Campbell law school, N.C. State to offer dual degree

Campbell and North Carolina State universities announced Monday that they will offer a new dual-degree program to train students to work in state and local government, nonprofits and the legal profession.

Starting this fall, students can simultaneously earn a law degree from Campbell's Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law and a master's degree in public administration from N.C. State.

"There is no question. This will be a training ground for the future leaders of this state – no question," said Melissa Essary, dean of the Campbell law school.

It normally takes students five years to get both degrees, but the new partnership cuts that to four, university officials said.

"It saves them time, and it saves them money," said Jeff Braden, interim dean of N.C. State's College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Former Gov. Jim Hunt said he hopes that state government will soon be offering on-the-job training to students in the dual-degree program.

"You could be testing the theory against the reality," Hunt said.

It's the first time in North Carolina that universities have partnered to offer such a dual degree, officials said.

They credited the Campbell law school's move from Buies Creek to downtown Raleigh for the growth of the universities' relationship.

"We are so close now in proximity to N.C. State that this partnership has really come alive," Essary said.

"There's nothing like a partner that's right down the street," Braden said. "We could almost share parking."