FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT: MPH/JD Dual Degree Program at The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
1. What are the admissions requirements? Are there specific prerequisites for the program?
To be admitted to the dual program, you must submit separate applications to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the accredited U.S. or Canadian law school of your choice. You must satisfy all of the admissions requirements for each School, and then must be admitted by each separately. However, be sure to indicate on your Johns Hopkins application that you are applying for the MPH/JD program. To learn how to submit an application to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, visit the Admissions website.
In addition to a baccalaureate-level degree, there are undergraduate course prerequisites for admission to the MPH program at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. These are:
1) at least one college-level mathematics course (e.g., calculus, algebra, statistics);
2) one general biology course; and
3) one health-related science course (e.g., nutrition, microbiology, anatomy, physiology) or another biology course.
In addition, ordinarily to be eligible for an MPH at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, applicants must have at least two years of full-time, post-baccalaureate, health-related work experience OR a doctoral degree in a field underlying public health. However, the requirement of 2 years of work experience or a doctoral degree is waived for MPH/JD candidates.
You must also fulfill whatever undergraduate course prerequisites, if any, your law school has.
2. Do I need to take both the LSAT and the GRE?
No. For admission to the MPH/JD program, you need only take the LSAT exam required by most law schools. Johns Hopkins, however, currently does not require that standardized scores be included in your MPH application (but you may do so if you wish).
3. What if I am admitted to one School but not the other?
If you are accepted to an accredited law school but not the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, you may choose to attend that law school. However, if you are accepted to Johns Hopkins but not to an accredited law school you may not enroll in the Johns Hopkins MPH program unless you fulfill the advanced degree or work experience requirements (see above) applicable for non-joint-degree students.
4. Can I attend either Johns Hopkins or law school part-time?
No. Although the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and many law schools have parttime programs, MPH/JD dual degree students must complete both programs on a full-time basis.
5. How long does the program take? How is the time divided between Johns Hopkins and law school?
The program takes four years to complete. Ordinarily, students complete their first year of law school at the accredited law school of their choice. The student must then receive permission from his or her law school to interrupt legal training for one year (essentially permission for a leave of absence to pursue the MPH degree). The student then comes to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health for 11 months (July through May) to complete the MPH requirements. The final two years are spent back at law school completing the JD degree. The two degrees are then conferred jointly at the end of the fourth year, only after successfully completing the requirements for the JD.
6. May I apply to the MPH/JD program after I begin law school?
Yes. You may either apply at the same time as your law school applications, or after you start the accredited U.S. or Canadian law school of your choice.
7. Is financial aid available?
The Student Enrollment and Account Management (SEAM) office at Support.SIS.jhu.edu/case/ can explain all of the possible options during your MPH year. Contact your law school for financial aid information applicable during the JD portion of the dual degree.
8. May I choose to combine the MPH at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with a JD from any law school?
Yes. Students enrolling at any accredited U.S. or Canadian law school are eligible for the MPH/JD dual degree program. However, the student must receive permission from the law school to interrupt his or her legal education for one year (after his or her first or second year of law school) to complete the MPH training at Johns Hopkins.
9. What will I study at Johns Hopkins? As an MPH/JD student, do I major in a particular subject?
The MPH program at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is a school-wide degree. This means that you do not major in a particular subject. Instead, all MPH students must take a set of required courses intended to provide exposure to the core disciplines of public health including: epidemiology, biostatistics, health policy, the biological basis of public health, population dynamics, and environmental health. In addition, MPH/JD students are required to take: Public Health and the Law as well as one course devoted to ethics and public health. The remaining course credits (about half of the required total) are available for the student to choose among a very large number of elective courses. Students may use their remaining elective credits to customize their program of study or complete one of twelve multidisciplinary concentration areas.
10. What types of jobs do graduates find after completing the program?
Both law and public health are very broad disciplines, so our graduates have pursued a wide variety of career paths. For example, some have chosen careers in public policy, working for government, advocacy organizations, or think tanks. Others have chosen to work for law firms, often those with a practice that includes health law. Some work as in-house counsel for health care delivery organizations like hospitals or HMOs. And a few have pursued academic careers in schools of law or public health.
11. Where can I get more information?
The MPH/JD Program is Directed by Jon Vernick, JD, MPH, Professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Prof. Vernick can be reached at 410-955-7982 or jvernic1@jhu.edu.