Dual Degrees

MPA-MSCJ COMBINED DEGREE PROGRAM

The LMU MPA-MSCJ Combined Degree program combines the core requirements and electives for the MSCJ and Masters in Public Administration programs to allow students to achieve both graduate degrees concurrently. The total number of credit hours required for completion of this dual degree program is 51 credit hours (cr).

 The curriculum for the LMU MPA-MSCJ Combined Degree Program includes:

-CRIM 505, 506, 510, 512 = 12 cr

- PADM 520, 525, 530, 540 = 12 cr

 1 course from each of the following pairs of courses: 

CRIM 511 or PADM 510 = 3 cr

CRIM 650 or PADM 515 – 3 cr

7 additional PADM or MSCJ elective courses = 21 cr 

TOTAL = 51 credit hours

JD-MSCJ Combined DEGREE PROGRAM

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.

• Applications for LMU's JD Program must completed through the Law School Admission Council's website -
  https://www.lsac.org.
• Applications for LMU's MSCJ Program must be completed through LMU's website -
  https://applynow.lmunet.edu/ Use the code MSCJWEBPAGE to waive the application fee.

JD Curriculum

LMU offers a traditional three-year, full-time J.D. program that averages 15 credit hours/semester.

LMU also offers a reduced-load flexible JD program that typically averages between 9 and 12 credit hours/semester. Applicants interested in a flex option should contact the Admissions Office.

MSCJ Curriculum

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.

JD Program Admission Requirements

• Law School Admission Test (LSAT)
  Applicants to LMU Law must take the LSAT. Scores are valid for five years. We cannot accept scores later than five years old.
• Letters of Recommendation
  Two letters of recommendation are required. Your letters of recommendation should be submitted directly to the Credential Assembly Service through a link it sends to each individual making a recommendation. There are no specific requirements as to who should write letters of recommendation, such as a professor, employer, acquaintance, etc.; however, they should explain in detail how they know you and the traits they have observed that leads them to recommend you for law school. Once the letters are received by the Credential Assembly Service, YOU MUST ASSIGN each letter to each school you want to receive them. They will not be assigned automatically. If you fail to assign both of them to each school, then your file will remain INCOMPLETE until they are assigned by you.
  
  
• Personal Statement
  Prospective students must submit an essay detailing the student's purpose for applying to law school. Relevant skills, qualifications, preparations, and of goals after completing the program are always helpful in the explanation.
• Bachelor's Degree
  A bachelor's degree must have been earned or be in the process of being earned from an institution accredited by a regional entity recognized by the United States Department of Education.
• Credential Assembly Service (CAS) Report
  An official transcript from each educational institution attended since high school must be sent from each institution directly to the Credential Assembly Service. The address to which each transcript must be sent is:

LSAC Credential Assembly Service
662 Penn Street
Newtown, Pennsylvania 18940

If you received Advanced Placement (AP) credit(s) for courses taken in high school, then you must submit your high school transcript(s) to the Credential Assembly Service as well.

In addition to the Credential Assembly Service fee, the applicant must pay for a Law School Report for each law school to which he/she applies. The current cost of the fall 2020 admission cycle is $45, and again, it must be paid for each law school to which the applicant wants her/his Law School Report sent.

The Law School Report is commonly called the CAS Report.

If you are an undergraduate student when you submit your transcripts to the Credential Assembly Service, then you must update (resubmit) transcripts from any schools in which you have taken classes since they were submitted initially.

After you graduate, you will need to submit a final official transcript from the institution from which you received your bachelor degree. The degree received and the date it was conferred must appear on the final transcript.

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-4065 Critical Race Theory (3 Credits)
This course examines the social, legal, historical, and theoretical underpinnings of critical race theory as an intellectual movement. Critical race theorists examine the relationship between race and the law, nuanced by the recognition that race is itself a legally reinforced social construct. Areas of law to be explored include the criminal justice system, education, immigration, and housing law. This course satisfies 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.

For additional information about LMU's JD Program, please contact:

Randy Mathews
Associate Dean for Enrollment Services
Lincoln Memorial University - John J. Duncan, Jr. School of Law
(865) 545-5303
randall.mathews@lmunet.edu
https://law.lmunet.edu

For additional information about LMU's MSCJ Program, please contact us via email:
mscj.info@lmunet.edu