Summary: The law school at the University of Arizona has partnered with a law school in China to offer a program for Chinese students to earn two degrees at the same time.
The University of Arizona launched a new program in an attempt to raise interest and enrollment in their law school. Through a partnership with Ocean University of China, UA will filter through hundreds of Chinese lawyers familiar with the U.S. legal system.
The program will be a dual-degree with most of it being taught online. The school estimates the program will bring in over $1 million a year in revenue. The program is the first of its kind in China. Chinese students will be able to earn a bachelor’s degree from an U.S. law school without leaving China.
Associate dean of programs and global initiatives at the UA’s James E. Rogers College of Law Brent White said, “Our operating premise is that millions of students would like a U.S. education but can’t afford to come. [The program] takes U.S. education to students who otherwise wouldn’t have access.”
First-year enrollment at UA law school has fallen 26 percent since 2011. Cutting tuition rates slowed the decline but the school needed something else to boost its numbers. Ocean University is on China’s east coast in Qingdao. The city is home to Tsingtao Brewery, a producer of one of the nation’s most popular beers.
A juris doctor is not required to practice law in China; a bachelor’s degree is enough. This program will enable Chinese students to obtain two degrees in four years – a bachelor’s of law from OU and a bachelor’s of arts in law from UA. UA will also provide language training with classes taught entirely in English.
The program started last semester and already had 77 students signed up. They can accommodate up to 400. Tuition is $8,000. Over half of the tuition goes to UA.
Photo: law.arizona.edu