Master of Arts in Philosophy/Juris doctor

The J.D./M.A. dual-degree program is open to students who have received a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university and demonstrated a satisfactory performance on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and Graduate Record Examination (GRE).

The dual-degree program is designed to equip students for a career in law by teaching them to think about the law with a depth and facility that otherwise might not be developed.

The study of philosophy provides logical and analytical tools important for the study and the practice of law. In fact, a number of prominent judges and law scholars enjoyed the benefit of legal and philosophical training at The Catholic University of America.

The program requires a student to apply and be accepted by both the Columbus School of Law and the School of Philosophy. Upon admission to the program, with the approval of the Dean of the School of Law and the Dean of the School of Philosophy, the student designs an elective curriculum that qualifies the candidate for both J.D. and M.A. degrees. Certain courses in law are recognized as fulfilling requirements in the School of Philosophy, and certain courses in philosophy are accepted as fulfilling requirements in the Columbus School of Law. Sometimes, a student can complete both degrees in a three-year period rather than the four-year period that would be required if the degrees were pursued separately.

The following materials should be submitted directly to the Office of Graduate Admissions through its online portal:
A completed application form,
An official transcript of every college or university previously attended,
Official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, dated within the last five years (Catholic University's GRE school code is 5104),
A statement of purpose,
A short (no more than 20 pages) sample of philosophical writing (typically a term paper, or a selection from an honors or master's thesis), and
Three letters of recommendation.

No one element of an applicant's dossier is determinative for admission. Rather, the Graduate Admissions Committee seeks, through careful consideration of the entire dossier, to appraise the applicant's academic abilities, interests and accomplishments in light of the faculty's current research and teaching.

An interview with the prospective student will be held whenever possible, and the right is reserved to demand entrance examinations in any individual case.

Minimally accepted TOEFL scores, when applying for graduate programs, are 550-paper, 213-computer, and 80 Internet. Students taking the TOEFL should have at least 20 out of 30 in each of the TOEFL subcategories. The minimally accepted graduate IELTS score is 6.5. Individual IELTS test module scores are also reviewed in addition to the overall IELTS score.