Penn’s New Combined Medical-Law Degree Perfect for Overachievers

Students at the University of Pennsylvania can now get a joint degree from both the law and the medical schools.

R: Courtesy Hazmat2 via Wikimedia Commons

R: Courtesy Hazmat2 via Wikimedia Commons

The University of Pennsylvania is creating a program that will allow students to pursue both law and medicine — at the same time.

Through the joint degree program, students can attain a juris doctorate degree from Penn’s law school and a doctorate of medicine from the Perelmen School of Medicine.

Because is studying at just one top-rated school really good enough? Why not just do both? 

Apparently, many already do. According to a news release, 65 percent of law students and 65 percent of medical students at Penn already graduate with a joint degree or certificate.

“Through this new program, students will have the opportunity to attend two world-renowned schools at the forefront of research, teaching, and practice in their respective fields,” said Ted Ruger, the Dean of the Law School and Bernard G. Segal Professor of Law. “The law touches every aspect of society, and for students, having degrees in both law and medicine is both highly beneficial to one’s career as well as to society, and a wholly unique advantage.”

The program, which is estimated to take 6 years, will begin accepting applications for the 2017-18 academic year.

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