The U.S. Juris Doctor/French Master en Droit is a four-year dual degree program in partnership with the Université Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne.
A pioneer in establishing dual degrees with foreign law schools, since 1996 Cornell has offered the J.D./Master en droit.* The program is designed to provide its graduates the education necessary to be licensed practitioners in the United States and in France. Students spend the first two years studying at Cornell Law School, followed by two years at one of France’s leading law faculties, the Université Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne. Upon successfully completing the program, students receive the Juris Doctor degree from Cornell Law School, the Master 1 en Droit, and perhaps also a Master 2 en droit, from Paris I.
*The complete official name for the program is "Master en droit, mention droits français et étranger, spécialité droits français et américain."In the academic year 2008--2009, four students are studying at Paris I as a part of the dual-degree program. In 2007--2008, five students studied in Paris.
On this page:
Admission to the Program
Applicants admitted by Cornell with Paris I concurrence:
Applicants admitted by Paris I with Cornell concurrence:
Curriculum
The first two years at Cornell
At Cornell, the students will be required to complete 62 credits of study. The first year of study will be identical to that of regular J.D. students at Cornell Law School, totaling 32 credits.
In the second year of study at Cornell, the students must complete at least 30 credit hours of study, including a professional responsibility course and a course satisfying the Law School’s writing requirement. In addition, the program includes restrictions to avoid course offerings counting toward the J.D. credit requirements that:
(1) would be better taken as part of the curriculum of the Université Paris 1 or
(2) are outside of the regular Law School curriculum (regular J.D. candidates are allowed to take one course in each upperclass semester in other divisions of the university in areas related to their legal studies).
The third and fourth years at Paris I
At Paris 1, the students will study in U.F. R. 07, the Département des Etudes Internationales, Européennes et Comparatives. The program curriculum can be found here.
The program participants initially admitted by Cornell ("the U.S.-side students") also have the optional opportunity to pursue a "Master 2 en Droit du Commerce International" concurrently with their fourth-year program. Students successfully completing this option will receive both a Master 1 and a Master 2 degree at the end of their fourth year. Students admitted into this concurrent program will be able to count the following courses toward both the Master 1 and 2:
Following the award to the students of the French Master en Droit ("M1"), Cornell Law School will evaluate their performance and grant an additional 24 credits in advanced standing toward the Juris Doctor degree.
Acceptance of any credit or grade for any course taken at Paris I is subject to determination by Cornell Law School.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Applicants admitted by Cornell pay full Cornell tuition and fees during the first two years of study at Cornell. In the third and fourth years in Paris, they are required to pay 50% of the normal Cornell third-year tuition. Students may continue to receive financial aid during the two years in Paris. Their package will reflect 50% tuition and the expenses of living in Paris as opposed to Ithaca.
For the academic year 2008--2009, a student admitted into the program in the U.S., through the Cornell admission process, could expect the following expenses in Paris:
The estimated total expenses for the year are thus $45,889.
Individuals with Disabilities
Most cities in Europe, including Paris, are not as handicapped-accessible as U.S. cities. In the Sorbonne and Faculté de Droit buildings at the Université Paris I, access for persons with disabilities to classrooms, offices, and other facilities is limited. Persons with questions about their circumstances should contact the Program Coordinator at Cornell Law School.
Bar Examinations/Admission
Graduates of the J.D./Master en Droit program have received the necessary legal education for, and are eligible to take, bar examinations in the United States and in France. Typically, U.S. graduates take the New York bar examination first and, if they choose, the bar examination in France, under the special procedures available to lawyers licensed to practice outside France. To learn more about these procedures, frequently referred to as "Article 100," see the Conseil National des Barreaux page.
