The following is intended as a guide for J.D./M.B.A. students in planning their four year program. It is eminently possible to complete the requirements of both degrees in four years without the necessity of “credit overload” or “pre-requisite bypass” by planning your program early (no later than Fall of the second year) and seeking appropriate advice throughout the process. Students should note that it is difficult to achieve the full flexibility and richness of either the separate J.D. or M.B.A. curriculum in this J.D./M.B.A. format. However, with proper planning, a complete law and business experience, curricular and extra-curricular, can be achieved. Advisors and administrators will endeavor to assist you to optimize the curricular experience within the parameters set forth below.
Overall Credit Structure
When pursued separately the J.D. and M.B.A. degrees require 83 credits and 60 credits respectively. A properly structured J.D./M.B.A.program can be completed with a total of 122 credits which, spread over eight semesters, requires 15 or 16 credits per semester. The 122 credits will comprise 71 appropriate Law school credits and 51 Stern credits. Degree requirements are satisfied by allowing 12 Stern credits to help satisfy the J.D. degree requirement (71 plus 12 equals 83) and 9 appropriate Law credits to be added to 51 credits at Stern to satisfy the M.B.A. requirements. These credit allocations are tight so students must be careful in selecting appropriate courses and sequences.
Recommended Four Year Sequence
It is highly recommended that J.D./M.B.A.students spend their first two years at the Law school, taking Law courses. This will enable 1L and first semester 2L students to apply for the program, will optimize students’ extra-curricular opportunities, and is more consistent with the pattern of summer employment opportunities available (see below for a brief description of summer employment issues).
While we recommend that students do not begin taking Stern courses until they officially begin the M.B.A. program the Stern school recognizes that some students may have taken business courses prior to matriculation and will allow a maximum of one course to count toward the M.B.A. Students should consult the J.D./M.B.A. advisors for appropriate courses and information regarding prerequisites. Also, please note that students are advised against taking L03.3020, Corporate Finance at the Law school, in their 2L year, as this course is very similar to the Finance sequence they will take at Stern.
The third year of the J.D./M.B.A.will be spent at Stern in the normal M.B.A.1 core curriculum. Just as with conventional M.B.A. students there are possibilities of waiving certain M.B.A. core requirements depending on prior background and/or proficiency exam results. Students should consult Stern advisors in the usual way on this topic.
The fourth year of the program will be spent taking a mix of Law and Stern courses to satisfy the overall degree requirements set forth above while allowing students flexibility in pursuing advanced law and business courses. Normally students will register at Stern in the Fall semester paying Stern tuition and at the Law school in the Spring paying law school tuition. When a student is registered at Stern they must be registered for a majority of Stern credits (e.g. B number classes). When a student is registered at the Law school they must be registered for a majority of Law credits (e.g. L number classes).
Cross Listed Courses
Certain courses, e.g. Law and Business of Investment Banking, are cross-listed, i.e. carry both official L and B numbers. Students will be given credit for these courses toward the degree implied by the course number under which they register. Note that the cross listed section of the course Professional Responsibility in Law and Business will satisfy the ethics/professional responsibility curricular requirement of both schools, but will only count for credit in the school in which the student registers for it. (For example, students who register for the course using the L number will not be required to take Professional Responsibility at Stern, but must still complete 51 credits at Stern.) It is anticipated that priority registration will be afforded to J.D./M.B.A. students in registering for this section.
Sample Summer Employment
Here's one recommended sequence of summer internships for J.D./M.B.A. candidates:
1L summer- specialized business/law internship facilitated by J.D./M.B.A. faculty advisors and Law school OCS
2L summer- law firm or other “conventional” 2L internship through OCS
M.B.A.1 summer- financial institution or other business internship using the Stern OCD
This sequence should optimize J.D./M.B.A. candidates’ opportunities for obtaining summer employment and provide a basis for pursuit of a wide variety of permanent employment positions.
For further information see:
Stern's Office of Career Development
Office of Career Services
This is a general guide for incoming J.D./M.B.A. students and those considering entering the program during their first year at NYU Law School. Students are urged, however, to consult with appropriate faculty and administrative advisors for further specifics.
Law Academic Services
Stern Dual-Degree Program Advising
Faculty Advisors:
Gerald Rosenfeld
Helen Scott
Rachel Kowal
