{"348451":{"#nid":"348451","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Tech, Emory Partner on Law Master\u0027s Degree Program","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EAs early as next fall, Tech students could enroll in a new joint program with Emory University that lets them earn both a bachelor\u2019s and juris master\u2019s degree in as little as five years.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EThe new program allows students to pursue any bachelor\u2019s degree at Tech, followed by one year of coursework at Emory School of Law. Once students complete coursework at both institutions, they will receive both degrees. The program was approved at the meeting of the Faculty Senate on Nov. 18.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cThis is ideal for students who decide early on that they want a career path which will require expertise in law,\u201d said Steven Girardot, associate vice provost for Undergraduate Education.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003ETech has already seen demand for legal education among undergraduates on campus. Current offerings include a pre-law certificate and a minor in law, science, and technology offered by the School of Public Policy; a law and ethics program in the Scheller College of Business; and, for the first time this year, a pre-law section of the GT1000 first-year seminar course.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EStudents will be able to apply for the law master\u2019s program during their junior year and will be required to take either the Law School Admission Test or an internal exam from Emory for admission. Applicants also will be interviewed by Emory faculty and asked to sit in on an Emory law class session, at which point they may be offered a provisional acceptance. Students will then continue into their senior year to complete their undergraduate degree requirements at Tech, along with five to seven credit hours of law classes at Emory. Performance in these classes will be evaluated prior to an official acceptance from Emory, where students will spend two semesters to complete the master\u2019s degree. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EParticipants in the program will receive a discounted tuition rate from Emory, which will charge the equivalent of Tech\u2019s out-of-state rate rather than its own rates, equating to a scholarship of around $10,500 per year. In addition, six credits of law courses will be counted as free electives toward the bachelor\u2019s degree.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EStudents will be able to specialize in areas such as intellectual property, environmental law, real estate, architecture\/construction, and mergers and acquisitions. The master\u2019s degree does not qualify students to practice law, nor is it a pathway to a juris doctor degree, but is meant to supplement their professional pursuits with legal studies.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cWe expect this to give students a leg up on certain career paths, particularly those where legal expertise will enhance their skills,\u201d said Girardot. \u201cIt will give them a technical understanding and the ability to develop professional knowledge of legal principles and issues.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EThe program is designed to support Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/strategicvision.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Estrategic plan\u003C\/a\u003E as well as build on its existing partnership with Emory, which includes the joint Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering and the cross-registration program that lets students enroll in Emory classes while at Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cWe\u2019re both elite universities, right next door to each other \u2014 it\u2019s a great opportunity to strengthen our collaboration to the benefit of our students,\u201d Girardot said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EWhile the program has been approved by Georgia Tech and Emory Law faculties, the final step in the approval process will be review by the Board of Regents and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p4\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch5 class=\u0022p6\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EOther Senate Notes\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h5\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p6\u0022\u003EThe Student Regulations Committee (SRC) approved changing the deadline for withdrawal from a course from the 50 percent point of completion in the semester to the 60 percent point. This allows students two additional weeks to determine whether or not to withdraw from a course and aligns the single-course withdrawal deadline with the deadline to withdraw from all courses for the semester, which was already set at 60 percent.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EChanges were also approved to wording in the policy regarding student email accounts. The policy now states that students must have a Georgia Tech email address and check it once a day, but not that they must have a Georgia Tech email account.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EThe last SRC item approved was a change in academic renewal for readmitted students, who now can receive renewal after three years of absence from Tech, rather than five. The Board of Regents recently changed its policy to allow flexibility in this area, so Tech chose to respond in kind. Academic renewal signals the initiation of a new grade-point average and allows students who earlier experienced academic difficulty to make a fresh start on their academic record.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EStudents could enroll in new joint program as early as Fall 2015\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Students could enroll in new joint program as early as Fall 2015"}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2014-11-24 11:32:23","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:17:34","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2014-11-24T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2014-11-24T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/prelaw.gatech.edu\/","title":"Prelaw Program"},{"url":"http:\/\/scheller.gatech.edu\/degree-programs\/undergraduate\/courses-curriculum\/curriculum-lawethics.html","title":"Scheller College of Business \u2014 Business Law and Ethics"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"247","name":"Emory"},{"id":"12022","name":"faculty governance"},{"id":"85391","name":"faculty senate"},{"id":"110701","name":"JM degree"},{"id":"110691","name":"law master\u0027s"},{"id":"167488","name":"strategic plan"},{"id":"13073","name":"Technology and Law"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:kristen.bailey@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EKristen Bailey\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}