College of Law

College of Law Announces New JD/MPH Joint-Degree Program

August 3, 2016

This fall, The University of Toledo College of Law will launch its JD/MPH joint-degree program with the College of Health and Human Services School of Population Health and the Northwest Ohio Consortium for Public Health. The JD/MPH program will add to the College of Law's interdisciplinary curriculum in health law and environmental law, while adding policy perspectives to the University's health science curriculum.

"Many of the most pressing issues facing governments and private entities today merge law and public health - from the Affordable Care Act to the Flint water crisis to the Zika virus," said Toledo Law associate professor Elizabeth McCuskey, co-director of the program. "The JD/MPH joint-degree program marshals the University's strengths in the health sciences and law to train the next generation of health policy problem-solvers."

The combination of Juris Doctor and Master in Public Health degrees offers graduates a unique, interdisciplinary perspective on law and its role in promoting public health. When done in this joint-degree format, students can complete both degrees in 3.5 to 4 years.

"The University of Toledo is one of 26 comprehensive public research universities in the United States, and this new joint degree is just one example of the wide range of interdisciplinary programs that our students can pursue," said D. Benjamin Barros, Dean of the College of Law.

Careers particularly suited to the joint-degree training include government health and environmental agencies, private law firms and health care entities, and public hospitals.

"Law shapes our public health system, and public health impacts many legal issues. The law and public health joint degree program will prepare our students for leadership positions in these related fields," noted Dean Barros.