Penn Law School and the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) are launching an innovative joint-degree program, which aims to graduate lawyers and engineers able to address issues at the intersection of law and technology.

The first cohort of students is expected to enroll in the fall of 2014. The program will lead to both a JD and a master’s degree in engineering.

Penn Law Dean Michael A. Fitts says a cross-disciplinary approach is critical to preparing law graduates to tackle a burgeoning set of complex issues involving technology and the law.

“In patents, copyright, media and internet regulation, privacy and national security, and many other areas, today’s problems are almost always more than just legal problems, and require substantive understanding of how the technology works,” he says.

SEAS Dean Eduardo Glandt says engineers have become increasingly aware of the need to better understand the legal and regulatory frameworks that govern the development, implementation, use, and monetization of technology.