EDITORIAL: Two degrees are better than one

Dual-degree programs enrich the curriculum and attract high-caliber students and faculty. The program will allow graduate students interested in health care law to earn both a master's degree in bioethics and a law degree within three years. The two elements of the program complement each other naturally and combine two of the University's strengths -- the Law School is consistently among the top-ranked programs in the country, and the two-year-old Bioethics program, offered in association with the University's Center for Bioethics led by Arthur Caplan, is the largest in the U.S. with about 20 students. Graduates of the dual-degree program will have an edge over other job-seekers, as they will be familiar with many of the ethical, moral and legal issues that come up in the course of legal work. And, given the changing dynamics of the health care industry and the ongoing debate over cloning, these issues are likely to remain hot topics for some time. In the past few years, several schools within the University have joined forces to develop similar dual-degree programs. These include a health care management program between the Nursing and Wharton schools, the Huntsman Program in International Studies between Wharton and the College of Arts and Sciences and the Wharton-Annenberg School for Communication marketing and communications program. The possibilities are endless. And since the programs build on the University's current resources, new programs are not limited by extensive costs. Penn should continue to explore joint-degree options, linking both graduate and undergraduate schools. While bringing the University well-deserved national attention, these programs are a good way to lure prominent faculty and talented students.