JD/AM Islamic Studies: Department of Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations, School of Arts & Sciences

The JD/AM in Islamic Studies prepares students to engage in high level decision making in policy and law. The degree, which requires fluency in Arabic, allows its graduates to develop new tools and strategies applicable to fostering cooperation and understanding between diverse legal and financial systems and cultures, as well as to engage in interdisciplinary collaboration in research, planning, and policymaking.

Students can earn both degrees in four years. Penn Law gives credit for four approved courses at the School of Arts and Sciences toward the JD degree. The AM curriculum requires students to have or attain fluency in Arabic and complete the AM coursework, which can include courses taken toward the completion of the JD

Students apply separately to each department. Applications to the AM program are welcomed contemporaneously with the Law School application or during the 1L year. The LSAT is sufficient for both departments; no additional testing is required.

Here are possible tracks for completing the program.

	First year	Second year	Third year	Fourth year
Option 1 – contemporaneous applications	1L	Islamic Studies	2L & Islamic Studies courses	3L & Islamic Studies courses
Option 2 – apply to Islamic Studies while in Law program	1L	2L	Islamic Studies	3L & Islamic Studies courses
Option 3 – apply to Law while in Islamic Studies program	Islamic Studies	1L	2L & Islamic Studies courses	3L & Islamic Studies courses

Additional information:

• Islamic Studies
• Contact Joseph Lowry, Associate Professor of Arabic & Islamic Studies
• To talk through scheduling/registration details and how this joint-degree program might complement your JD from Penn Law, please contact Amanda S. Aronoff, L’95, Associate Director of Cross-Disciplinary Programs at aramanda@law.upenn.edu.