McGill's Faculty of Law offers two joint programs in collaboration with the Desautels Faculty of Management and the School of Social Work: the MBA with integrated BCL/LLB and the MSW with integrated BCL/LLB.

Candidates interested in pursuing either joint degree program must apply to, and be admitted by, both faculties. A negative response from one of the two programs does not mean an automatic refusal from the other faculty. Admission to the Faculty of Law is based on the same criteria used for applicants applying only to the Law program.

Prerequisites for joint degree programs

Candidates are required to have previously completed an undergraduate degree in order to be eligible for admission to joint degree programs. Furthermore, students who wish to apply for the MBA/Law program also need a minimum of one year's employment experience following graduation in order to be admissible.

Finally, candidates should also indicate in their personal statement their reasons for wanting to pursue a joint degree.

Master of Business Administration (MBA) with integrated Bachelor of Civil Law/Bachelor of Laws (BCL/LLB)

A joint M.B.A./Law program is offered by the Desautels Faculty of Management and the Faculty of Law. This joint program provides a small number of students the opportunity to pursue legal and administrative aspects of business. Successful candidates graduate with MBA, BCL and LLB degrees, a trio that prepares them for careers in private and public enterprise, as well as government service.

Admission

Interested applicants can seek admission to the joint program concurrently, or once they have begun either the BCL/LLB or MBA programs.

Applicants making concurrent admissions must make separate applications to the Faculty of Law and the Desautels Faculty of Management. Admission to the Faculty of Law is made on the same criteria as though the applicant were applying only to the BCL/LLB program. Admission to the Desautels Faculty of Management depends upon among other things, the student's performance on the GMAT.

For more information for the MBA with integrated BCL/LLB program and to contact the Desautels Faculty of Management, see www.mcgill.ca/desautels/mbalaw/

Program sequence

With concurrent admissions, students will undertake a first year of MBA courses only, followed by the BCL/LLB first-year program. In their third year, such students will complete their required second-year BCL/LLB courses in combination with electives from law and MBA Remaining required and elective credits in both programs will be completed in subsequent semesters. Students already in the MBA program can apply to the joint program during their first year in which case their program will follow the same pattern as previously described. Students already in the BCL/LLB program may apply to the joint program in their first or second year; in either case, they will have to complete their first two years of required BCL/LLB courses in consecutive years. Students should expect to complete the joint program in four to five years.

Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) with integrated Bachelor of Civil Law/Bachelor of Laws (B.C.L./LL.B.)

The School of Social Work and the Faculty of Law offer a Master of Social Work (MSW) with integrated Bachelor of Civil Law/Bachelor of Laws (BCL/LLB) designed to transcend academic boundaries in social justice issues. Lawyers and social workers often operate in the same fields, whether in public policy, child protection, family law, poverty law, or domestic violence situations, yet each profession has been constrained by internal limitations.

The joint MSW (non-thesis option)/Law program requires students to complete 132 credits (45 credits in MSW, 87 credits in Law). Students should take three and a half to four years to complete the MSW/B.C.L./LL.B. program. It is possible, however, to complete the program in three years, by doing work for credit over the summer and by carrying heavier course loads throughout the program. The joint program leads to conferral of the B.C.L./LL.B. law degrees and the master’s degree in social work.

Students in the joint program fulfill the following requirements:

Required Courses: 81 credits (33 credits Social Work + 48* credits Law)
* See a detailed description of the B.C.L./LL.B. requirements.

Complementary Courses: 24 credits (12 credits from the Faculty of Law and 12 credits in Social Work)

Electives: 27 credits (from the Faculty of Law)

Note:

• the writing requirement for the B.C.L./LL.B. is fulfilled by SWRK 691 Soc Wk/Law Indep Study Project (12 credits) and that course counts as term essay credits limiting students to 6 more term essay credits as part of B.C.L./LL.B.
• law electives must be law courses (i.e., unlike law students not in the joint program, students in the joint program are not allowed to take 6 elective non-law credits towards the B.C.L./LL.B.)
• law electives limit of 3 non-course credits
• with the approval of the School of Social Work, field work credits in the M.S.W. may be completed with organizations that are accredited clinics in the Faculty of Law’s Legal Clinic course, thought not for the purpose of simultaneously earning law credits

Students in the joint program fulfill the 45-credit M.S.W. Program with the following requirements:

Required Courses: Social Work (33 credits)

SWRK 612 Knowledge, Values & Practice  (3)
SWRK 650 Field Work Practicum 1  (3)
SWRK 651 Field Work Practicum 2  (3)
SWRK 660 Field Work Practicum 3  (6)
SWRK 691 Soc Wk/Law Indep Study Project  (12)
SWRK 653 Research Methods 1  (3)
SWRK 643 Research Methods 2  (3)

Complementary Courses: Social Work (12 credits)

12 credits of SWRK 500 or 600 level courses. Up to 6 graduate-level credits in total may be taken outside of the School of Social Work with academic advisor approval.

TOTAL MSW Credits: 45

For more information from the Faculty of Law, contact the joint program liaison, Professor Robert Leckey.

To contact the School of Social Work: www.mcgill.ca/socialwork/contact/