# JD and MFA



## fascinated (Jun 23, 2009)

I really want to get both degrees and go into media law.  would it be better to go to chapman (the only school that offers the joint degree) or to get my MFA first and then JD (or vice versa) 

I've been told it would be a waste of time to do both degrees but I really want to learn more about film before I consider practicing as a lawyer


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## hman13 (Jun 23, 2009)

have you considered specalizing in entertainment law in law school?  I know this would mean you wouldnt get an MFA or get an appreciation for what goes into film making, but it may kill two birds with one stone.  

i guess the best entertainment law schools are in LA,(UCLA, USC, Loyola).  It depends how much you want to learn about film or what areas.  Im assuming that you will learn about the industry in some capacity if you specialized in entertainment law.


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## jthamilton (Jun 24, 2009)

If you want to practice law, go to the best law school you can get in to, and take film classes on the side if you have time. An MFA is a long, specialized course of study. If you want to learn about film there are plenty of ways to do so outside an MFA.
Or get a job or internship with a firm that does entertainment law. Then you can see if that's what you want to do without getting an unnecessary degree.


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## Jayimess (Jun 24, 2009)

A joint JD and MFA is only worth the school it comes from, and Chapman is not a top tier law school. 

JTH is dead on.


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## SlanFilms (Jun 24, 2009)

I just graduated high school and I've been thinking about this for a while now. I know I want to do intellectual property law/entertainment law, so I compiled a list of great film schools, law schools, and schools that offer both. Chapman has the JD/MFA in Film and Television Producing; I'm pretty sure that Columbia University allows you to do your JD and MFA in Filmmaking concurrently but I'm not 100% on that (Columbia University is a top 10 law school and film school. They have the number 4 intellectual property program in the country behind Stanford, UC: Berkeley, and George Washington); I think other schools may give you that option as well but I don't know yet. Well, here's the list that I compiled with school that you may know about but it should help (some of the film MFA's are my personal preference like directing instead of production).

1.	Chapman University (MFA Film Production; JD/MFA in Film and Television Producing)
2.	Florida State University (MFA Film Production)
3.	University of Texas at Austin (MFA Film Production)
4.	NYU (MFA Filmmaking)
5.	Columbia University (MFA Filmmaking; JD in Law (Intellectual Property Law))
6.	Columbia College (MFA in Film and Video)
7.	USC (MFA in Film)
8.	AFI (MFA in Film)
9.	UCLA (MFA in Production/Directing)
10.	UC- Berkeley (JD in Law (Intellectual Property Law))
11.	Stanford University (JD in Law (Intellectual Property Law))
12.	GWU (JD in Law (Intellectual Property Law))          
13.	Boston University (JD in Law (Intellectual Property Law); MFA in Directing)
14.	Northwestern (JD in Law)
15.	University of Pennsylvania (JD in Law)
16.	University of Virginia (JD in Law)
17.	Cornell University (JD in Law)
18.	George Mason (JD in Law)
19.	Harvard University (JD in Law)
20.	Yale University (JD in Law)
21.	American University (JD in Law; MFA in Film and Electronic Media)


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## jthamilton (Jun 25, 2009)

NO good (i.e. top) law school will let you do a concurrent film MFA and JD.

It doesn't make sense to do them both. Pick which one you want to do and do it. If you don't know, do more research.


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## SlanFilms (Jun 25, 2009)

Well, Columbia University is both a good law school and film school and they do allow you to do a concurrent film MFA and JD according to the website.

http://www.law.columbia.edu/jd...missions/jointdegree

Like it says, for some students a joint degree can prove beneficial to their career objectives. The process will be difficult but if that's truly what you want to do than do it. It's better than doing one after the other if you do decide that you want to do one and end up changing your mind.

Chapman doesn't have a top-tier law school, but they have a good film school and if you can knock out two at the same time... why not? I don't know maybe I'm saying this because I'm only 17 and haven't really been through college or anything but at the moment I plan on doing both, most likely at Columbia.


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## hman13 (Jun 25, 2009)

as someone said before, no respectable law school will let you do two at the same time.  I understand that you said Columbia would, but before you think about Columbia law you should take an undergraduate class first.  I know several people in law school, and I myself considered attending, and the admissions process is not easy.  To get into Columbia youll need a 3.6 GPA + at a good university in a tough major AND a high LSAT score.  Law school itself then, is of course, a ton of work.  So is getting an MFA.

GO to college and work hard and then re evaluate your life near the end of junior year.


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## jthamilton (Jun 25, 2009)

re: Columbia--you can't do it in FILM, you can do it in whatever their theater dept is called. i don't know about theater programs, so I don't know what the rationale is.

re: why not? because both are extreeeeeeeemly time intensive, ie it would not be possible to do a good job in both at the same time. I have many friends who have been to Columbia's law school and law school in general. Not possible to do a film MFA at the same time. Basically, Chapman wants your (general you, not specific you) extra money for the JD, and if you give it to them you're foolish. 

There is no career that requires an MFA and a JD. More beneficial than 6 years of specialized training because you don't know what job you want is thinking about the career you want, researching what it takes to get there, and if you think that requires special training (essential to practice law, optional for filmmaking) then doing the one that will enable you to achieve your career objectives.

If you want a career, then you should do what it takes to make that happen. If you simply wants to do years and years of school because you've never known anything else, or don't really want to get a job, or think school is neat, then that's fine too. But at least call a spade a spade.

College does not get you a career. Working gets you a career.


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## Jayimess (Jun 25, 2009)

> Originally posted by jthamilton:
> 
> College does not get you a career. Working gets you a career.



I know somewhere you should repeat this phrase...


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## jthamilton (Jun 25, 2009)

> Originally posted by Jayimess:
> <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by jthamilton:
> 
> College does not get you a career. Working gets you a career.



I know somewhere you should repeat this phrase... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I thought I did already! Although I was more long-winded about it. This one's nice and bumper-stickeresque.


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