Posted on Sep 13, 2018
Is it possible for officers to get a dual degree in both law and security studies while pursuing advanced civil schooling?
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Certain universities like Georgetown and Princeton offer programs where one can go to both law school and pursue an international relations masters simultaneously. My mid-term goal is to push my career to become a strategist, and I figured a law degree in international law with a focus on war studies, along with a masters in something similar, is essential. Even if I don't end up actively practicing law long term, it provides legal knowledge at a depth that would be difficult to learn otherwise. Thank you
Master's Degree
Law
Academics
Posted 6 y ago
Responses: 2
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Usually going to law school is a three year commitment, minimum. If you are looking for a law degree in international law, then you are looking at a four to five year commitment. You need to have your JD before you can get your LLB/LLM, LLwhatever. And obtaining a JD and a master's degree in international relations will leave you little time to do more than sleep for two hours a day. Don't know how you can fit in the rest of your life with that, but you might want to think that through.
Just because you have a JD, with an LLM or a JD with a master's degree in something else doesn't mean you are going to a a depth of legal knowledge that you couldn't learn otherwise. Ask an attorney if anything learned in law school directly applied to the practice of law. We all say the same thing, only knowing how to research. So practical application in strategy at the legal level will require actually practicing as an attorney in that area.
Yes IAAL. No, nothing I learned in law school prepared me for the practice of law, except to do research.
Just because you have a JD, with an LLM or a JD with a master's degree in something else doesn't mean you are going to a a depth of legal knowledge that you couldn't learn otherwise. Ask an attorney if anything learned in law school directly applied to the practice of law. We all say the same thing, only knowing how to research. So practical application in strategy at the legal level will require actually practicing as an attorney in that area.
Yes IAAL. No, nothing I learned in law school prepared me for the practice of law, except to do research.
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2LT (Join to see)
Thank you. My mentor recommended that I look into programs such as Harvard's PILAC (https://pilac.law.harvard.edu/). Other schools such as Georgetown and Johns Hopkins allow students to pursue a dual degree where they can get a law degree as well as a Masters in say, security studies. I believe that conflicts will be fought as heavily in international courtrooms as they will be on battlefields. Thats the reasoning for understanding law as I pursue policy long term.
The Harvard Law School Program on International Law and Armed Conflict (HLS PILAC) is a new research program. Drawing on its world-class faculty and its extraordinary students, PILAC provides a space for research on critical challenges facing the various fields of public international law related to armed conflict — including the jus ad bellum, the jus in bello (international humanitarian law/law of armed conflict), international human rights...
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Patricia Overmeyer
2LT (Join to see) - Most certainly the conflicts are fought in international courts. That has been happening for a long time, even before Nuremberg. If you do plan to go into law school, you will need to take the LSAT, unless the law school now accepts something other than that exam. Take the LSAT prep courses because they do help boost your score. One last caveat....the LSAT is no predictor of how well you will do in law school; how well you do in law school is no predictor of how well you will do on the bar exam; the bar exam is no predictor how good of an attorney you will be. Best of luck to you!
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2LT (Join to see) the ACS time is capped at 18 months. I suppose you could if the program were that long...the real question is whether your branch would support an ACS slot.
The Army in theory doesn't allow people to dabble in Law. In or out. If Law is your interest, FLEP is the program. If you become FA59, they send you for a masters.
The Army in theory doesn't allow people to dabble in Law. In or out. If Law is your interest, FLEP is the program. If you become FA59, they send you for a masters.
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LTC Jason Mackay
2LT (Join to see) - getting a Security masters may be superfluous.
Navy: Naval War College and the ILE version come with an accredited MA in National Security and Strategic Studies. I am most familiar with this as I did the ILE version.
Air Force: The AWC and the ILE version have an accredited masters, I believe in Strategic Studies. An Army friend of mine did this one.
The Marine Corps has an accredited masters for their ILE at Quantico. Another Army friend did this one and was very rigorous with the thesis.
