Interdisciplinary Engineering - 6-Year Bachelor of Science and Juris Doctor

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.