JD/MA in English Program By Boston University |Top Universities
Subject Ranking

# 101-150QS Subject Rankings

Program Duration

36 monthsProgram duration

Main Subject Area

English Language and LiteratureMain Subject Area

Program overview

Main Subject

English Language and Literature

Study Level

Masters

This program offers qualified students a unique opportunity to combine the study of law with coursework in English and American literature. “Law and literature” is an established scholarly field. The dual degree program facilitates inquiry into the common terrain of these two disciplines, including textual analysis and interpretative techniques, legal and literary theory, rhetoric, and the role of law in literature. Successful candidates receive both the Juris Doctor (JD) degree and a Master of Arts (MA) degree. With careful planning, the dual degree program can be completed in six semesters, rather than the eight semesters required to obtain each degree independently because some courses can be credited toward both degrees. Academic Requirements To earn the MA, students must complete eight graduate courses (normally 32 credits) in English. To earn the JD, students must earn at least 84 School of Law (LAW) credits and must comply with additional school requirements. The dual degree program allows students to receive joint credit for some courses taken at BU Law and in the Department of English (“the Department”), subject to limitations described below. The Department of English requires that dual degree students complete at least six graduate-level courses in the Department, including one course in literary theory and one Directed Study, which is devoted to the required JD/MA thesis. Of the six English courses, at least four must be graduate seminars (courses numbered 700 or higher). Examples of courses offered by the Department that may be of particular interest to dual degree students are listed in Attachment A of this document (PDF). Four of the literature courses taken to satisfy MA requirements also may be applied to the JD degree, up to a maximum of 12 LAW credits total. Students apply these literature courses to the JD degree during their second and third years of law school (typically one course per semester). Students also must take at least two LAW courses during their second and third years of law school that are approved by the Joint Advisory Board as relevant to the dual program.

Program overview

Main Subject

English Language and Literature

Study Level

Masters

This program offers qualified students a unique opportunity to combine the study of law with coursework in English and American literature. “Law and literature” is an established scholarly field. The dual degree program facilitates inquiry into the common terrain of these two disciplines, including textual analysis and interpretative techniques, legal and literary theory, rhetoric, and the role of law in literature. Successful candidates receive both the Juris Doctor (JD) degree and a Master of Arts (MA) degree. With careful planning, the dual degree program can be completed in six semesters, rather than the eight semesters required to obtain each degree independently because some courses can be credited toward both degrees. Academic Requirements To earn the MA, students must complete eight graduate courses (normally 32 credits) in English. To earn the JD, students must earn at least 84 School of Law (LAW) credits and must comply with additional school requirements. The dual degree program allows students to receive joint credit for some courses taken at BU Law and in the Department of English (“the Department”), subject to limitations described below. The Department of English requires that dual degree students complete at least six graduate-level courses in the Department, including one course in literary theory and one Directed Study, which is devoted to the required JD/MA thesis. Of the six English courses, at least four must be graduate seminars (courses numbered 700 or higher). Examples of courses offered by the Department that may be of particular interest to dual degree students are listed in Attachment A of this document (PDF). Four of the literature courses taken to satisfy MA requirements also may be applied to the JD degree, up to a maximum of 12 LAW credits total. Students apply these literature courses to the JD degree during their second and third years of law school (typically one course per semester). Students also must take at least two LAW courses during their second and third years of law school that are approved by the Joint Advisory Board as relevant to the dual program.

Admission requirements

Undergraduate

7+

Tuition fee and scholarships

One of the important factors when considering a master's degree is the cost of study. Luckily, there are many options available to help students fund their master's programme. Download your copy of the Scholarship Guide to find out which scholarships from around the world could be available to you, and how to apply for them.

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One of the largest private universities in the country, Boston University educates approximately 16,000 undergraduate students each year. Nearly 3,900 faculty members teach in 250 programs of study at 17 schools and colleges.

In 2018, U.S. News & World Report ranked BU 37th in the nation and 39th among global universities. The faculty features a Pulitzer Prize winner, a MacArthur fellow, a former US Poet Laureate, and dozens of Guggenheim fellows. The student-faculty ratio is 10:1 and the average class size is 27.
BU is a member of the Association of American Universities, an invitation-only group of North America’s most prestigious research universities. One of only four Boston-area members, BU boasts particular interdisciplinary breadth and depth of excellence in cloud computing and cyber security; engineering biology; infectious diseases; neuroscience; photonics; urban policy; education; and the humanities. It’s not unusual to find undergraduates in the cutting-edge labs and work spaces of prominent researchers tackling life-changing challenges.

Recognized around the world, the University fields applications for admission from students representing over 150 countries. By the same token, thousands of Terriers get their passports stamped every year for study, research, and internships on all seven continents. Once they graduate, BU students are among the most employable in the country and the world—5th and 6th, respectively, according to Times Higher Education.
BU is implementing a University-wide general education curriculum called the BU Hub, which ensures every graduate will possess the essential knowledge, skills, and habits of mind needed to think deeply, generate new ideas, and put them into action, particularly within the context of a hyper-fast, globally connected world.

On campus, daily life is a swirl of languages, faces, and religions, with 450+ student clubs, countless shows and lectures, a state-of-the-art fitness center, a slew of pubs and restaurants, and 22 varsity athletic teams, including the thrills and spills of Terrier hockey.

The University is nestled in the heart of Boston, a hotbed of high tech and biomedicine, and the birthplace of American history, serving as an extended classroom for students, offering study, internships, and professional opportunities with some of the world’s most influential leaders in fields from art to finance to biotech. It’s no wonder BU is called “Boston’s university.”

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The largest university in Boston and the fourth-largest private educational institution in the country, Boston University counts some 15,000 graduate students among its student body.

Nearly 3,900 faculty members teach at 17 schools and colleges and when not at the front of the classroom, they can be found at BU’s 125+ research centers and institutes and 2,326 laboratories spread across three city campuses. The faculty features a Pulitzer Prize winner, a MacArthur fellow, a former US Poet Laureate, and dozens of Guggenheim fellows.
BU is a major, global research institution and a member of the Association of American Universities, an invitation-only group of 62 of North America’s most prestigious research universities. One of only four Boston-area members, BU boasts particular interdisciplinary breadth and depth of excellence in cloud computing and cyber security; engineering biology; infectious diseases; neuroscience; photonics; urban policy; education; and the humanities. Home also to a medical school and teaching hospital, in FY2017 BU landed more than $400M in federal research dollars. In the commercial sector, some 200 companies are developing and selling products based on BU discoveries.

U.S. News & World Report for 2019 ranked numerous BU graduate programs among the country’s top 50: Sargent College’s occupational therapy program (#1), School of Public Health’s program (#10), Business (#42), Education (#34), Law (#22), Engineering (#34), Biomedical Engineering (#12), Medical Research (#29), Medical Primary Care (#26), Social Work (#10), as well as graduate programs in Computer Science, Math, Physics, Economics, Psychology, and Sociology.

The University is nestled in the heart of Boston, a hotbed of high tech and biomedicine, and the birthplace of American history, serving as an extended classroom for students, offering study, internships, and professional opportunities with some of the world’s most influential leaders in fields from art to finance to biotech. It’s no wonder BU is called “Boston’s university.”

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