The Joint Forces Staff College via JAWS also has a program, but I think it is now limited to War College Level. I don't know anyone who did this, but it used to be listed as Sister service ILE. You are behind the CAC curtain , check it out via the Branch ILE links.
Army: historically had nothing. This may have changed. https://usacac.army.mil/cac2/cgsc/ile/summary.asp
So what I am saying, you'll tick the security box if you go to ILE. If you are FA59, there may be latitude to earn another Master's degree in a specific area that interests you.
There is also the SAMS program at CGSC and the NOPC program at the NWC ILE that allow you to become one of what GEN Schwartzkopf called 'Jedi Knights'. SAMS guys are used as operational and strategic level planners and usually pull down a utilization tour afterward. https://usacac.army.mil/organizations/cace/cgsc/sams
NWC: https://usnwc.edu/college-of-maritime-operational-warfare/Professional-Military-Education/Maritime-Operational-Planners-Course
If you do the Navy one, you get the same identifier without a utilization tour.
Navy: Naval War College and the ILE version come with an accredited MA in National Security and Strategic Studies. I am most familiar with this as I did the ILE version.
Air Force: The AWC and the ILE version have an accredited masters, I believe in Strategic Studies. An Army friend of mine did this one.
The Marine Corps has an accredited masters for their ILE at Quantico. Another Army friend did this one and was very rigorous with the thesis.
The Joint Forces Staff College via JAWS also has a program, but I think it is now limited to War College Level. I don't know anyone who did this, but it used to be listed as Sister service ILE. You are behind the CAC curtain , check it out via the Branch ILE links.
Army: historically had nothing. This may have changed. https://usacac.army.mil/cac2/cgsc/ile/summary.asp
So what I am saying, you'll tick the security box if you go to ILE. If you are FA59, there may be latitude to earn another Master's degree in a specific area that interests you.
There is also the SAMS program at CGSC and the NOPC program at the NWC ILE that allow you to become one of what GEN Schwartzkopf called 'Jedi Knights'. SAMS guys are used as operational and strategic level planners and usually pull down a utilization tour afterward. https://usacac.army.mil/organizations/cace/cgsc/sams
NWC: https://usnwc.edu/college-of-maritime-operational-warfare/Professional-Military-Education/Maritime-Operational-Planners-Course
If you do the Navy one, you get the same identifier without a utilization tour.
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LTC Jason Mackay
Figure out whether you need GMAT or GRe and study for it. I studied hard for the GRe and did well, which made it easy for branch to say yes when a slot popped up.
I can't get behind the CAC curtain, but you need to look at ACS and the regulation via the Advanced Education Programs on the HRC website.
I can't get behind the CAC curtain, but you need to look at ACS and the regulation via the Advanced Education Programs on the HRC website.
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2LT (Join to see)
LTC Mackay,
Thank you for this information. While law school might not be possible, what you mentioned is exactly where I'm interested in taking my career.
Thank you for this information. While law school might not be possible, what you mentioned is exactly where I'm interested in taking my career.
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LTC Jason Mackay
2LT (Join to see) - FLEP could be an avenue for you, it is just not as wide an avenue as you might like.
In the short term, you need to focus on learning your craft and becoming the best company grade officer you can be.
https://www.rallypoint.com/command-post/new-officers-listen-up
In the short term, you need to focus on learning your craft and becoming the best company grade officer you can be.
https://www.rallypoint.com/command-post/new-officers-listen-up
New Officers, Listen Up. | RallyPoint
As a newly Commissioned Officer, or as a Cadet aspiring to become an Officer, you may be asking yourself many questions as you get closer to leading your first Platoon. How will I rise to the challenge? How should I “come in”? The first thing you need to adjust is your mindset. Unless you have prior enlisted experience, you have to adjust to the fact that you will not be leading peer Cadets. Cadets are great and wonderful people. They are...
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