Under the joint degree pathway, a student can obtain both degrees in significantly less time than it would take to obtain both degrees if pursued consecutively. Essential criteria relating to the joint degree pathway are as follows:
- Candidates for the joint degree pathway must meet the entrance requirements for and be accepted by both Colleges. Both Colleges must be informed by the student at the time of application to the second program that the student intends to pursue the joint degree.
- The joint degree pathway is not open to students who have already earned one degree.
- For law students, enrollment in the MBA program is required no later than the completion of 63 credit hours in the JD program. For MBA students, enrollment in the JD program is required no later than the third semester after beginning the MBA program. For purposes of this paragraph, a summer session is counted as half a semester.
- A student must satisfy the curriculum requirements for each degree before either degree is awarded. The College of Business will allow 12 credit hours of upper level business and commercial law courses to be credited toward both the M.B.A. and J.D. degrees. These 12 credit hours of law classes will be in lieu of the Legal Environment of Business course (3 credit hours) and three of the elective courses (totaling 9 credit hours) required for the M.B.A. degree. A student may obtain a concentration in the MBA program in accordance with the College of Business curriculum requirements for concentrations. Reciprocally, law students may receive 9 hours of credit toward the satisfaction of the J.D. degree for courses taken in the M.B.A. curriculum upon completion of the M.B.A. degree curriculum with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher.
- A student enrolled in the joint degree pathway may begin the student’s studies in either College, but full-time law students must take the first two semesters of law study consecutively and part-time law students must take the first three semesters of law study consecutively. Students admitted to one College but electing to begin study in the other College under the joint degree pathway may enter the second College thereafter without once again qualifying for admission so long as they have notified the second College before the end of the first week of the first semester in the second College and are in good academic standing when studies commence in the second College.
- A student enrolled in the joint degree pathway will not receive either degree until the student has satisfied all of the requirements for both degrees, or until the student has satisfied the requirements of one of the degrees as if the student had not been a joint degree candidate.
- Students in the joint degree pathway will be eligible for the graduate teaching assistantships and research assistantships in the College of Business on the same basis as other MBA students, subject to the guidelines and restrictions set by the College of Business.
For additional information, contact:
IMBA/JD- IMBA office imba@fiu.edu