Law/Business Administration

The JD/MBA dual degree reflects the close relationship between law and business in many professions. Those who earn the dual degree are not only fully licensed attorneys, but are also able to handle the complex financial and business management challenges facing today’s business leaders. JD/MBA graduates work in a variety of different fields and are exceptionally well-equipped to succeed in today’s professional marketplace.

Admissions.

To obtain the JD/MBA degree, students must separately apply and be accepted into each program. Students in the program typically begin solely as JD students, and then apply for admission to the dual-degree program in the spring of their first year of law school. If they are accepted into the MBA portion of the program by the Robins School of Business, they will take both law and business courses during their remaining semesters. In addition, students will take business courses during their summers.

Degree Requirements

One of the benefits of the JD/MBA joint degree is that students can earn two degrees in less time than if they earned the degrees separately. The time savings is made possible through an adjustment in the degree requirements for each degree. The degree requirements for the JD/MBA dual degree are as follows:

JD Degree

MBA degree

To earn the JD portion of the degree, JD/MBA students must

Complete all first-year courses in the JD program
Complete 44 credits of upper-level courses, including all required upper-level courses.

To earn the MBA portion of the degree, JD/MBA students must:

Complete the following courses
- Opening Residency
- Accounting
- Economics
- Finance
- Statistics
- International Residency
- Marketing
- Strategic Management
- Analytics and Information
- Operations
- Organizational Behavior
- Capstone 1, 2, & 3
Complete four credits of elective coursework (which will normally consist of two 2-credit courses)

In addition to the above requirements, JD/MBA students must also comply with all other degree requirements for the JD and the MBA degrees, except to the extent those requirements are modified by anything stated herein. Additionally, JD/MBA students must enroll in at least 9 credits for a minimum of six semesters, and may not enroll in more than 18 credits in any semester. This 18-credit limit is subject to two exceptions. First, because the 2-credit Opening Residency course in the MBA program is administered in the summer but formally listed as a Fall semester course, students may enroll in 20 credits in the Fall of their second year (“Fall 2”). Second, a student may enroll in 19 credits in any other semester with special permission from both schools.

The Three-Year Pathway

Many students wish to complete the joint degree in three years. To assist students with this goal, the Law and Business Schools have created 3-year “pathway.” Students wishing to graduate with both degrees in three academic years must follow the pathway listed below.

Year		Law Courses (credits)	Mba Courses (credits)
Year 1	Fall 1	Required first-year courses	No courses
	Spring 1	Required first-year courses	No courses
	Summer 1	No courses (0 cr.)	Opening Residency (2 cr.) Elective (2 cr.)
Year 2	Fall 2	JD courses (up to 12 cr.)	Accounting (3 cr.) Economics (3 cr.)
	Spring 2	JD courses (up to 10 cr.)	Marketing (3 cr.) Finance (3 cr.) Statistics (2 cr.)
	Summer 2	No courses (0 cr.)	International Resid. (3 cr.) Elective (2 cr.)
Year 3	Fall 3	JD courses (up to 11 cr.)	Strategic Mgmt. (3cr. ) Analytics & Info. (3 cr.) Capstone 1 (1 cr.)
	Spring 3	JD courses (up to 11 cr.)	Operations (3 cr.) Org. Behavior (2 cr.) Capstone 2+3 (2 cr.)
	Summer 3	No credits (study for bar exam)	No credits (study for bar exam)

Notes on the Pathway:

Total Credits. Although students may decide how many upper-level JD credits to take in the Law Program for Fall 2, Spring 2, Fall 3 and Spring 3, they must be sure to take enough credits to meet the total upper-level credit requirement of 44. If students wish to graduate in three years, they will need to enroll in 18 credits (i.e., JD plus MBA credits) during each fall and spring semester, unless they take additional law credits during the summer.
Summer Law Credits. Students may take law credits over the summer to reduce their fall or spring semester credit load. Tuition for these credits will be assessed at the rates listed below. Students should keep in mind, however, that taking summer Law credits will not exempt them from the requirement that they be enrolled in at least 9 and no more than 18 credits for six semesters.
Course Requirements. In choosing their Law upper-level JD courses during Fall 2, Spring 2, Fall 3 and Spring 3, students should make sure to take courses that will satisfy the JD portion of their course requirements.
Opening Residency. Although students will take the MBA Opening Residency during Summer 1, the credits for that course will be counted as part of Fall 2. As noted above, students may register for a total of 20 credits in Fall 2.

Tuition

Although JD/MBA students take courses in both the Law and Business schools, the tuition is assessed in accordance with the Law School tuition rates. In particular,

9 to 17 Credits. In any semester (fall or spring), in which the student is enrolled in 9 or more credits but 17 or fewer credits, a student in the JD/MBA program will pay the Law School’s standard tuition for that academic year—which is a flat rate regardless of the number of credits. This tuition payment will cover all courses taken, regardless of whether the course is in the Law or Business School.
Fewer than 9 Credits. In any semester (fall or spring), in which the student is enrolled in fewer than 9 credits, a student in the JD/MBA program will be assessed the Law School’s standard tuition for that academic year, which is a per-credit rate. This tuition payment will cover all courses taken, regardless of whether the course is in the Law or Business School.
More than 17 Credits. In any semester (fall or spring) in which the student is enrolled in more than 17 credits, a student in the JD/MBA program will be assessed, according to the tuition rates for that academic year, the (1) Law School’s standard tuition for 9 to 17 credits plus (2) a per-credit tuition charge for the additional credits. This tuition payment will cover all courses taken, regardless of whether the course is in the Law or Business School.
Summer school. Tuition for all summer school credits is assessed at the Law School rate for the academic year beginning in prior fall semester, irrespective of whether the courses are taken in the Law School or the Business School.
Scholarships. Unless otherwise noted, scholarships awarded by the Law School cover six semesters of study, including credits of at least 9 but no more than 17 credits. This means that if a student follows the three-year pathway noted above, a Law scholarship will not apply to summer coursework nor to credits taken in excess of 17 credits. Scholarships from the Business School are not typically available to students pursuing a JD/MBA.

Dual Degree Programs