getting two degrees

i'm considering getting a master's in journalism, but would also like to get my law degree at the same time

has anyone done this? i think it's offered at some schools, but is it feasible in terms of workload, etc.?

 

I haven't done it, but I know someone who got a master's in social work and her law degree at the same time. She took summer classes to help with the master's, which she completed before her second year of law school. She's also one of those crazy, dedicated, studious types, so you probably need to be one of those to do it.

 

What is your undergrad degree? It only makes sense to go for a journalism advanced degree if you majored in something else.

 

As someone who has a law degree and a masters in journalism, I guess I'd ask: Why do you want both? Don't be fooled. Law school is for people who want to be lawyers. You don't need a law degree to cover the legal world any more than you need an M.D. to write about medicine. If you're really intent on, say, covering the Supreme Court, a year of law school might be helpful. Beyond that, it's a waste of time and money. My years in law school and then practicing law taught me one important thing: I sure as hell don't want to be a lawyer.

 

I have a B.A. in English, and want a career in journalism, but I think a law degree would also be extremely helpful for this profession, and as a backup if the media industry tanks completely.... which isn't necessarily the case with an advanced journalism degree.

 

I've said it many times, but here goes again:

If you want to be a lawyer, get a law degree. My cousin is a partner in a Birmingham firm and told me there's no use wasting the years/money if you're not going to practice.

Be a lawyer, put in some years, make a fat nest egg, then you can quit to write about legal issues making the amount of money I light my cigars with, my cousin said.

If you want to be in charge of a paper/mag one day, get a business/management degree. I haven't worked for many MEs, EEs, publishers who didn't have one. At that level, you're a manager and the kind of budgets you'll deal with have nothing to do with what goes on A1. Look at the LAT scenario. Companies don't want journalists running the business, they want businessmen.

That way, you can fall back to any kind of company (and probably make a lot more money).

So, get in, BONG, make your money. PROTECT YA GODDAMN NECK! Wu-Tang.