Where Law & Social Work Meet: Exploring a JD/MSW Dual Degree at UB
Published July 18, 2022
Many different careers intersect through shared skills, goals and ideals, and one of the more positive crossroads is between legal and social work. UB’s Juris Doctor/Master of Social Work dual degree gives students a chance to gain an incredibly unique perspective and set of skills that can lead them on a path to work in either realm. If you are interested in using the law to protect human rights, advance social justice and defend vulnerable communities, then this program could be for you. Let’s examine how both programs intersect to create the start of a rewarding career.
What are the benefits of the JD/MSW Dual Degree?
- You will learn two different and valuable skillsets, including communication, conflict resolution, negotiation and mediation skills, that combine to make you more marketable in your job search and ultimately, better at your job.
- Social work teaches soft skills that will allow you to better understand and empathize with clients experiencing difficult legal circumstances.
- Multiple degrees allow for a diverse career over the course of your lifetime.
- Completing a dual degree saves time and money as compared to completing each separately.
Bradley Loliger '13, an alum of the JD/MSW program and current staff attorney at the Center for Elder Law & Justice, had this to say about his time in the program.
The JD/MSW program allowed me to see the overlap between the worlds of social work and law. I've learned how to be a person-centered attorney, and I've been able to help explain the intricacies of the law to my social work colleagues.
Why choose UB for your JD/MSW?
Earn degrees from not one, but two highly ranked schools.
According to U.S. News and World Report, UB’s Social Work program is in the top 10% of accredited social work programs and UB Law stands in the top 100 law schools in the country. It’s also the only Law School in the SUNY system!
Earn two degrees for less than the cost of one law degree elsewhere.
As part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system, our in-state and out-of-state tuition rates are affordable even before scholarships. Speaking of, 79% of incoming law students in Fall 2021 received a merit-based scholarship!
Gain hands-on experience and get involved in your community while still a student.
First year social work students complete an intensive internship (called field placement) to put what they are learning in class into practice. Field placements take place in a wide variety of settings, so you’re able to focus in on the populations and social issues you are passionate about. In the upper years of the JD degree, experiential learning opportunities become integral to the program, and students can work in a variety of externships that provide real-life experience, including the law clinic that doubles as their second social work field placement!
We have a supportive environment to set you up for success as student and beyond.
Social work class sizes are small to allow for discussion so you will get to know your professors and fellow students. You can also elect to participate in our alumni mentoring program, where we match you with a social work alum so you can network and learn from someone currently in the field. In the Law School, students are set up with a 1:1 faculty advisor, and the Career Services Office (CSO) provides career counseling, interview assistance, job postings, mentoring, career panels and programs, and more. This allows for important networking opportunities and a chance to build yourself within the community, including more than 13,000 alumni who are very active in the UB Law community.
Career paths for JD/MSW graduates
Whether it’s as a policy maker, nonprofit director, chief diversity officer or a public defender, the career opportunities are immense. As evidenced by the examples below, most of our JD/MSW graduates are working as lawyers with a human rights, social justice, or advocacy focus:
- Volunteer Lawyers Project
o Immigrant Justice Works Fellow
o Supervising attorney focusing on immigration and sex trafficking
- Empire Justice Center
- Advocates for Youth
o Reproductive Justice Fellow
- Erie County Department of Social Services
o Abuse and Neglect Attorney
- Neighborhood Legal Services
- Legal Aid Society of Rochester
