Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration (Joint JD-MBA) | Office | Website

The Joint JD-MBA Program is offered to those who desire to pursue career avenues in which the integration of business and legal analysis is critical. Individuals seeking the Joint JD-MBA are typically interested in specific areas of law practice, (e.g. corporate or labor law), governmental agency work, or the management of specialized product firms.

Admission to the Joint JD-MBA Program is contingent upon separate admissions to the UDM School of Law program and the MBA Program. However, the applicant is not formally admitted into the Joint JD-MBA Program until the satisfactory completion of the first year of law studies (30 credit hours.) Beyond separate admission into the law school and the College of Business Administration, an individual must have completed first-year law courses with a cumulative average of 2.5 or better and with no course grade below a 2.0. An individual who desires to enter the Joint JD-MBA Program must complete a JD-MBA application form with the law school registrar typically in February or March of the first year of course work in the University's School of Law. Provisional acceptance to the Joint JD-MBA Program may be granted in April of the first year of law school, but final acceptance is dependent upon posting of first-year law school grades. A letter of acceptance is then sent to the applicant by the JD-MBA Program advisor.

The Joint JD-MBA Program incorporates two sets of academic requirements. Those two sets of requirements interface to allow a significant saving in course work when compared to an individual's efforts in accomplishing both degrees on a back-to-back, or independent basis.

JD Requirements Under the Joint Program
Law school course requirements consist of 78 credit hours, including all required courses of the regular law curriculum. A GPA of at least 2.5 is required of all law courses.

MBA Requirements Under the Joint Program
MBA courses include 24-40.5 credit hours of graduate business courses, depending upon the applicant's academic background and professional performance.

The usual approach to the Joint JD-MBA Program is to enter law school as a first-year student and, pending the outcome of the first-year law studies, to be admitted into the joint program. Once admitted, course studies over the next two to three years are scheduled to integrate law and business studies. This sequencing is based upon a law school student who enters in Term I of the academic year.

Some candidates who began course work in the MBA Program may decide to seek admission to the Joint JD-MBA Program. It must be noted, however, that candidates who pursue this approach must be accepted into the law school program on a Term I basis only. Admission requirements, as described above, necessarily apply to the JD-MBA candidate who follows this particular sequencing of course work.

Upon completion of the Joint JD-MBA Program, graduates receive two diplomas: one for the JD degree and one for the MBA degree.

Tuition rates and fees for students in the Joint JD-MBA Program are the same as those for the School of Law at the University of Detroit Mercy.

All applications, forms, original files, and grade analyses are handled through the Registrar of the School of Law. Contact: Assistant Dean of Admissions and Student Affairs, School of Law at (313) 596-0264; lawao@udmercy.edu.