The College of Engineering and School of Law offer a combination degree program leading to the BS in Interdisciplinary Engineering (ITDE) and Juris Doctor (JD) degrees. This program is structured to allow students to complete it in six academic years, reducing the typical time to completion for sequential degrees by one year.

This combined degree program educates students in engineering and technology as a precursor to studies and practice in the law. Areas of legal practice that require advanced understanding of the engineering and technology development process include patents and intellectual property law, environmental law, and workplace health and safety law, among others. This program allows a streamlining of studies with mutual reinforcement of the respective degree disciplines.

Students who enroll in the combined program complete their first three academic years at the College of Engineering on the College Station campus.  Upon the conclusion of the spring semester of the third year, students begin coursework in the School of Law for the fourth and fifth academic years in Fort Worth. For the sixth and final year, students have their primary curricula with the School of Law with coursework taken from both the School of Law and the College of Engineering, and they have the option to reside on either the Fort Worth or College Station campus to facilitate choices of specific courses.  Students must complete all curriculum requirements and all additional graduation requirements published in the applicable undergraduate and graduate catalogs for the BS-ITDE degree and the JD degree.

Students interested in this combined program are strongly advised to meet with an academic advisor in the BS in Interdisciplinary Engineering program as early as possible to understand issues related to admission to both the BS and JD programs, course scheduling, minimum academic performance standards, and others. Admission to the BS degree program does not guarantee admission to the JD portion, and students must apply to the School of Law in the third academic year in order to begin law studies in the fourth academic year.

The freshman year is identical for degrees in aerospace engineering, architectural engineering, civil engineering, computer engineering, computer science, data engineering, electrical engineering, electronic systems engineering technology, environmental engineering, industrial distribution, industrial engineering, interdisciplinary engineering, manufacturing and mechanical engineering technology, mechanical engineering, multidisciplinary engineering technology, nuclear engineering, ocean engineering, and petroleum engineering (Note: not all programs listed are offered in Qatar). The freshman year is slightly different for chemical engineering, biomedical engineering and materials science and engineering degrees in that students take CHEM 119 or CHEM 107/CHEM 117 and CHEM 120.  Students pursuing degrees in biological and agricultural engineering should refer to the specific curriculum for this major. It is recognized that many students will change the sequence and number of courses taken in any semester. Deviations from the prescribed course sequence, however, should be made with care to ensure that prerequisites for all courses are met.

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A grade of C or better is required.

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Entering students will be given a math placement exam. Test results will be used in selecting the appropriate starting course which may be at a higher or lower level.

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Of the 21 hours shown as University Core Curriculum electives, 3 must be from creative arts (see AREN curriculum for more information), 3 from social and behavioral sciences (see DAEN and IDIS curriculum for more information), 3 from language, philosophy and culture (see CVEN, EVEN and PETE curriculum for more information), 6 from American history and 6 from government/political science. The required 3 hours of international and cultural diversity and 3 hours of cultural discourse may be met by courses satisfying the creative arts, social and behavioral sciences, language, philosophy and culture, and American history requirements if they are also on the approved list of international and cultural diversity courses and cultural discourse courses.

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BMEN, CHEN and MSEN require 8 hours of fundamentals of chemistry which are satisfied with CHEM 119 or CHEM 107/CHEM 117 and CHEM 120; Students with an interest in BMEN, CHEN and MSEN can take CHEM 120 second semester freshman year. CHEM 120 will substitute for CHEM 107/CHEM 117.

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For BS-PETE, allocate 3 hours to core communications course (ENGL 210, COMM 203, COMM 205, or COMM 243) and/or 3 hours to UCC elective. For BS-MEEN, allocate 3 hours to core communications course (ENGL 203, ENGL 210, or COMM 205) and/or 3 hours to UCC elective.

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A total of 40 semester credit hours of technical electives are required. To be selected in consultation with ITDE advisor.

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 Select from the following courses: ASTR 314; ATMO 363; BIOL 111, BIOL 113; CHEM 222, CHEM 227, CHEM 310, CHEM 311, CHEM 315, CHEM 316, CHEM 318, CHEM 322; ECCB 205;  GEOG 205; GEOL 101, GEOL 104; MARS 408, MARS 410; MATH 304, MATH 311, MATH 323, MATH 401; PHYS 222; RWFM 375; STAT 211, STAT 414.

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Students must successfully complete a minimum of six credit hours in one or more upper-level experiential courses. As part of the six credit hours, the student must successfully complete an approved externship or a clinic that involves advising or representing one or more actual clients or serving as a third-party neutral. An experiential course must be a simulation course, a law clinic, or a field placement.

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One LARW III course is required.

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Courses taken for credit for both the undergraduate and professional degree for a combined total of 30 semester credit hours:ITDE 301, ITDE 401, ITDE 402, 6 semester credit hours of technical electives, and 18 semester credit hours of upper level LAW electives. All double-counted elective courses are to be selected in consultation with both ITDE and LAW advisors.

The combined program includes a total of 188 semester credit hours, which includes 30 semester credit hours applied both to the Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Engineering and Juris Doctor degrees.

The JD degree is conferred on students who satisfactorily complete the program with a cumulative grade point average of 2.33 or better in LAW classes. In addition, each student must complete an upper-level rigorous writing requirement, a six-hour experiential requirement, and a 30-hour pro bono requirement. Students must complete their degree requirements within 72 months of starting law school, which occurs at the start of the fourth year of this combined program.

Total Semester Credit Hours for Combination Program      188