Joint Degrees

JD/MBA JOINT DEGREE

The J. Reuben Clark Law School and the Marriott School of Management have approved arrangements whereby qualified students may earn joint degrees from the two schools in four years of full-time graduate study. Students may earn a Juris Doctor (JD) and either a Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Public Administration (MPA), or Master of Accountancy (MAcc).

Cross-counting of Credit

The Law School and the School of Management accept credit from each other toward the joint degrees.

The JD program accepts:

  • 12 credit hours from the MBA program;
  • 11.5 credit hours from the MPA program; and
  • 6 credit hours from the MAcc program.

The MBA program accepts:

  • 12 credit hours from the JD program.

The MPA program accepts:

  • 10.5 credit hours from the JD program.

The MAcc program accepts:

  • 12 credit hours from the JD program in lieu of Public Management 582 (Ethics, Business, and Society, 3 credit hours) and 9 credit hours of MAcc electives.

Admissions

Candidates must satisfy the admissions requirements for and be admitted to each program separately. They must submit applications to both programs by the respective deadlines. They must take the LSAT (admissions test for the JD), as well as the GMAT (admissions test for the MBA, MPA, and MAcc) or the GRE (alternative admissions test for the MPA). (Note: the MPA program accepts the LSAT as the admissions test when students apply to both the JD program and the MPA program in the same year, and also when JD students apply to the MPA program.) Students should apply to both programs simultaneously if they want confirmation of admission to both programs. However, students admitted to only one program may apply for admission to the other program during their first year of study.

Time Sequence

Students take classes in one program during the first year of study, classes in the other program during the second year, and classes in both programs during the third and fourth years. Students may choose which program to begin first.

Tuition

Tuition is the same for the JD, MBA, MPA, and MAcc programs.

Scholarships

Students must qualify for scholarships in each program separately. The programs will coordinate scholarships to avoid duplication. Joint degree students who receive a scholarship are eligible for scholarship assistance from the JD program for a maximum of three years, from the MBA program for a maximum of four semesters (however, JD/MBA students cannot receive scholarships from both programs in the same semester), and from the MPA program for a maximum of two years.

Graduation

Although students may participate in a college convocation before completing the requirements for both degrees, the official awarding of each degree will not occur until the graduation requirements for BOTH degrees are satisfied. If either of the two programs is not completed, students must satisfy the regular graduation requirements of the other program to receive that degree.

Revised June 2007

MBA/MS - PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

The MBA program has joined with the Mechanical Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering departments to offer a joint program in Product Development (PD), leading to Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Science (MS) degrees. The program takes an average of 3 years to complete.

The Product Development program addresses important needs for engineers, designers, and managers who excel in world-class product development, a cross-functional process requiring both technical and managerial skills. The program provides students with the management skills of the MBA program, and advanced training in engineering. Courses teach specific expertise in product and process development through projects, industrial interaction, and research in development and interdisciplinary methods.

Candidates must apply and be admitted to the mechanical engineering or manufacturing engineering MS program and the MBA program separately, but should communicate their intention to participate in the PD program in each respective application. Interested applicants may contact Dr. William Sawaya, PD Major Leader, at william_sawaya@byu.edu or (801) 422-2417 for additional information and requirements.

The MBA and MS degrees are approved and conferred separately by the two respective programs. Because course work for the two degrees overlaps and similarities between the two programs are emphasized, completion of the PD program offers significant advantages to completing each program separately.

*Chemical, electrical, and civil engineering are not standard options for the PD program, but may be pursued on an individual basis with Dr. Giauque.