Is a joint MBA and law degree program in your future? There are good reasons to begin thinking about such a program even if you are still an undergrad. If you select the right major and pick the proper courses, you might be able to reduce the amount of time that you spend in a joint program like the one offered by The University of Oregon. How? For starters, you will need to have certain economics courses “under your belt.” If you plan ahead, you might just be able to save an entire year of college (and college tuition fees) in a joint program like the University of Oregon’s joint MBA and Law Program also known as a J.D./M.B.A. program.
If you already have a bachelor’s degree in business, you might just be able to skip the first year of the two your accelerated M.B.A. part of the program! Why is this a good thing? Why all the money you save, of course! Instead of paying graduate school tuition prices, you could, in theory, be paying state-tuition undergraduate prices on a business degree. Imagine being able to keep those pesky student-loan payments down!
All of this underscores the importance of having a detailed plan for your future education endeavors as soon as possible. It is easy to strictly fixate on your undergrad work and to an extent this is a good idea. But keep in mind that the undergraduate degree you opt-for today could make graduate school a whole lot faster and cheaper down the road.
The University of Oregon offers other concurrent degrees, such as Conflict and Dispute Resolution and Law (J.D./M.S.), Environmental Studies and Law (J.D./M.S) and International Studies and Law (J.D/M.A). Of course, your undergraduate degree will play a role in how quickly you will be able to complete such programs. There are other joint degree programs of this kind. Doing your “homework” well in advance may very well mean that you are able to match the exact master’s degree you seek with a law degree. Likewise, there are other degree programs of this kind as well for other disciplines. Quite often the largest single advantage to such a degree is the time and potentially the money that one can save.
What kind of options would you have with a joint degree such as a J.D./M.B.A.? Clearly, those interested in entering the business world or becoming a lawyer would have a real edge with a degree of this kind. If you want options, it is hard to go wrong with a joint degree that is diverse as this one as it would allow graduates to potentially head in many different directions in the corporate world. Further, the various skill sets such a degree program would confer should not be overlooked.
Are there any downsides to such a degree program? Many would state that since these programs are accelerated graduates might not learn everything that they should. However, this varies wildly by both institution and degree program.
