The coursework in Education Policy would be conducted by the IU School of Education. Law students would need to complete 12 credits at the Indiana University School of Education to be eligible for a J.D. with a minor in education policy.
Suzanne Eckes, associate professor in educational leadership and policy studies at the IU School of Education told the media “There are a healthy number of students in the law school who have been former teachers, or if they haven’t are just interested in education policy.”
Hannah L. Buxbaum, the interim dean of Maurer Law School said, “We are pleased to collaborate with the School of Education in making this minor available to Maurer School of Law Students. The minor will be useful for law students who hope to practice school law, or to conduct other work in the education policy arena. And it will also prepare students who may choose to pursue further graduate work in this field.”
According to Eckes, since 2003, she has noted about a dozen law school graduates applying for the Ph.D program in education policy studies. She said, “As graduate programs are becoming more inter disciplinary, this new minor is a move in the right direction.”
The Maurer School of Law was founded in 1842 and ranks among the top 10 public law schools in the country, according to the U.S. News & World Report. The Indiana University School of Education, too, is considered as one of the top schools of education in U.S.