The JD/MSIS Combined Degree Program is designed to permit students interested in obtaining both the JD degree and the MSIS degree to complete both degrees in less time than if they were earned independently. This can be accomplished because certain course work taken at the School of Law can be transferred for credit toward the MSIS degree, and, conversely, certain course work taken in the MSIS program at the Leavey School of Business can be transferred toward the JD Degree.
The JD/MSIS degree allows students to develop a deep technological understanding of the legal issues in the Information Technology industry and to learn how to use technology effectively in a law practice. The joint degree may be especially useful for:
- in-house lawyers for technology companies
- lawyers representing computer software and hardware companies in technology license agreements or in litigation
- information security lawyers
- litigators who plan to develop expertise in complex e-discovery
Admission
To participate in the JD/MSIS Program, students must first be admitted to the School of Law. During the first year of the JD Program, students apply to the MSIS Program, following the regular MSIS admissions procedures, including taking the GMAT or GRE. Students must be in good standing in the Law School to be considered for admission into the MSIS program.
Link to Business School’s MSIS page
General Requirements for JD/MSIS
While enrolled in the program, students must
- Satisfy the academic requirements of each school
- Complete the same number of quarter units of credit (business) and semester units of credit (law) as other recipients of the respective degrees, including all courses required by each school
- Plan a specific, individualized academic program with, and approved by, both the School of Law JD/MSIS Program advisor and the Leavey School of Business JD/MSIS Program advisor.
Combined Curriculum
Law School
General Requirements:
- 86 units are required to graduate.
- Under ABA rules, a student has five years to receive his or her JD.
- Students must be enrolled in at least 8 semester units each semester.
Specific JD/MSIS Requirements:
- A student may transfer 12 quarter units from the business school to the law school. Twelve quarter units translate to 8 semester units. Thus, a JD/MSIS student must take 78 units at the law school. However, the business school units will not transfer over to the law school until the student is within two business school classes of graduating from the business school. MSIS units must have a grade of C or better and will transfer to the law transcript as Credit/No Credit grades.
- The first year is spent exclusively in the School of Law. During the second year, students are required to take mostly MSIS classes. Thereafter, work is taken concurrently in the business school and the law school.
Business School
General Requirements:
- The SCU MSIS curriculum consists of 17 courses (for a total of 51 units) comprising waivable required courses, non-waivable required courses, and electives.
Specific JD/MSIS Requirements:
- A student may transfer 8 semester units from the law school to the business school (Approved courses are listed below). Eight semester units translate to 12 quarter units. Thus, a JD/MSIS student will take 39 units of MSIS courses specified as below:
Pre-program proficiency (Applicants must have successfully completed one course in each of the following areas)
- Statistics
- a programming language
Core Business Knowledge (3 courses, 2 waivable)
- ACTG 2301 Financial and Managerial Accounting
- OMIS 2355 Computer-Based Decision Models
- MGMT 2501 Building and Leading High-Performance Teams and Organizations
Core Information Systems (6 courses)
- MSIS 2601 Object-Oriented Analysis and Programming
- MSIS 2602 Information Systems Analysis and Design
- MSIS 2603 Database Management Systems
- MSIS 2604 Information Systems Policy and Strategy
- MSIS 2605 Telecommunications and Business Networks
- MSIS 2606 Software Project Management
Specialization (4 courses; equal to 12 units)
- MSIS 2621 Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing
- MSIS 2622 ERP Systems
- MSIS 2623 Financial Information Systems
- MSIS 2624 E-Business Technologies – Virtualization
- MSIS 2625 Information Security Management
- MSIS 2626 Computer Simulation and Modeling
- MSIS 2627 Big Data Modeling and Analytics
- MSIS 2628 The Business of Cloud Computing
- MSIS 2629 Dashboards, Scorecards and Virtualization
- MSIS 2630 Web Programming
- MSIS 2801 Mobile Payment and eCommerce Security
- MSIS 2802 Data Science Analysis with Python
- OMIS 3357 Operations Management
- OMIS 3374 Artificial Intelligence
- OMIS 3384 Supply Chain Management
- OMIS 3388 Supply Chain Outsourcing
- MGMT 2504 Innovation in the Valley and Beyond
- MGMT 3538 Leading Teams and Projects
- IDIS 3700 Effective Business Communications (1 unit)
- COEN 250 Information Security Management (2 units)
- COEN 252 Computer Forensics (4 units)
Capstone (1 course)
- IDIS 3612 Management of the High Technology Firm Seminar
Approved Law School Courses (8 semester units; 12 quarter units )
- Law 228 Technology Licensing (2 units)
- Law 429 Mass Communication: Television, Cable, Satellite Video and Convergence (3 units)
- Law 520 Mass Communication: Telephone, Broadband Networks and Convergence (3 units)
- Law 388 Intellectual Property (3 units)
- Law 533 Broadband Regulatory Clinic (3 units)
- Law 539 E-Discovery (1 unit)
- Law 793 Cyberspace Law (3 units)
- One or more Patents/Copyrights/Trademarks/Trade Secrets courses
In no event will any such individualized academic program include more than 12 quarter units at the business school for which credit is also obtained at the law school, or more than 8 semester units at the law school for which credit is also obtained at the business school.
Under a typical schedule, students complete the program and receive both degrees in three and one-half or four years.
Note: Students who withdraw from the JD program will not be granted transfer credit toward the MSIS degree for courses taken in the School of Law.
