Contact
For more information about the MMC curriculum, contact:
Dr. Meghan Sanders
Associate Dean for Research & Graduate Studies
Earn your master's degree and law degree at LSU
The Manship School of Mass Communication and the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center are one of only a handful of schools in the U.S. that offer a dual degree in mass communication (Master of Mass Communication, MMC) and law (both the Juris Doctor, J.D. and the Diploma in Civil Law, DCL). The dual degree program allows students to earn both degrees concurrently in four years. The LSU Law Center is Louisiana’s flagship state law school and consistently ranks in the Top 20 as a Best Value Law School by Pre-Law Magazine.
Dual Program Curriculum
Students may begin the program in either the Law Center or the Manship School, but one of the first two years of the program must be devoted exclusively to the first year of the J.D. program at the Law Center. Thereafter, students may take a combination of law and mass communication courses and complete the MMC thesis requirement near the end of the fourth year of the concurrent program. Although the two degree programs remain separate from one another, the concurrent program accelerates the completion of both degrees because of each school’s recognition of credit hours earned for course work completed in the other. The Law Center accepts nine credit hours of mass communication course work as elective credits toward the J.D. degree, and the Manship School accepts nine credit hours of law course work as elective credits toward the MMC degree.
The concurrent program is designed to appeal both to those students who wish to specialize in First Amendment and communications law as practicing lawyers and to those who wish to work as professionals in mass communication in fields related to law.
Degree Requirements
The total number of hours required for MMC/J.D. dual degree is 34 hours. The 34 hours minimum includes 6 thesis research credit hours and 9 law school credit hours. Students are required to complete and defend a thesis.
I. Core Courses (10 hours)
- MC 7000: Proseminar in Mass Communication and Public Affairs (1)
- MC 7001: Research Methods in Mass Communication (3)
- MC 7002: Mass Communication Philosophy and Principles (3)
- MC 7021: Mass Communication Theory (3)
II. Mass Communication Electives (9 hours)
III. Law Center Courses (9 hours)
- Students are free to choose whichever law courses suit their focus. Nine (9) Law Center credits will transfer to count towards the required 34 hours.
IV. Thesis Credits (6 hours)
- Complete 6 hours of MC8000 (Thesis Research)
Admission
Applicants to the program must be separately admitted into the J.D. and MMC programs.
To apply to the Manship School, applicants submit a statement of purpose, resume, writing sample and transcripts from all prior universities or colleges attended. We need recommendation letters from three people familiar with your academic and/or professional work. We prefer to see GRE* scores above 152 verbal & quantitative and above 4.0 analytical writing. If using the LSAT, we follow the same minimum requirements as the Law Center. For TOEFL we prefer scores above 100 on the internet-based test.
*Note: The GRE is not required for fall 2022 or spring 2023 admission. You may submit your scores, but they are not mandatory.
You must have a cumulative 3.0 undergraduate GPA.
Domestic Students:
- Fall Admission: June 30
- Spring Admission: November 15
- No summer admission
- We accept applications on a rolling basis. We encourage you to apply as early as possible.
International Students:
- Fall Admission: April 15
- Spring Admission: October 1
- No summer admission
- We accept applications on a rolling basis. We encourage you to apply as early as possible.
When you complete the online application:
- Make sure you choose Mass Communication as your degree program (NOT Communication Studies)
- The LSU institution code for the GRE* and TOEFL is 6373
- Encourage your recommenders to submit letters to the online system. If they insist on paper, they can mail letters to: Attn: Graduate Program, Manship School of Mass Communication, Journalism Building, Baton Rouge, LA 70803.
*Note: The GRE is not required for fall 2022 or spring 2023 admission. You may submit your scores, but they are not mandatory.
Apply to the Manship School
Apply to the LSU Law Center
Want to learn more about our MMC/J.D. dual degree program?
For further information, contact msand@lsu.edu or ManshipGrad@lsu.edu.