in the MSCJ program and the JD tuition rate for courses in the JD program, including those used to fulfill MSCJ requirements. Any merit scholarship awarded as part of admission to the JD program will be applied only to courses in the JD program.

 

MSCJ Program Admission Requirements

• Completed Bachelor's Degree
  Degree must have been awarded from an institution with regional accreditation or equivalent verification in the case of international degrees. An international degree must follow university policies in existence for certifying international degrees and/or credit.
• Grade Point Average (GPA)
  Undergraduate GPA of 2.75 or higher on a four (4)-point scale. Entrance interview may be required if one or more requirements are not met.
  
• Letters of Reference
  Two letters of reference from the applicant's undergraduate instructors or one letter from an instructor and one from a professional source are required.
• Personal Statement
  Prospective students must submit an essay detailing the student's purpose for applying to the LMU Master of Science in Criminal Justice program, relevant skills, qualification, preparation, and a statement of goals after completing the program.
• Transfer Credits
  A maximum of nine (9) graduate credit hours or its equivalent of graduate work closely related to the MSCJ degree will be allowed in transfer by approval of the AHSS Graduate Admissions Committee.

Suggested Electives

The following elective law school courses may also be used to fulfill up to 12 elective credit hours for the MSCJ program for students enrolled in the JD-MSCJ Combined Degree program:

• LAW-3084 Domestic Violence (3 Credits)
  This course explores the complex dynamics, pervasiveness and significance of violent behavior in intimate relationships and asks how our laws and legal institutions can protect and assist battered adults and affected children. Placing the problem of domestic violence in social, historical, and economic context, the course covers victims, batterers and children within the child protective system; the family law system; the civil protective or restraining order system; the criminal justice system; the law of torts; and federal civil rights and international human rights remedies.
• LAW-3211 Immigration Law (3 Credits)
  This course provides a study of the legal, historical, and policy perspectives that shape U.S. law governing immigration and citizenship, including the constitutional bases for regulating immigration, the history of immigration law in the United States, and the source and scope of congressional and executive branch power with regard to immigration. The course will also examine the role of the judiciary in interpreting immigration law, citizenship and naturalization, the admission and removal of immigrants and non-immigrants, and the issue of undocumented immigration. Students will also analyze the impact of immigration in other areas, including employment, criminal law, family unification, and discrimination.
• LAW-3271 Tennessee Juvenile Law (3 Credits)
  This course provides a study of the rights and responsibilities of parents, children, attorneys, and the State in the context of a Tennessee juvenile law practice. During this course, students will learn about the history of the juvenile court system, the development of children's rights and the practical application of the law in dependency and neglect, severe abuse, termination of parental rights, unruly, and delinquency matters.
• LAW-3456 Post-Conviction Remedies (3 Credits)
  This course focuses on collateral challenges to criminal convictions, which are known as post-conviction remedies. Post-conviction remedies balance the need for finality and the conservation of judicial resources against the protection of the innocent and the guarantee of constitutional rights. The course will explore both state post-conviction remedies (with an emphasis on Tennessee's post-conviction scheme) and federal habeas corpus. Topics covered in the course will include the threshold requirements for post-conviction relief; post-conviction procedure; the grounds for post-conviction relief such as prosecutorial misconduct, ineffective assistance of counsel, newly discovered evidence, "free-standing" innocence claims, and illegal sentences; federal habeas corpus under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996; and the ethical considerations that arise in post-conviction proceedings.
• LAW-4056 Human Trafficking (3 Credits)
  This course will cover both domestic and international attempts to restrict the horrors of human trafficking. Topics to be covered will include: an introduction to the phenomenon of human trafficking, including both labor trafficking and sex trafficking; federal and state laws designed to eradicate trafficking in the U.S.; the U.S. Department of State's efforts to addresses human trafficking on an international level; the overlap between human trafficking and immigration policies; arguments surrounding the decriminalization of prostitution, including the relatively new, so-called "Nordic approach"; and further information on resources available to those who would seek to minimize the damage to human trafficking victims. Students taking this course may satisfy the upper-level writing requirement.
• LAW-5021 Criminal Practice Skills (3 Credits)
  This course explores the processes of the criminal justice system from bail to jail. Specifically, it covers: bail and pretrial release, prosecutorial discretion and charging decisions, grand juries, preliminary hearings, discovery, plea bargaining and guilty pleas, speedy trial rights, right to counsel, trial rights, sentencing, cruel and unusual punishment, double jeopardy and habeas corpus. The class involves several in-class simulation exercises and satisfies the experiential learning requirement.
• LAW-5025 Asylum Practice (3 Credits)
  This experiential course focuses primarily on U.S. asylum law and procedure, with particular attention to the statutory and case law framework for defensive asylum. It will guide students through the process of advocating for detained asylum-seekers. Simulations may incorporate practical issues arising from the credible fear interview, bond proceedings, information gathering, document drafting, motion arguments, and ethical considerations related to the representation of asylum-seekers.