JD-MBA

Develop skills valued by legal and corporate employers.

Earn a JD from Detroit Mercy Law and an MBA from University of Detroit Mercy College of Business Administration in less time than if they were pursued separately.

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    About the Program

    Depending on a student's background, the JD-MBA can be completed in as little as seven semesters, which is only one more semester than typically required for the US JD.

    Students in the JD-MBA program study legal and business concepts, such as regulatory frameworks, business management principles, accounting practices with tax law, labor management relations with labor law, organizational planning with corporation law, and corporate financing with banking and securities law.

    Law students admitted to the program complete the first-year core law school curriculum and then pursue an integrated course of study taking law and business courses simultaneously. MBA program students admitted to the program complete the first-year core law school curriculum after admission and then may pursue an integrated course of study.

    Students may be full or part time. Learn more here about best practices for selecting a program division in light of employment and other non-academic commitments.

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    Apply to the JD-MBA Program

    Applicants must be admitted to both the School of Law (requires LSAT score) and the College of Business Administration (may require GMAT score).

    Law students should: (1) submit the joint degree program application to lawadmissions@udmercy.edu and (2) request their reference to submit the recommendation form directly to lawadmissions@udmercy.edu. Both the application and recommendation form need to be submitted by June 15 to begin the program in the upcoming fall term. An applicant cannot be formally admitted to the program until satisfactory completion of the first-year core curriculum (30 credit hours). A GMAT score may not be required if the applicant has: (1) an undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or above, (2) seven or more years of professional experience, or (3) already earned a graduate or professional degree. 

    MBA students should submit the joint degree program application to the MBA office. MBA students must also complete a full application to the School of Law through the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) to be considered for admission due to law school accreditation requirements. This requires a current LSAT score. Learn more here.

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    About the College of Business Administration

    CBA alumni populate board rooms and executive offices of major companies, governments, and nonprofits around the world. View a sample of them here.

    Detroit Mercy’s business programs have remained fully accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business for more than 60 years. Detroit Mercy is the only private school in the state of Michigan to earn this distinction, which places the CBA in the top five percent of business schools worldwide. The CBA is ranked the best private business school in Michigan, and the #2 business school overall by College Choice. 

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    College of Business Administration Successes

    Examples of Alumni & Alumnae Success from the University of Detroit Mercy College of Business Administration

    • CEO - First New York Securities                       CEO - Chrysler Financial
    • Chairman of the Board - Flagstar Bank             President & CEO - Wendy’s Restaurants
    • President - Central DuPage Hospital                  President & CEO - Credit Union One
    • President & CEO - Rock Ventures, Ltd.              President - Syngeries Plus, LLC
    • President & CEO - West Coast Bancorp            Senior Vice President - CBS Television
    • Managing Director - UHY Advisors                     Senior Vice President - DTE Energy
    • Senior Vice President - Accretive Solutions        President - Ford Motor Credit, Asia-Pacific
    • CFO & Treasurer - Myrexis, Inc.                          U.S. Senator, Michigan
    • Vice President - CNA Financial                            Executive Vice President & CFO - Visteon Corp.
    • Director of Interior Design - General Motors        Senior Vice President - Bank of Birmingham
    • Senior Vice President - Fifth Third Bank              President & CEO - Stein World
    • Senior Counsel - Dow Chemical                          Vice President - University of Colorado
    • Chief Financial Officer - Core Source                   Vice President & CFO - American Axle
    • Senior VP & CFO - Applied Micro Circuits            President & CEO - Citizens Bank
    • President - University of Portland                          Senior Vice President - Centrex Corp.
    • Partner - PricewaterhouseCoopers                       Senior Vice President & CFO - Fidelity Bank
    • Quality Manager - Continental AG                        Chief Financial Officer - Argent International
    • Chairman - Winestone Group                               Chairman & CEO - Intraco Corporation
    • Senior Vice President - Tech Team Global            Procurement Officer - Chrysler Group
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    Degree Requirements: 102 - 120 Credits

    The program combines two sets of academic requirements. Requirements for both degrees must be completed before either is awarded. Thus, a JD-MBA program student who has completed the law requirements but not the business requirements is not eligible to sit for the bar exam.

    Students must maintain a 2.8 GPA in law courses and a 3.0 GPA in business courses. Students who do not maintain these eligibility requirements may remain in both programs, but must complete the individual requirements for each degree.

    For the JD, students complete 78 credits at the law school, which includes all required and some elective courses. For the MBA, students complete 24-42 credits. These requirements vary depending on the academic background and course selections of the student, as outlined below.

    MBA Foundation Courses

    Foundation courses may be waived if the applicant has taken equivalent undergraduate courses. Absent such waiver, the following foundational courses are required:

    • ACC 5100 Corporate Financial Accounting
    • MBA 5120 Data Analysis for Decision Making
    • MBA 5180 Foundations of Financial Management

    MBA Core Required Courses
    • ACC 5200 Managerial Accounting
    • MBA 5200 Modeling, Analytics, and Operations Decisions
    • MBA 5210 Personal Development, Ethics, and Social Responsibility
    • MBA 5220 Strategic Financial Management
    • MBA 5240 Marketing Management & Planning
    • MBA 5250 Teamwork and Shared Leadership: Enhancing the Creative Process in Organizations
    • MBA 5260 Systems & Technology
    • MBA 5900 Strategic Management and Innovation in a Global Economy

    MBA Electives
    Students complete nine hours of electives specifically approved as part of a cognate area concentration. These electives may be either law or business courses. Law courses considered as business electives also may be counted toward the 78 hours required for the JD. The JD-MBA faculty advisor in the Law School must approve the cognate concentration.

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    Contact

    Admissions-related inquiries should be directed to the law admissions team at lawadmissions@udmercy.edu.

    Other inquiries may be directed to the JD-MBA faculty advisor, Professor Deborah Paruch at paruchd@udmercy.edu.