JD/MBA

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  Course of Study

  If students enter the program as law students, they will devote their first year to the standard first-year law school curriculum. After the first year, most students pursue an integrated course of study in both colleges. Some prefer to devote most of the second year to the MBA portion of the program. Students who enter the joint degree program after beginning the MBA program will spend the next academic year completing the first-year law curriculum.

  The joint JD/MBA program requires approximately three and one-half to four years of full-time study, depending on the number of courses required for the MBA. For part-time students, the first-year law curriculum will require two academic years to complete. For the JD degree, 78 School of Law credit hours are required.

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  About the Program

  Depending on a student's background, the JD-MBA can be completed in as little as seven semesters, which is only one more semester than typically required for the US JD.

  Students in the JD-MBA program study legal and business concepts, such as regulatory frameworks, business management principles, accounting practices with tax law, labor management relations with labor law, organizational planning with corporation law, and corporate financing with banking and securities law.

  Law students admitted to the program complete the first-year core law school curriculum and then pursue an integrated course of study taking law and business courses simultaneously. MBA program students admitted to the program complete the first-year core law school curriculum after admission and then may pursue an integrated course of study.

  Students may be full or part time.

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  JD Degree Requirements

  For the JD, 78 School of Law credit hours, including all required courses:

  Foundation Courses:

  • LAW 1082 Applied Legal Theory & Analysis I (3 credits)
  • LAW 1083 Applied Legal Theory & Analysis II (4 credits)
  • LAW 1110 Contracts I* (3 credits)
  • LAW 1111 Contracts II* (3 credits)
  • LAW 1120 Property I* (3 credits)
  • LAW 1121 Property II* (3 credits)
  • LAW 1130 Torts* (4 credits)
  • LAW 1140 Criminal Law* (3 credits)
  • LAW 1152 Civil Procedure* (4 credits)

  Core Courses:

  • LAW 2060 Constitutional Law*^^ (4 credits)
  • LAW 2220 Evidence*^^ (4 credits)
  • LAW 2470 Professional Responsibility (3 credits)
  • Upper Level Writing Requirement^ (2-3 credits)
  • Clinic^ (2-4 credits)
  • Law Firm Program^ (3 credits)
  • Global Law^ (1-3 credits)
  • Electives (credits vary)

  * A minimum grade of 2.2 is required for course to meet graduation requirements.

  ^ Attributes of Upper Level Writing Requirement, Clinic, Law Firm Program, or Global Law course requirements will be listed on applicable courses in the Class Schedule.

  ^^ Students must take these courses within the first 60 hours.

  Under the JD/MBA program, the typical JD elective credits are satisfied with MBA coursework, leaving the student to only complete the remaining 78 required Law credits.

  For the MBA, students must complete courses in several categories as outlined below.

  Foundation Courses

  Foundation courses may be waived by the College of Business Administration if the applicant has taken equivalent undergraduate courses. Absent such waiver, the following foundational courses are required:

  • ACC 5100 Corporate Financial Accounting
  • MBA 5120 Data Analysis for Decision Making
  • MBA 5180 Fundamentals of Financial Management
    
    

  Core Required Courses

  Core required classes in the College of Business Administration include the following:

  • ACC 5200 Managerial Accounting
  • MBA 5200 Modeling, Analytics, and Operations Decisions
  • MBA 5210 Personal Development, Ethics, and Social Responsibility
  • MBA 5220 Strategic Financial Management
  • MBA 5240 Marketing Management & Planning
  • MBA 5250 Teamwork and Shared Leadership: Enhancing the Creative Process in Organizations
  • MBA 5260 Systems & Technology
  • MBA 5900 Strategic Management and Innovation in a Global Economy

  Electives

  Students complete nine hours of electives specifically approved as part of a cognate area concentration. These electives may be either law or business courses. Law courses considered as business electives also may be counted toward the 78 hours required for the JD. The JD/MBA faculty advisor in the law school must approve the cognate concentration.

  Additional Academic Policies

  JD/MBA students must maintain a 2.8 GPA in law courses and a 3.0 in business courses to remain in the joint degree program and to receive the two degrees. Requirements for both degrees must be completed before either is awarded. Thus, a JD/MBA program student who has completed the law requirements but not the business requirements is not eligible to sit for the bar exam. Students who do not maintain these eligibility requirements may remain in both programs, but must complete the normal requirements for each degree.

