Political Science M.A. / J.D.

Drake Law School students are permitted to transfer credits for specified law courses to Iowa State University, up to a maximum of 10 semester hours, of which 8 semester hours will be acceptable for graduate credit toward completion of the M.A. degree at Iowa State University (a minimum of 22 graduate credits must be earned at Iowa State University for all master’s degree programs).

Iowa State University graduate students will be authorized to transfer a maximum of 9 semester hours of specified political science courses to the Drake Law School toward completion of the J.D. degree.

Admission Requirements

Applicants for the combined M.A./J.D. in political science program must meet the entrance requirements of, and be admitted to, both the Drake Law School and the Iowa State University Graduate College.

1. Drake Law School: Admission requirements to the Drake Law School include a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution with acceptable undergraduate scholastic achievement, and an acceptable score on the Law School Admission Test. For a complete discussion of the law school admission requirements, please refer to the current Drake Law School Catalog and Guidelines for Joint Degrees.
2. Iowa State University: A graduate student in political science at Iowa State University must have a bachelor’s degree from a recognized university, and normally must rank in the top half of their graduating class. (See the current Iowa State University Graduate College Handbook and the requirements in the M.A. Handbook).

Prerequisite for admission to major graduate work in the Department of Political Science normally is completion of at least 12 semester credits in political science. Students entering the Master of Arts program in political science should have completed one year of a single foreign language, which is the equivalent of 8 semester hours. A course in basic statistics (equivalent of Statistics 1010) is also expected. Otherwise, a student might need to take an introductory statistics course for which no graduate credit will be received.

Financial Information

Drake University

Information about tuition may be found at Drake Law Tuition. For information concerning scholarships, financial aid, and housing accommodations, write to the Office of Admissions, Drake University Law School, Des Moines, IA 50311; telephone 1-800-44-DRAKE, ext. 2782, or (515) 271- 2782.

Iowa State University

Information regarding graduate tuition and fees may be obtained at The Office of the Registrar. Eligibility for resident fees is decided by the Director of Admissions. For further information concerning fees and housing, see Department of Residence Rates & Fees. For information regarding teaching and research assistantships, contact polsci@iastate.edu.

Important Notice

Tuition and graduate fees are assessed separately by each institution. Taking courses at both Drake and Iowa State in the same academic term requires payment to each institution. This applies to both full-time and part-time enrollment.

Degree Requirements

Both the Drake Law School and the Department of Political Science at Iowa State University have specific courses, hours, and grade requirements that must be met before the respective degrees will be awarded. In brief, the J.D. degree requires the successful completion of 90 semester hours; the M.A. degree requires a minimum of 30 semester hours. A minimum of 22 graduate credits must be earned at Iowa State University for all master’s degree programs.

If you are interested in further information concerning the details of this J.D.-M.A. program, please contact the Director of Graduate Education at polsci@iastate.edu. For Drake admissions information contact law-admit@drake.edu.

Grades

For specific grades information see the current ISU and Drake catalogs. In general, M.A. candidates in political science at ISU must maintain, and graduate with, no less than a “B” (3.0) average; at the Drake Law School, graduation requires a “C” (2.0) cumulative average. However, for the purposes of meeting the requirements of this program, “C” grades and above may be transferred from the Drake Law School to ISU and will be evaluated as a “Pass.” Similarly, the Drake Law School will accept credit for classes at ISU in which the candidate receives a grade of “B” or better, but the grade received at ISU will not be used to compute the grade point average for the J.D.