Juris Doctor / Master of Global Affairs

Earn a law degree and a Master of Global Affairs in four years

Juris Doctor / Master of Global Affairs (JD/MGA)

The Juris Doctor/Master of Global Affairs (JD/MGA) program at the University of Toronto is designed for students interested in studying the intersections of law and global affairs. The combined program permits the completion of both degrees in four years rather than the five years it would take to acquire them independently.

In order to be accepted to the JD/MGA program, you must apply to both degree programs separately:

Apply to the University of Toronto's Faculty of Law directly for the JD portion of the degree.
Apply to the Master of Global Affairs program through the School of Graduate Studies. Applications for fall 2025 are due January 27, 2025 .

Emily Tsui (JD/MGA '21)

“I have always wanted a career doing challenging cross-border and international work, and the JD/MGA program allowed me to combine my interests in law and international affairs to do so. The combined program enabled me to gain hands-on experience to learn more about working in law in an international setting.

Through the MGA internship program and the IHRP fellowship, I got a chance to work at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in Singapore and the International Residual Mechanism for Former Criminal Tribunals in The Hague. These experiences, and the academics of the combined program, taught me how to work on complex files. I look forward to applying these skills while working at a large international law firm.

Registration, requirements and admissions

Registration

Requirements

Within this combined four-year program, students must:

In the first year, successfully complete all the first year courses at the Faculty of Law with at least a B standing to continue in the program.
In the second year, successfully complete all the first-year requirements of the MGA with at least a B+ standing, with the exception of Human Rights and Global Justice (GLA1016H). JD/MGA students must take Public International Law (LAW252H worth 4 law credits = 0.50 MGA credit) during the second year and obtain at least a B+ standing in the course. Public International Law will be counted towards the fulfillment of a student’s MGA degree requirements, rather than the fulfillment of the J.D. requirements. Students register through the MGA program for this course and it will be graded on the MGA/SGS scale.
In the summer between years two and three, students must take a summer global internship with the MGA (GLA1007H)
In the 3rd and 4th years of the Program students must complete the following requirements:
- Faculty of Law: Successfully complete 41 – 45 credits at the Faculty of Law, including a perspective course,- a moot, and- an International, Comparative or Transnational Perspective course (ICT). At least 9 of these credits must be in the area of international law. Note: Only Faculty of Law courses graded on a letter scale and taken as Faculty of Law courses count toward the required number of credits for honours standing in the J.D. program.
- Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy: Successfully complete Research Methods for Capstone (GLA2111H) the MGA Capstone Seminar (GLA2000H) and successfully complete five additional elective courses.
Students in their second, third and fourth years are required to complete and submit the JD/MGA Requirements Checklist (available in Quercus) by the add/drop date in the second term. This form will help you to ensure that your program of study is on track.

Admissions

Applicants must apply to each program separately, indicating on their applications that they wish to be considered for the Combined JD/MGA program. Students must satisfy both the JD and the MGA requirements before either degree may be conferred.

Students who are in the first year of the JD program may apply for admission to the combined JD/MGA Program by meeting the normal application and admission requirements for the MGA

Structure of the JD/MGA Program

Year 1— Students are enrolled as full-time JD students in the Faculty of Law.
Year 2 — Students are enrolled full-time in the Master of Global Affairs Program.
Summer between Year 2 and Year 3 — Students are enrolled full-time in the Master of Global Affairs Program (Global Internship).
Year 3 — Students are enrolled full-time in the JD program and part-time in the MGA program.
Year 4 — Students are enrolled full-time in the JD program and part-time in the MGA program.

Fees and Funding

Students enrolled in Year 1 of the combined program will be required to pay the standard first-year fee for the Faculty of Law. For Year 2 students will pay MGA tuition fees only. For years 3 and 4 the student will be required to pay the higher of tuition fees of the two divisions.

During years 1, 3, and 4 of the combined program, students will be entitled to receive Faculty of Law scholarships, bursaries, and other forms of undergraduate financial assistance. Students will not be eligible in their 2nd year as they will be in the MGA program. When JD/MGA students are in their MGA only year (Year 2) they will be eligible for MGA financial aid as well as OGS and SSHRC. JD/MGA students should apply for OGS and SSHRC in their first year so that the award can be used in their second year of the program. Learn more about MGA fees and financial aid.

Combined Juris Doctor / Master of Global Affairs

Faculty of Law, University of Toronto
tel: 416-978-3716
fax: 416-978-7899
E-mail: law.admissions@utoronto.ca

For more information on the JD program, please visit: http://www.law.utoronto.ca/