Stanford Curriculum Reform Would Highlight Joint Degrees

Stanford Law School is considering changes to the second- and third-year J.D. curriculum that would encourage clinical study and make it easier to pursue dual degrees.

In a recent email to faculty and students, Law Dean Larry Kramer argued that one problem with the existing curriculum is that it challenges students during their first year but tends to be merely 'more of the same' in the second and third years. He argued that the last two years of the J.D. program should instead be used to expose students to broader perspectives on the practice of law.

One of the major reforms under consideration is a move to create 20 joint J.D. - master's degree programs. Unlike many existing joint degree programs, these would be designed so that students could complete both degrees in three years. Dean Kramer says that these joint degree options would prepare students to work with clients in fields of particular interest to them without requiring an additional investment of time or money.

Source: "Kramer Proposes Overhaul," by Niraj Sheth, the Stanford Daily News, November 7, 2006