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 faculty to accept the LSAT score in lieu of the GMAT. This is consistent with current practice in the MBA program. 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: http://www.umaine.edu/business/mba.htm or JD application process and guidelines: http://mainelaw.maine.edu/admissions/
The Program:
Students have three options in their programs of study.
- The suggested and preferable program of study 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 2 allows the student to work on the MBA degree the first year, completing 8 of the required 11 courses. The student then pursues the law degree for the next 3 years, completing 81 credit hours. The last 3 MBA courses are taken after the first year of law school is completed. These normally can include the required internship, and two elective MBA courses.
- 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.
Students must adhere to all of the regular policies in the MBA and law school programs.
