Juris Doctor/MBA

Full-time law school students may apply to the JD/MBA program offered by the Shidler College of Business and the William S. Richardson School of Law. Graduates of the program will have the tools necessary to address the various legal and business issues that they will face in their roles within legal practice, consulting, public policy, entrepreneurship, venture capital, and many other careers. The Shidler MBA program offers students a comprehensive foundation in business fundamentals with an Asia-Pacific focus.

Curriculum

JD/MBA students take their core curriculum in the evening with the part-time MBA students. After graduating from the Law School, students may elect to take their remaining MBA courses on a full-time or part-time basis.

The MBA program consists of 48 credits designed to help students become effective leaders and managers.

  • Students may move through the program at their own pace by enrolling in 3 or more credits per semester. Students must earn 24 MBA credits of core courses designed to give them experience in the various functional areas of a global business environment.
  • 21 MBA credits of electives are also included in the program, allowing students to customize their MBA program to help them meet their personal and professional career goals. The joint degree allows students to double count up to ten elective credits: 9 JD elective credits to be counted toward the MBA degree; and 10 MBA elective credits may be counted toward the JD degree.
  • The final course in the MBA program is the MBA Consulting Practicum. Here students work together in small teams and pull together everything they’ve learned throughout their studies to perform a consulting project for a local business.

Students in the JD/MBA joint degree program are encouraged to keep in close contact with their academic advisors at both schools to ensure that they carefully plan out their courses each semester.

Learning Goals for the MBA

  • Demonstrate and apply knowledge of the functional areas of business (best business practice)
  • Communicate effectively in writing and oral presentations
  • Understand and apply management skills to the Asia-Pacific business environment
  • Identify and analyze complex ethical and legal issues
  • Demonstrate understanding of the impacts of technology on business

TUITION

  • On average, full-time JD students will earn both degrees in four (4) years. There is no additional cost to full-time law students who take part-time MBA courses during the semesters when they are enrolled in 12 or more law credits. However, after they complete their JD degrees, they must pay for any additional business credits at the MBA tuition rate. See Part-Time MBA Tuition.

ADMISSIONS

  • To apply to the JD/MBA program, entering and current full-time JD students must complete the MBA application.
  • JD students may substitute the successful completion of the first-year law school curriculum for the two years of full-time, post baccalaureate work requirement for admission.
  • JD students may submit an LSAT score in lieu of a GMAT score.  Applicant who do not have business related undergraduate degree may be required to take the GMAT or GRE
  • Current full-time JD students typically apply to the Shidler College of Business during their first year. If accepted, they start their MBA classes in the fall of their second year.
  • Entering full-time JD students may apply for conditional admission to the Business School after they have been admitted to the Law School. Eventual admission to the Shidler College of Business is based upon MBA admissions criteria and the successful completion of the first-year curriculum at the Law School (30 credits with a law school GPA of 2.00 or higher, good standing). Students who do not successfully complete the first-year curriculum will not be eligible for the JD/MBA program.