Degree: Master of Arts (MA)
Field of Study: Military Ethics
Military Ethics (MA) Program Information

Degree: Juris Doctor (JD)
Juris Doctor (JD) Program Information

Program Overview

For most students, both degrees can be completed within three years or over four years. Dual degree students will generally begin study in the law school and defer enrollment in the MA program until their second year. Students interested in completing the dual degree should consult both programs early in the process to avoid difficulties. After the first year of law school, students may enroll in law courses or military ethics courses.

The Military Ethics MA program and School of Law agree to count up to 9 LAWS credit hours toward the MA degree and 12 MA credits toward the JD degree. This reduces the J.D. requirement of 88 credits to 76 separate credits. Additionally, the MA in Military Ethics credit requirements may be reduced by 9 credits.

Program Requirements

Master of Arts in Military Ethics

The MA in Military Ethics program curriculum is interdisciplinary, with a foundation in moral and political philosophy and international relations. Each student will complete a minimum of 30 credit hours, including a 6 credit hour “capstone course” that will typically be completed during the summer term following a full academic year of course work.

Over a 12- to 15-month program of study (designed to facilitate the enrollment of military personnel on educational assignment and the academic student looking for an intensive program), students will study foundational topics in moral and political philosophy, together with advanced core and elective topics in military and professional ethics, military medical ethics, military law, ethical leadership, and other related subjects (including optional supplemental electives in areas such as religious studies, history, literature, journalism, political science, classics, and the arts). 

Capstone

When students begin the program, the program director will work with them individually to develop initial concepts for their specific concentrations of study and their capstones. The capstone/culminating project involves both academic research and fieldwork, and is integrated with the degree candidate’s professional experience or interest. PHIL 501 will feature a summative project designed to integrate their common studies, but tailored to their individual future interests in teaching, further graduate study, or employment in public policy or foreign affairs, and may produce outcomes other than a traditional paper/thesis (such as the detailed and well-defended design of a military ethics training/education curriculum).

The outline of the project will typically be presented and defended by the spring recess of the candidate’s second semester in residence, and the project itself completed over the following summer term, for graduation in August the year following matriculation. If special circumstances prevent a student from completing the program in the intended time frame, the academic advisor will work with the student to create an alternative schedule.

Electives

Students will take a minimum of four elective courses. The selection of topic for the capstone project will dictate the selection of relevant elective courses by each student (in consultation with program faculty) to create an appropriate concentration of study. Electives may be in military and professional ethics, military medical ethics, military law, or ethical leadership, or in optional supplemental areas such as religious studies, history, literature, journalism, and the arts.

Elective courses from the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Law include (but are not limited to) the following and additional elective courses continue to be added:

Juris Doctor Requirements:

Case Western Reserve University grants a Juris Doctor degree to students who have completed at least 88 credit hours in at least 6 semesters as a full-time student and graduate with at least a 2.325. During that time, the student must have completed a substantial research paper to satisfy the writing requirement.

During the first 2 semesters (1L year), the student is given their schedule and completes a minimum 29 credit hours in the following classes: LLEAP 1 and 2, Contracts, Torts, Criminal Law, Property, Legislation and Regulation, Civil Procedure, and spring-semester 1-credit elective. When the student begins their next two semesters (2L year), they must take Constitutional Law 1, Professional Responsibility, and LLEAP 3. During the Fall term, Constitutional Law 1 is required. Professional Responsibility and LLEAP 3 are offered both semesters and must be completed by the end of 2L year.

At the same time, the student is expected to complete general education requirements by picking 4 courses from the following list: Business Associations, Conflict of Laws, Constitutional Law II, Criminal Procedure I, Evidence, Family Law, Sales, Secured Transactions, and Wills/Trusts/Future Interests. During a student’s last 2 semesters (3L year), they need to have completed 12 credits of experiential education including a minimum 6-credit Capstone Experience during 3L year. The capstone can be completed off-site or at an in-house legal clinic.