Undergraduate Catalog
- All majors
- All minors
- Arts and Sciences
- Business
- Biomedical Engineering
- Education
- Engineering
- Information Science
  and Technology
- Media Arts & Design
- Nursing and Health
  Professions
- Professional Studies
- ROTC
Graduate Catalog
- All degree programs
- Arts and Sciences
- Business
- Biomedical Engineering
- Education
- Engineering
- Information Science
  and Technology
- Law
- Media Arts & Design
- Medicine
- Nursing and Health
  Professions
- Professional Studies
- Public Health
Catalog Home
- All Course Descriptions
- Certificate programs
- Schedule

Joint J.D./Ph.D. Law-Psychology Program

Drexel University and Villanova University Law School offer a joint and integrated program in law and psychology leading to the Juris Doctor (J.D.) in law from Villanova and the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in clinical psychology from Drexel. The psychology component is housed in Drexel’s Department of Psychology and is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association.

Drexel University now has the Earle Mack School of Law, which welcomed its first class in academic year 2006-2007. It is possible, therefore, that the legal training provided in the course of the Law-Psychology program may change in the coming years.

Visit the Department of Psychology web site for more information.

Curriculum
Law and psychology are related in many significant ways, yet few people are trained and skilled to strengthen this relationship. Many institutions permit students to pursue both degrees in an informal, uncoordinated manner. By contrast, Drexel University and Villanova train students in a carefully developed, integrated, conceptually unified program so that they acquire a mature understanding of the interaction between the two disciplines.

Over the seven-year course of study, students maintain continuous contact with the faculties of both schools and the developments in both disciplines. As the following sample curriculum reveals, students are enrolled concurrently in both universities and are required to fulfill the requirements of the J.D. and Ph.D. degrees. Students take courses in both institutions for the first six years; the emphasis in the first year is in law and the emphasis in the second year is in psychology. Time is about evenly divided between the institutions in the third through the sixth years.

At the end of the sixth year, students are awarded the J.D. degree from Villanova. During the seventh year, students undertake a full-time supervised psychology internship in an approved setting and complete their dissertation. Students then receive the Ph.D. degree from Drexel.

At the conclusion of the program, students are eligible for admission to the bar and, after completing the postdoctoral requirement for supervised experience in a given state, licensure as a psychologist.

The curriculum consists of five elements:

• The required core program in law and psychology at both institutions
• Interdisciplinary courses such as Introduction to Law and Psychology, Social Science Applications to Law, Law and Mental Health, Research in law and Psychology, and Forensic Assessment
• Legal clinics and psychology practica and internships that combine knowledge from both fields in a practical setting
• Electives in both fields, such as Health Law, Medical Malpractice, Privacy, Behavior Therapy, and Clinical Decision Making
• The option for employment one summer in a legal setting, such as a public-interest law firm, governmental agency, or private law firm

First Year
Course			Credits
LAW 0110	Civil Procedure		3
LAW 0120	Contracts		3
LAW 0150	Criminal Law and Procedure		2
LAW 0151	Introduction to Legal Research		1
LAW 0152	Introduction to Legal Writing		1
LAW 0154	Torts		3
PSYC 511	Psychopathology of Adults		3
PSYC 601	Principles of Psychotherapy		3
PSYC 730	Multicultural Perspective		3
Second Year
Course			Credits
LAW 0153	Property		2
LAW 1000	Constitutional Law I		3
PSYC 506	Introduction to Psychotherapy Skills		1
PSYC 525	Intellectual Assessment		3
PSYC 604	Behavioral Assessment		3
PSYC 625	Advanced Statistics		3
PSYC 710	Doctoral Research		6
Third Year
Course			Credits
	Required Category Case		3
PSYC 501	Social Cognition in Clinical Psychology		3
PSYC 502	Developmental Psychology		3
PSYC 605	Health Psychology		3
PSYC 622	Research Methods in Clinical Psychology		3
PSYC 631	Behavioral Therapy I		3
PSYC 640	Personality Assessment		3
PSYC 700	Clinical Practicum Seminar		2
PSYC 715	Law and Mental Health		3
PSYC 720	Forensic Assessment		3
PSYC 725	Seminar in Advanced Problems in Mental Health Law		3
Fourth Year
Course			Credits
LAW 7024	Evidence		3
LAW 7025	Family Law*		3
LAW 7028	Health Law*		2
PSYC 650	Psychopharmacology		3
PSYC 655	Ethics and Professional Issues		3
PSYC 700	Clinical Practicum Seminar (Two-Day)		2
PSYC 705	Social Science Applications to the Law		3
PSYC 710	Doctoral Research		12
Fifth Year
Course			Credits
LAW 6028	Legal Profession		2
LAW 7002	Administrative Law*		3
LAW 7004	Advanced Criminal Procedure*		3
LAW 7008	Children and the Law*		2
PSYC 611	Intro to Clinical Neuropsychology		3
PSYC 710	Doctoral Research in Law and Psychology		12
Sixth Year
Course			Credits
LAW 7005	Advanced Legal Writing		3
LAW 7015	Dispute Resolution*		2
LAW 7026	Federal Courts/Federal Systems*		3
LAW 7050	Trial Practice or Legal Clinic		1
LAW 7057	Negotiation and Advanced Mediation*		3
PSYC 710	Doctoral Research in Law and Psychology		8
	Electives to complete J.D. requirements**		0
	Electives to complete coursework for Ph.D.**		0
	Completion of dissertation proposal**		0
*These courses are recommended, not required.
**Contact the department for specific information.