The College of Law and Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences joint graduate pathway in law and aquatic environmental sciences J.D./M.S. in Aquatic Environmental Science/Oceanography, permits the completion of both programs concurrently. Current law students must meet with and submit all documents for admission to the College of Law Joint Graduate Pathway Coordinator before May 15th following their first year of law school. The College of Law Joint Graduate Pathway Coordinator will then submit their completed packet to the College of Law and the Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences for approval. Any student who has completed M.S. in Aquatic Environmental Science/Oceanography coursework prior to matriculating to the College of Law, or who wishes to apply for the joint graduate pathway after beginning their second year of law school, must obtain prior written approval from the College of Law before applying for the joint graduate pathway. Applicants to the M.S. in Aquatic Environmental Science/Oceanography program must have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university. Applicants who have taken undergraduate courses in environmental science, biology, or chemistry may be more successful in this program. Applicants should contact the Department of Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences to obtain specific information on the necessary GRE requirements. The Department of Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences will waive the GRE requirement for current College of Law students.
How to Apply
- Visit the Florida State University College of Law Office of Admissions to obtain a joint graduate pathway application and necessary documents for the Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences.
- Complete the documentation.
- Do not send or have documents pertaining to the joint graduate pathway sent to the Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences. All documents must be returned to the College of Law Office of Admissions by May 15 following the student's 1L year.
Applicants will need to:
- Provide a completed Joint Graduate Pathway Application form.
- Have competitive GRE scores on file with Florida State University. The Department of Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences will waive the GRE requirement for current College of Law students.
- Provide a letter of intent explaining their interest in the joint graduate pathway.
- Provide two letters of recommendation. Letters provided during the application to the Florida State University College of Law are acceptable.
Program Sequence
The normal program sequence for a student in the joint graduate pathway is:
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1st & 2nd Semesters |
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3rd & 4th Semesters |
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5th & 6th Semesters |
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7th & 8th Semesters |
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Total Law Courses |
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Total AES/Oceanography Courses |
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Shared Credit Courses |
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Total J.D./M.S. Courses |
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Specific J.D. degree requirements can be found here.
Law & Aquatic Environmental Science/Oceanography Curriculum
Four courses from the following list:
- GLY 5265 Nuclear Geology
- OCP 5050 Basic Physical Oceanography
- OCE 5009L Coastal Marine Field Methods
- OCE 5009 Advanced General Oceanography
- OCB 5050 Biological Oceanography
- OCB 5264 Estuarine and Coastal Ecology
- OCB 5365 Marine Pollution
- GLY 5805 Geologic Hazards Assessment
- OCB 5636 Marine Microbial Ecology
Two analytical courses from the following list:
- GLY 5595 Geostatistics (Advanced Topic Sed-Strat)
- STA 5126 Introduction to Applied Statistics
- STA 5207 Applied Regression Methods
- STA 5206 Analysis of Variance and Design of Experiments
- STA 5507 Applied Non-Parametric Statistics
- GIS 5100 Advanced Geographic Information Systems
- GIS 5101 Geographic Information Processing and Systems
- GIS 5106 Advanced Geographic Information Science
- GIS 5305 Geographical Information Systems for Environmental Analysis & Modeling
Three of the following elective courses based on the student’s primary interest and capstone topic:
- OCB 5639 Marine Biology Ecology
- OCC 5052 Aquatic Chemistry
- OCC 5062 Marine Isotopic Chemistry
- OCC 5415 Marine Geochemistry
- OCC 5554 Atmospheric Geochemistry
- OCE 5018 Current Issues in Environmental Science*
- CHM 5086 Environmental Chemistry
- CHM 5087 Environmental Chemistry II
- GLY 5297 Geochemistry
- GEO 5377 Natural Resources Assessment Analysis
- GLY 5575 Coastal Geology
- GLY 5827 Principles of Hydrology
- GLY 5887 Environmental Geology
- PCB 5345C Advanced Field Biology
- PCB 5447 Community Ecology
Capstone Experience (taken in the final semester of courses for the M.S. in Aquatic Environmental Science/Oceanography degree):
- OCE 5924 Capstone Experience*
*Required courses for the joint graduate pathway from the M.S. in Aquatic Environmental Science/Oceanography
curriculum that will also be used as shared credit toward the J.D. degree. The following courses are also required and will
be used as shared credit:
- OCB 5624 Estuarine and Coastal Ecology (From the M.S. in Environmental Science/Oceanography curriculum)
- LAW 6470 Environmental Law (From the J.D. curriculum)
- LAW 6520 Administrative Law (From the J.D. curriculum)
Note on Shared Credit: Because a joint graduate pathway allows a student to complete each curriculum by taking fewer hours overall, each program will require that certain courses be taken from the other curriculum to cover the number of hours reduced from their respective curriculum. These courses are part of the respective program’s curriculum and are not counted toward the credit requirement for the other curriculum. They may or may not be included in the normal core requirements of the respective program’s curriculum.
Three law courses from the following list taken as part of the J.D. curriculum:
- Climate Change Law Policy and Science
- Costal & Ocean Law
- Condominium & Community Housing Law
- Current Issues in Environmental Law and Policy
- Emerging Issues in Energy Law
- Energy Law and Policy
- Environmental Federalism
- Environmental Legal Research
- Florida Administrative Litigation
- Florida Administrative Practice
- Land Use Regulation
- Natural Resources Law
- Oil & Gas Law
- Practicing Environmental Law in Florida
- State and Local Government
- Water Resources Law and Policy
For further information related to applying for this joint graduate pathway, please contact:
Karusha Y. Sharpe, assistant dean for academic programs
Florida State University College of Law
(850) 645-0091
ksharpe@law.fsu.edu
For further information about curriculum requirements, please contact:
Shi-Ling Hsu, D’Alemberte professor
Florida State University College of Law
(850) 644-0726
shsu@law.fsu.edu
Jeff Chanton, graduate program director
Florida State University Department of Earth, Ocean, & Atmospheric Sciences
(850) 644-7493
jchanton@fsu.edu
Conferring of Degrees
Students in joint graduate pathways receive both degrees concurrently. Students must complete all graduation requirements in both the College of Law and the Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences. This includes the Law upper-level writing requirement, the skills training requirement, and the pro bono requirement.
The joint graduate pathway must be completed within seven years although most student complete the program in four years.
Residency Requirement
Unless otherwise approved by both advisors and the College of Law associate dean for academic affairs, students enrolled in joint graduate pathways must earn a minimum of seven semesters of residence credit. Based on the College of Law formula for determining residency, one semester of residency credit is earned for every 12 credit hours of courses taken in the College of Law and the Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences.