Law school expands international dual degree options

Michigan State University College of Law and Doshisha Law School in Kyoto, Japan, have entered into an agreement allowing qualifying Japanese students to obtain U.S. and Japanese law degrees in a four-year period.

Eligible students who begin their legal study at Doshisha Law School will be able to join MSU Law for two years of study. The students are then eligible to take the American bar exam before returning to Japan for a final year at Doshisha and sit for the Japanese bar exam.

The agreement “will provide MSU Law students even more opportunities for a diverse, enriching classroom environment,” said Melanie B. Jacobs, associate dean for graduate and international programs.

MSU Law’s Professor Frank Ravitch, who leads MSU Law’s study abroad program in Kyoto, Japan, will play a key role in further developing connections with Doshisha Law.

“These students are highly marketable and in great demand,” Ravitch said. “They are not just bi-lingual; they’ll be bi-legal – able to practice law in Japan and in the United States.”

The dual-degree program is the second international agreement offered at MSU Law. A similar program with the University of Ottawa allows students to obtain Canadian and American law degrees.