What is a JD MBA program?
Typical law school programs span three years long, while most MBA programs are two years long. Instead of students dedicating five years to pursue both degrees, schools have combined the two programs together to earn two credentials (a JD MBA) in only four years.
Who is eligible to apply?
There are separate applications you need to submit to when applying for your JD MBA. To gain admission you need to apply to both the law school as well as the business school. This also means taking both the LSAT and the GMAT/GRE.
It is incredibly difficult to get admitted to both law and business schools. Therefore, many JD MBA applicants apply to several programs at once. Another option is to apply to your first year of law school and then during that year, apply to your corresponding school’s MBA program. Or vice versa.
Why should you consider a JD MBA?
There are many pros to having a JD MBA. The benefits are obvious if you want to become a corporate attorney (specifically in the mergers and acquisitions field). But there are many other career possibilities that could open for someone with a dual degree.
When you’re attending both programs, you will double your contact list as well as diversify it. You will be able to create a network in both realms becoming the rare contact point. You could for example, have the business wherewithal to manage your own law practice you opened up.
Having a JD MBA under your belt will also help you stand out from the pack. The competition coming out of law school is tough, especially for big law firms. The advantage of having an MBA under your belt could provide you with that extra edge to secure a job.
What schools offer the best JD MBA programs?
Four-Year Programs include Stanford, UC Berkeley, NYU, Duke, Harvard Law School (HLS) and Harvard Business School (HBS) and many more top schools.
HLS and HBS offer a joint degree program in law and business. Prospective JD MBA students may apply to both schools at the same time or they can apply during the first year of study at either HLS or HBS. All HLS applicants have to submit a GRE or LSAT score, and all HBS applicants are required to submit a GMAT or GRE score.
Three-Year Programs include Yale University and Columbia University.
Instead of earning your JD MBA in four years, some universities offer a more integrated program for three years. Advantages of this include graduating with peers from both schools as well as saving time and costs. A big disadvantage to consider is having less time to network and less opportunity to explore academic interests.
Integrated Applications
Numerous programs have started to integrate their application processes. Be ready to research each application carefully. Different to the separate applications, you will be submitting one set of application materials.
New York University’s four-year JD MBA program has an integrated application. However, your application will be reviewed separately. This means you will still need to gain admission to both programs. Note that the GMAT or GRE is optional, but the LSAT is mandatory.
You can apply to Northwestern University’s three-year accelerated program with one integrated application to the business school. You will have to submit your GMAT score but you will not have to submit a separate law school application or even an LSAT score.
However, the University of Pennsylvania’s JD MBA program has a three-year program with an integrated application. But you will have to submit both your GMAT and LSAT score.
It is vital that you showcase how your professional experiences position you for both the corporate and legal career path in your integrated JD MBA application.