JD-MBA Joint Degree

Contact

Program Co-Director (Law School): Steve Reed
Program Co-Director (Kellogg): Mark McCareins

Program Overview

The JD-MBA program combines academic grounding, analytical skills, and practical experience, and sets graduates up for success in law or business. Students earn a Juris Doctor from Northwestern Pritzker Law and a Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management. This program enables students to follow their chosen career path, whether they aspire to be a business leader with legal expertise, or they want to pursue a law career with a solid foundation in management. The program also offers a rich array of experiential learning opportunities, enabling students to apply knowledge gained in the classroom to real-world, on-the-ground experiences.

Program Structure 

Year Course
First Year (Fall and Spring) Standard first-year law curriculum (Law School only)
First Year (Summer) Minimum 3 Kellogg units plus optional Law School electives
Second Year Complete Kellogg's MBA requirements (Kellogg only)
Third Year Complete JD requirements. Kellogg electives may also be available*.
*

Subject to policies governing cross-registration in addition to Kellogg's enrollment and maximum credit policies.

Curriculum

JDMBA students must complete all Kellogg requirements for the MBA plus all Law School requirements for the JD, with the following modifications to the JD curriculum:

Advanced Writing Requirement

JDMBA students may satisfy the writing requirement by completing either a Research Writing or a Professional Writing course, designated as such at the time of registration.  Students may not double count a course toward the Advanced Writing Requirement and another graduate requirement, such as Experiential Learning.

Co-Counted Credits

JDMBA students may count up to 27 credits from Kellogg toward the JD.  All Kellogg courses generating Law credit must be taken for a letter grades (not P/F).

  • 1 Kellogg unit = 2.5 Law School credits.
  • No more than 12 credits will be applied from non-colisted Kellogg courses (any Kellogg course counted toward the MBA)
  • No more than 15 credits will be applied from co-listed Kellogg courses (see list below)  
Course Title
Students may count up to 15 credits from Core/Elective Courses on this list
Core MBA Courses
ACCT 430-0Financial Accounting
If waived: 1
Managerial Accounting
Financial Reporting and Analysis
Note: ACCT-431 and ACCT-451 will not generate Law credit if taken in addition to ACCT-430
DECS 431-0Business Analytics II
FINC 430-0Finance I
or FINC 440-0 Accelerated Corporate Finance
If waived: 1
Finance II
Note: FINC-431 will not generate Law credit if taken in addition to FINC-430
MECN 430-0Microeconomic Analysis
If waived: 1
Competitive Strategy and Industrial Structure
Note: MECN-441 will not generate Law credit if taken in addition to MECN-430
STRT 431-0Business Strategy
Kellogg Elective Courses
Financial Planning for Mergers & Acquisitions
Financial Decisions
Entrepreneurial Finance and Venture Capital
Financial Strategy and Tax
Mergers and Acquisitions, LBOs and Corporate Restructuring
Macroeconomic Policy and Global Capital Markets
Managing Firms for Shareholders and Society: Thought Leadership Seminar
NUVention: Medical Innovation I
and NUVention: Medical Innovation II
Strategy Beyond Markets
Public Economics for Business Leaders: Federal Policy
Public Economics for Business Leaders: State and Local Policy
Legal Issues in Real Estate
Health and Human Rights
Strategic Challenges in Emerging Markets
1

See Kellogg's waiver policies.