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  MBA Degree Requirements

  For the MBA, students must complete courses in several categories. Visit the Master of Business Administration (MBA) page for more information.

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  Law Students

  Law students should: (1) submit the joint degree program application to lawadmissions@udmercy.edu and (2) request their reference to submit the recommendation form directly to lawadmissions@udmercy.edu. Both the application and recommendation form need to be submitted by June 15 to begin the program in the upcoming fall term. An applicant cannot be formally admitted to the program until satisfactory completion of the first-year core curriculum (30 credit hours). A GMAT score may not be required if the applicant has: (1) an undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or above, (2) seven or more years of professional experience, or (3) already earned a graduate or professional degree.

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  MBA Students

  MBA students should submit the joint degree program application to the MBA office. MBA students must also complete a full application to the School of Law through the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) to be considered for admission due to law school accreditation requirements. This requires a current LSAT score.

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  Application

  Applicants must be admitted to both the School of Law (requires LSAT score) and the College of Business Administration (may require GMAT score). Applications must include complete responses to all questions. 

  
  Law Students

  Law students should: (1) submit the joint degree program application to lawadmissions@udmercy.edu and (2) request their reference to submit the recommendation form directly to lawadmissions@udmercy.edu. Both the application and recommendation form need to be submitted by June 15 to begin the program in the upcoming fall term. An applicant cannot be formally admitted to the program until satisfactory completion of the first-year core curriculum (30 credit hours). A GMAT score may not be required if the applicant has: (1) an undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or above, (2) seven or more years of professional experience, or (3) already earned a graduate or professional degree. 

  
  MBA Students

  MBA students should submit the joint degree program application to the MBA office. MBA students must also complete a full application to the School of Law through the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) to be considered for admission due to law school accreditation requirements. This requires a current LSAT score.

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  CAS Report

  Applicants must request that LSAC provide Detroit Mercy Law with a Credential Assembly Service (CAS) Report that includes all LSAT score(s), transcript(s), and TOEFL scores (if applicable).

  TOEFL scores, including the Test of Written English and the Test of Spoken English, are required from applicants who earned their undergraduate degree outside of the U.S., its territories, or Canada.  Applicants should contact the Educational Testing Service (ETS) for TOEFL registration at www.toefl.org. Applicants submitting TOEFL results must request that ETS send TOEFL scores to LSAC. LSAC's TOEFL code is 0058.

  Applicants who completed more than one year of post-secondary work outside of the U.S., its territories, or Canada, with the exception of study abroad, consortium, or exchange programs sponsored by a U.S. or Canadian institution and stated as such on the home institution transcript, are required to use CAS for the authentication and evaluation of international transcripts. For less than one year of study, an applicant may submit transcripts of this work directly to Detroit Mercy Law.

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  Letters of Recommendation

  Two letters of recommendation are required, and one must come from a college professor, unless the applicant has been out of college for a number of years. Letters of recommendation should be submitted through LSAC.

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  Personal Statement

  The personal statement is an opportunity for the Admissions Committee to learn more about your qualifications and how you will contribute to the classroom and the profession. The statement should not exceed two pages and should include your name and LSAC account number on each page. Please share information about what inspired you to pursue a legal education, your professional goals, and your interests. The statement also serves as a writing sample and should adhere to conventional rules of writing.

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  Resume

  A one-page resume is preferred. Resumes should not exceed two pages. Please include an education section and experience section. In the education section, you may list any awards, scholarships, publications, and activities. In the experience section, you may include both paid and unpaid experiences. You may also include other sections, for example, languages, memberships, and interests. Do not include an objective or references section.

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  Addenda

  Please submit an explanatory addendum for each academic and criminal disclosure that includes specific dates, causes, circumstances, and outcomes for each disclosure. Other explanatory addenda are accepted, but not required. Addenda should not exceed one page in length, absent extraordinary circumstances.

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  Academic Credentials

  We encourage candidates to maintain a cumulative undergraduate grade point average at or above 3.0 and to perform at the 50th percentile or better on the LSAT for admission; however, we consider a range of applicants based on all aspects of the application.

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  Additional Criteria

  We consider a range of applicants based on all aspects of the application. Additional criteria include writing and analytical skills, leadership, work experience, and service. We recognize that a diverse student body enhances our community, and we value individuals who offer unique backgrounds and experiences.