Université Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne Grading System (as contained in a 2005 Memorandum from the Director of U.F.R. 07 – Études Internationales et Européennes):
In France, grades are given on a scale of 0 to 20, 20 being the highest grade, an equivalent to Excellent (E) or A+. Hence, an 18 is reserved for the truly exceptional students, and grades typically range from 8 to 15, 15 being in itself a remarkable achievement. Moreover, the French grading system has three levels of honors. At the University of Paris I (Panthéon Sorbonne), the grade equivalents are as follows:
Mention Très Bien (summa cum laude) starts at a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 17 out of 20
Mention Bien (magna cum laude) starts at a GPA of 15 out of 20
Mention Assez-Bien (cum laude) starts at a GPA of 13 out of 20
Unlike the University of Paris I (Panthéon Sorbonne), many other French universities grant the above honors at a GPA of 16, 14, and 12, respectively. Hence, a student at the University of Paris I (Panthéon Sorbonne) needs a higher GPA to obtain the same level of honors as a student at many other French universities. This objective difference should be kept in mind when comparing the transcripts of students at the different French law schools.
Moreover, professors at the University of Paris I (Panthéon Sorbonne) have a stricter grading approach. They generally grade most students at 13 or below, and rarely give grades higher than a 15. This demanding grading approach reflects the faculty’s high academic standards, as well as its commitment to the University’s prestige and excellence. Hence, maintaining a high GPA at the University of Paris I (Panthéon Sorbonne) is much harder than at most other universities. Aware of this idiosyncrasy, French employers hire students from the University of Paris I (Panthéon Sorbonne) even though their GPA is several points below that of their colleagues at other French universities.
Hence, students across French universities should be compared based on their honors and their ranking within their class. A Mention Très Bien (summa cum laude) presents truly exceptional achievement, a seldom occurrence in the University of Paris I (Panthéon Sorbonne). Therefore, the top 2 to 3% of a class typically obtain the Mention Bien (magna cum laude). In certain years, as much as the top 5% of a class have the Mention Bien. Hence, students who have obtained a Mention Bien (magna cum laude) in an academic year should be considered excellent. The top 10% thus attain the Mention Assez-Bien, a commendable achievement in itself.
Further a GPA of 12 or above ranks a student among the top 20 to 25% of their class. Students having a GPA of between 12 and 13 are thus serious, meticulous, and very good students. Almost half of our law students maintain a GPA between 10 and 12. The GPA of the rest is below the average passing grade of 10. These percentages may slightly vary depending on whether the grades were received in the first, second, third, fourth, or fifth year of law school. High grades are usually hardest to obtain during the third, fourth, and fifth year of law school, since professors’ expectations rise, as they assume that students have mastered the French methodology. Thus, they grade rigorously for any methodological mistakes, regardless of whether the student has displayed a proficient level of substantive knowledge.
Finally, please note that the University of Paris I (Panthéon Sorbonne) double-degree program with the Columbia School of Law and the Cornell Law School is highly selective, bringing together the best European students and their American counterparts.
U.S. State Department Information for France
American Bar Association accreditation criteria require that all programs of study abroad must provide the students therein access to the relevant U.S. Department of State Consular Information Sheets, Travel Warnings and other notices regarding the country in which the study will take place. There currently are no travel warnings or other notifications for France, other than its Consular Information Sheet, which can be accessed here. Persons enrolled in the program must consult this information immediately prior to traveling to Paris to begin the program there.
Program Administration
Cornell (for information and inquiries, contact Larry Bush)
Professor Claire M. Germain
Edward Cornell Law Librarian and Professor of Law
Director
Dual Degree Programs, Paris and Berlin
cmg13@cornell.edu
Professor John J. Barceló III
William Nelson Cromwell Professor of International and Comparative Law and Elizabeth and Arthur Reich Director
Leo and Arvilla Berger International Legal Studies Program
john-barcelo@postoffice.law.cornell.edu
Larry S. Bush
Executive Director
Clarke Center for International and Comparative Legal Studies
lsb13@cornell.edu
Paris I
Professor Pascal de Vareilles-Sommières
Pascal.de-Vareilles-Sommieres@univ-paris1.fr
Joan Divol
joandivol@yahoo.com
