Graduate Programs - JOINT MBA/ JD PROGRAM
University of Maine Business School
University of Maine School of Law
JOINT MBA/ JD PROGRAM
Why consider a joint MBA-JD degree?
This program provides career opportunities in the areas of business and law. A solid business background provides an important foundation to truly understand how organizations work and prepares you for careers in corporate law, tax law, contract law, bankruptcy law, and labor law among others. In addition, with the new Business & Sustainability track in the MBA program, a student could also consider a career in environmental law.
Benefits of this joint program:
Normally, the MBA program takes 1.5 – 2 years to complete (42 credit hours) and the law program, three years (90 credit hours). This joint program reduces the total number of courses required by five (15 credit hours). This reduces the potential time from five years (132 credit hours) to four years plus a few summers (117 credit hours). The MBA program will accept 6 credit hours from the prescribed courses in the first year law curriculum. The law school will accept 9 credit hours from MBA core courses plus approved electives after a student has completed the first year of the law program.
Admission
Students will apply separately to the MBA program and the Law School and will also be admitted separately to each program, but will indicate their interest in this joint program by completing a joint MBA-JD intent form. Students may take both the LSAT and the GMAT or may request the MBA program to accept the LSAT score in lieu of the GMAT. A minimum LSAT score of 153 represents a goal for students to achieve to be considered for this program. A minimum score of 500 is required in the GMAT exam for the MBA program. However, attaining a score of 500 on the GMAT exam does NOT guarantee acceptance into the MBA program. See MBA application process and guidelines or JD application process and guidelines: http://mainelaw.maine.edu/admissions/
The Program:
Students have three options in their programs of study.
Option 1 allows the student to work on the MBA degree the first year, completing 12 of the required 14 courses. (This represents the Business School accepting 6 credit hours of Law School classes). The student then pursues the law degree for the next 3 years, completing 81 credit hours. The Law School will accept 9 credit hours of approved business courses after the student is fully matriculated into the Law School. The 6 credit hours taken during the first year of Law School will be transferred into the MBA program upon their completion. Please note that this assumes that students will not be working and will complete the MBA in 2 semesters plus the summer term.
Option 2 has the student taking the first year of the law program in the first year of the dual program, followed by most of the MBA program in year two. This allows for a true integration of the material. The student then completes the law program in years three and four.
Option 3 has the student taking their 81 credit hours in the law school first and then returning to Orono to complete the MBA degree. In this case, the Law school will accept the last 9 credit hours from the MBA program upon successful completion of those MBA courses. The student will take the required 12 courses in the MBA program and the 2 courses from the Law School will be accepted as transfer courses.
Students must adhere to all of the regular policies in the MBA and law school. Note that all courses in the Business School and Law School must be completed with a minimum grade of B.
