Joint Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration

The worlds of management and law have become inextricably intertwined. To accommodate students contemplating a career where business and law overlap, the Law School and the Hankamer School of Business offer a dual degree program that leads to the simultaneous award of a Juris Doctor (JD) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. While the JD program trains students to recognize and analyze legal issues, the MBA program instructs students in management of business enterprises. The JD/MBA program strives to improve the effectiveness of both business managers and legal counsel for business entities by training each to understand the role of the other and the importance of their respective contributions to the successful operation of a business. JD/MBA students should consider pursuing a concentrated course of study at the Law School in Business Transactions or Business Litigation.

Students receive 12 hours of credit toward their JD upon successful completion of the MBA required courses and 12 hours of credit toward their elective requirement for the MBA upon successful completion of Law School coursework. Thus, JD/MBA students complete 114 quarter hours of law courses and 37 semester hours of core graduate business courses. Since both degrees are awarded simultaneously, all requirements in both schools must be completed in order to receive either degree.

Students are required to make regular application for admission to, and be accepted by, both the Law School and the Graduate School.  All applicants must take the applicable entrance exam for each school.  Applicants or students interested in pursuing a joint degree must consult with the Law School Associate Dean at their earliest convenience and prior to beginning study on the MBA portion of the joint degree.  Students can consult with Dr. Patsy Norman, Associate Dean for Graduate Business Programs, for questions about the MBA portion of the joint degree.