Person biking in Downtown San Francisco with a trolley behind them.

Urban and Public Affairs, MA/JD

As the world's cities continue to grow, USF's Urban and Public Affairs, MA/JD Dual Degree Program will equip you with the skills and knowledge to be an effective lawyer and leader in 21st century urban and public policy challenges.

With a Master of Arts in Urban and Public Affairs from the USF College of Arts and Sciences and a Juris Doctor from the USF School of Law, graduates are uniquely prepared to be effective and ethical leaders in urban and public policy and community organizing. This four-year dual degree program is designed to prepare law school graduates with the knowledge and hands-on experience of applied urban research and community engagement and organizing. A comprehensive background in urban history, political dynamics, and sociology is combined with tools for community-based research, policy design, policy analysis, and implementation.

The dual degree program leverages the advantages of USF’s location in one of the most dynamic urban environments in the United States. It provides students with the opportunity to build their legal and research careers through immersion experiences in San Francisco and other Bay Area cities.

The dual degree program provides a cost and time savings of more than a year. Students may begin their course of study in either program.

Urban and Public Affairs, MA/JD Curriculum

To receive the JD/Master of Arts in Urban and Public Affairs (MUPA) dual degrees, students must earn at least 87 law units (including 50 units in required core law courses) plus 36 MUPA units. MUPA units equal 9 units in required MUPA core courses plus 15 units in elective MUPA courses (including 3 units of law externship or legal clinic and 3 units of law upper level research and writing) plus 12 units from approved law school electives).

Law School to MUPA Pathway

First-Year Law Courses (28 Law units) Law Units
LAW 600, 601 Civil Procedure 6 units
LAW 602, 603 Contracts 6 units
LAW 604 Criminal Law 3 units
LAW 605 Criminal Procedure 3 units
LAW 606, 607 Legal Research, Writing & Analysis 6 units
LAW 613 Skills for Future Lawyers 1 units
LAW 610 Torts 4 units

 

Second-Year UPA Courses (18 MUPA units) MUPA Units
UPA 630 Urban Power Seminar (required) 3 units
Five UPA Elective Courses selected from the following: 15 units
UPA 660 Issues in Public Policy 3 units
UPA 661 Urban & Regional Planning 3 units
UPA 662 Non-Profits and Public Policy 3 units
UPA 663 Globalization, Social Justice and the City 3 units
UPA 664 Cities, Law, and Inequality 3 units
PA 665 Urban Racial Politics 3 units
UPA 666 Applied Democratic Theory 3 units
UPA 667 Housing, Community, and Public Policy 3 units
UPA 668 Campaigns and Political Mobilization 3 units
UPA 669 Urban Field Class: San Francisco Bay Area 3 units
UPA 670 Policy Theme Seminars (rotating themes: education, food policy, immigration, economic development, etc.) 3 units
UPA 670 Policy Theme Seminars (rotating themes: education, food policy, immigration, economic development, etc.) 3 units
UPA 680 Practical Politics Theme Seminars (rotating themes: political communications, labor and community organizing, etc.) 3 units
UPA 690 Special Topics 3 units
UPA 698 Directed Study 3 units

 

Third-Year Law Courses (28-32 Law units) Law Units MUPA Units
LAW 637 Administrative Law 3 units  
LAW 614, 615 Constitutional Law 6 units  
LAW 616 Evidence 4 units  
LAW 608, 609 Property 6 units  
Law Electives and/or Floating Required Law Courses 9-13 units 12 units

 

Fourth-Year Law Courses Law Units MUPA Units
Legal Externship in Public Agency or Organization (or Legal Clinic) Variable 3 units
LAW 617 Legal Ethics or Professional Responsibility 3 units  
Law Experiential Unit Requirement 4 Units  
Legal Drafting 2 Units  
Advanced Legal Analysis 2 Units  
Law Upper Level Legal Research & Writing Requirement Variable 3 units
Law Electives and/or Floating Required Law Courses Variable  
  1. The legal externship in an appropriate public agency or organization or legal clinic may be used to simultaneously earn law units and satisfy the Urban and Public Affairs three-unit internship requirement with joint approval of Law and Urban and Public Affairs faculty.
  2. The law Upper Level Legal Research and Writing Requirement will satisfy the Urban and Public Affairs Masters Capstone Project requirement with joint approval of Law and Urban and Public Affairs faculty.
  3. The concurrent degrees will be awarded after the conclusion of all required courses, presuming normal progress, after the completion of the fourth year of the program

MUPA TO LAW SCHOOL PATHWAY

First-Year MUPA Courses (18 MUPA units) MUPA Units
UPA 630 Urban Power Seminar (required) 3 units
Five MUPA Elective Courses selected from the following: 15 units
MUPA 602 Issues in Urban Public Policy Seminar (3 units)  
MUPA 603 Research Methods in Urban Affairs (3 units)  
MUPA 604 Urban Field Study: San Francisco Bay Area (3 units)  
MUPA 611 Urban Policy Analysis (3 units)  
MUPA 612 Non-Profits and Public Policy (3 units)  
MUPA 613 Race, Organizing & Policy Advocacy (3 units)  
MUPA 614 Globalization, Social Justice & the City (3 units)  
MUPA 615 Critical Sustainabilities (3 units)  
MUPA 616 Urban Political Economy (3 units)  
MUPA 617 Public Finance and Fiscal Management (3 units)  
MUPA 618 Urban Politics: San Francisco (3 units)  
MUPA 620 Policy Theme Seminar (various topics) (3 units)  

 

Second-Year Law Courses (28 Law units) Law Units
LAW 600, 601 Civil Procedure 6 Units
LAW 602, 603 Contracts 6 Units
LAW 604 Criminal Law 3 Units
LAW 605 Criminal Procedure 3 Units
LAW 606, 607 Legal Research, Writing & Analysis 6 Units
LAW 613 Skills for Future Lawyers 1 Unit
LAW 610 Torts 4 Units

 

Third-Year Law Courses (28-32 Law units) Law Units MUPA Units
LAW 637 Administrative Law 3 Units  
LAW 614, 615 Constitutional Law 6 Units  
LAW 608, 609 Property 6 Units  
LAW 616 Evidence 4 Units  
Law Electives and/or Floating Required Law Courses 9 -13 units 12 units

 

Fourth-Year Law Courses Law Units MUPA Units
Legal Externship in Public Agency or Organization (or Legal Clinic) Variable 3 units
LAW 617 Legal Ethics or Professional Responsibility 3 units  
Law Experiential Unit Requirement 4 Units  
Legal Drafting 2 Units  
Advanced Legal Analysis 2 Units  
Law Upper Level Legal Research & Writing Requirement Variable 3 units
Law Electives and/or Floating Required Law Courses
Variable  
  1. The legal externship in an appropriate public agency or organization (or legal clinic) may be used to simultaneously earn law units and satisfy the Urban and Public Affairs three unit internship requirement with joint approval of Law and Urban and Public Affairs faculty.
  2. The law Upper Level Legal Research and Writing Requirement will satisfy the Urban and Public Affairs Masters Capstone Project requirement with joint approval of Law and Urban Public Affairs faculty.
  3. The dual degrees will be awarded after the conclusion of all required courses, presuming normal progress, after the completion of the fourth year of the program.

Urban & Public Affairs, MA

Kresten Froistad-Martin, Program Manager
Masonic, Room MA 216
2130 Fulton St.
San Francisco, CA 94117

Office of Admissions

Kendrick Hall, 230
2130 Fulton Street
San Franciscio, CA 94117-1080