Concurrent Degree Program Allows Law Students to Earn Master's Degrees and JDs at the Same Time

UC Law SF 3L student John Flather earned a master’s degree from UC Santa Cruz while attending law school at UC Law SF.

UC Law SF 3L student John Flather recently completed a one-year master’s degree in Applied Economics and Finance at UC Santa Cruz while attending law school.

“I really wanted to take a different path – one that opens more doors and allows me to go into law, business, or a job that requires knowledge of both” Flather said.

Flather took advantage of UC Law SF’s concurrent degree program, which allows its students to earn master’s degrees from other four-year universities at the same time they’re earning their law degrees. This saves students the time and money of pursuing both degrees separately.

This valuable opportunity results from partnerships Hastings has established with other universities. Standing agreements with UC Berkeley, UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz allow credits from certain programs, including MBA programs, to count toward earning a JD at UC Law SF. The reciprocal arrangements also mean that, in some cases, certain law school credits will count towards earning a master’s degree at those schools.

Beyond these standing agreements, any law student enrolled in a separate graduate degree program can seek permission from the Dean of Students to get credit counted toward their law degree.

“We are creating an opportunity for multidisciplinary study and allowing students to earn degrees from two schools in a shorter amount of time,” said Abraham Cable, a UC Law SF professor who advises students interested in pursuing multiple degrees.

Law students who took advantage of the concurrent degree program have gone on to work as venture capitalists, startup founders, attorneys at white shoe law firms, and executives at major companies.

One of the many students Cable has advised is Flather, who studied business administration and management at Saint Mary’s College of California before starting law school in 2019.

At UC Law SF, Flather participated in the Startup Legal Garage, where he provided free legal assistance to two technology firms. He also spent two summers interning at the California Department of Justice and at a financial services company, where he learned how different venture capitalist funds are taxed. Additionally, he served as treasurer of the Hastings Business Law Society and staff editor of the Hastings Business Law Journal.

He took his interest in business one step further when he decided to pursue another degree in Applied Economics and Finance at UC Santa Cruz. During the one-year program, Flather worked as a teaching assistant, which fully covered his tuition costs. He learned about corporate restructuring, different aspects of finance, and three programming languages that financial experts use to analyze fiscal data.

“I was so happy to take these classes, which are not only necessary for understanding economics and financial data, but were also very challenging and rewarding,” he said.

Flather was able to get 12 credits from that program counted toward his law degree, shaving off a full semester of law school. He will graduate this December with a JD and master’s degree after spending 3 ½ years in both programs. “This was truly one of the best decisions I’ve made,” he said.

Find more information about UC Law SF concurrent degree programs here.