Master of Urban and Regional Planning / Doctor of Jurisprudence (M.U.R.P./J.D.)

Program Overview

Students can complete all requirements for both degrees within eight semesters of full-time study.

The dual degree program is for students who want to focus on concerns that intersect both law and urban and regional planning. These areas of common interest include community development, real estate development, land use planning and regulation, environmental planning and regulation, and legislative work related to housing, land use, economic development, taxation, transportation, immigration, and other topics.

Course of Study

Students admitted to the combined program are required to complete the first year courses in one school during the first year and to complete the first year courses at the other school in the second year. Students may begin at either school; although dual JD/MURP students typically begin with their law school studies first. During the third and fourth years of the program, students are permitted to elect courses in either school and are generally not restricted in their choices beyond fulfilling the required course work.

Degree Requirements

Students entering the Law School must complete the required first-year law curriculum.

The J.D. requires a minimum total of 83 credits, earned between Law School courses and courses through the A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture + Urban Planning within the Rackham School of Graduate Studies. Students must earn at least 71 credits toward the J.D. through courses taken in the Law School.

Law students are required to complete a course in professional responsibility, transnational law, and an upper-class writing requirement. Twelve (12) credit hours may be taken from the satisfaction of requirements for the MURP. Instructions for requesting Law School credit for non-law courses are posted on the Law School website for dual degree students. Students must take either URP 502 or 503 Institutions and Law, or the law school course Law 735 Land Use Planning and Control.

The M.U.R.P. requires a minimum of 48 credit hours, including core courses. Students must earn a minimum of 33 credit hours toward the M.U.R.P., 30 of which must come from URP courses.

Fifteen (15) credit hours may be satisfied by appropriate courses taken in the Law School.

Coordinated Requirements

The first two years of study will be divided equally between the Law School and Urban and Regional Planning; students are normally expected to spend one year, full-time in each school. These two years are followed by two years of mixed enrollment. Tuition is assessed at either the Law School rate or Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning rate, whichever is higher, when courses toward both degrees are taken in a single term.

Students are required to satisfy the degree requirements of each school and work closely with advisors in each school to determine precise graduation requirements for each degree. Students should not expect any law courses beyond first year courses to be offered in the summer term. Students will not receive credit toward the law degree for non-law course work taken prior to matriculation at the Law School. The Urban and Regional Planning Program will consider for dual degree enrollment a student who has completed a year or more of Law School courses at the University of Michigan.

In the Urban and Regional Planning Program each dual degree student receives a requirements checklist laying out the degree requirements. Because the program is small, students’ advisors are knowledgeable about the dual degree curriculum and provide guidance. In the Law School, students should consult with the assistant dean regarding fulfillment of requirements for the J.D.

Admission Requirements

Students must file separate applications to and be admitted by both schools. An application fee must accompany each application. Students will work with the acadmic advisors in both schools to determine which program is best to start with the first year. Students enrolled in either program can apply to the other during the first year of study, but not later.