CCNY’s Colin Powell School and CUNY Law launch joint degree

New program will enhance training of lawyers entering field

The CUNY Board of Trustees has approved a new dual-degree program between The City College of New York’s Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership and the CUNY School of Law that will lead to a masters in international relations and a JD in law. The proposal is pending approval by the New York State Department of Education.

The Colin Powell School and CUNY Law are particularly well positioned to offer this exceptional new opportunity. As an urban, public institution with tuition among the lowest in the U.S., CUNY has the advantage of combining an outstanding education with low tuition and prime locations.

The JD/MIA degree program will capitalize on CUNY Law’s nationally renowned expertise in public interest law and the Colin Powell School’s internationally recognized scholarship addressing critical topics of societal concern from multiple intellectual perspectives. Each of the schools will retain their respective MIA in International Relations and JD in law as self-standing programs on each campus.

“The more we looked at the programs on offer at CUNY Law—particularly in areas of public interest and human rights—the more we realized how well its mission meshed with our own,” said Vince Boudreau, dean of the Colin Powell School. “Very quickly, we all hit upon the idea of connecting the study of law and the study of international affairs in a program designed to equip our students for careers of service and advocacy in the global arena.”

The dual program will provide unique and specialized training to prepare lawyers to better understand the political, economic, social and cultural dynamics of international affairs. CUNY students in the program will acquire a combined degree in the fields of law and politics and prepare them for careers in national governments; multi-national/transnational corporations, international NGOs, particularly human rights organizations; and many specializations in international law. The program also will enhance graduates’ abilities to function as social justice lawyers in an increasingly globalized environment.

 “The partnership between CUNY School of Law and the Colin Powell School offers an unmatched opportunity for students in an increasingly global world,” said Camille Massey, founding executive director of CUNY Law’s Sorensen Center for International Peace and Justice.  “The joint degree program will draw from strengths of both schools to help our students achieve their international legal career ambitions and goals.”

The new program is expected to admit its first cohort of students this fall.

About CUNY School of Law
Founded in 1983, CUNY School of Law is the premier public interest law school in the nation. The school trains lawyers to serve the underprivileged and to make a difference in their communities. A greater percentage of CUNY Law graduates choose careers in public interest and public service than any other law school in the nation. CUNY Law is ranked among the top 10 in the nation for its clinical programs and is one of the only law schools in the country to prepare students for practice through integrated instruction in theory, skills, and ethics.

About the Colin Powell School
Inaugurated in 2013, the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership comprises the five departments of anthropology, economics, political science, psychology and sociology, and dynamic interdisciplinary programs including international relations, international studies, Latin American and Latino Studies; mental health counseling, pre-law, public service management, women’s studies and the Skadden, Arps Honors Program for Legal Studies. The School offers a wide variety of traditional and interdisciplinary undergraduate and graduate degrees and houses the Ph.D. program in Clinical Psychology offered by the CUNY Graduate Center. The Colin Powell School’s hallmark values of service and leadership permeate every aspect of its work and animate City College’s unflagging and historic commitment to access and excellence.

About The City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided low-cost, high-quality education for New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. More than 15,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in the College of Liberal Arts and Science; Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture; School of Education; Grove School of Engineering; Sophie Davis Biomedical Education/CUNY School of Medicine; and the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership. U.S. News, Princeton Review and Forbes all rank City College among the best colleges and universities in the United States.