4.15 The J.D. – M.B.A. Joint Degree Program of Capital University Law School and the School of Management of Capital University

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    4.15.01 Introduction

    In 1985, the faculties of the Capital University School of Management (SOM) and the Capital University Law School agreed to create a joint degree program to enable students to complete both degrees with a substantial reduction in total credit hours. Full participation in the program enables the student to complete the two degrees by taking necessary prerequisite courses required by the School of Management and (2) 111 credit hours of required and elective courses specified by the School of Management and the Law School. Without the joint program, a student would have to complete prerequisite courses, as needed, and 40 hours in the School of Management and 89 hours in the Law School. Thus, through participation in the joint program, the student's hourly requirement is decreased by 18 credit hours.
  • 4.15.02 Advantages of the Joint J.D./M.B.A Program

    Frequently, business executives, accountants, and attorneys recommend to prospective School graduates that they consider acquiring both a J.D. and an M.B.A. Both courses of study are extremely useful in the business and legal communities. Individuals holding both degrees are frequently able to progress faster, utilizing the joint training in law and business to better achieve both professional and personal goals. No reliable statistics exist to absolutely prove this, but placement directors and corporate executives frequently inquire if we have graduates with both sets of credentials. Obviously, having both degrees provides the graduate with the flexibility of pursuing opportunities in law or business 

  • 4.15.03 Application to the Joint J.D./M.B.A. Program

    A. Students enrolled in either the Graduate School or the Law School may seek the assistance of the program advisors. Prospective students not currently enrolled at Capital University may request additional information about the joint degree program from either:
     

     

    Office of the Dean Admissions Office
       
    Capital University School of Management                              Capital University Law School
    2199 East Main Street 303 East Broad Street
    Columbus, OH  43209 Columbus, OH  43215
    (614) 236-6679 (614) 236-6310
    website:  www.capital.edu  email:  admisson@law.capital.edu 
      website:  www.law.capital.edu 

    B. Persons who desire to enroll in the joint program should read thoroughly the relevant materials of both the Law School and the School of Management prior to scheduling a conference with the joint program advisor in either school. A student already enrolled in one school should first talk with that school's advisor.

    C. Admission into the M.B.A. program requires completing and filing its admissions application, together with the reported results of the GMAT, with the School of Management (SOM). Similarly, admission into the Law School requires completion and filing of its admissions application, together with the reported results of the LSAT, with the Law School.

    1. The GMAT and LSAT exams both are administered four times per year. However, the examinations are not given at the same time, or in the same location. Prospective students should consult the admissions offices or publications of the respective schools for further information.

    2. The joint degree applicant must complete two applications, submit two standardized test scores, pay two application fees, and file the joint degree application with both programs.

    3. Because each school admits students separately, admission into either program does not signify or predict admissibility into the other.

    D. A prospective student not already enrolled in either school may apply to both schools at the same time and so indicate by filing the joint student application with both schools. However, the student must elect to start either the M.B.A. or the J.D. program first and complete the basic required courses of that program prior to taking courses in the second program.

    1. The basic required courses of the J.D. program are the 29 credit hours of the full-time first year Law School curriculum, which takes one year if enrolled as a full-time student or two years as a part-time student. The applicant is advised to start the law program first, unless first having begun the SOM program before entry into law school.

    2. SOM normally requires its students to have completed two years of work experience prior to admission. If the joint degree applicant does not have the minimum two years business or managerial experience, the applicant must start the Law School first. After completing 29 hours of law work they are deemed to have satisfied the two year work experience requirement and may start the M.B.A. program, assuming they have completed all required M.B.A. prerequisite courses. Additionally, the M.B.A. program has nine (9) required courses (31 hours), which the student starting the M.B.A. program must complete before beginning the J.D. program.

    E. The student enrolled in one program may apply for admission into the other program as outlined in the relevant admissions materials of each school. Also a joint degree application must be filed with the Office of Admission of each school.

    1. As indicated above, admission into one program does not signify admissibility into the other program. In order to be admitted into the second program the student will have to be in good standing in the first program and meet all admission requirements of the second program. However, a student who is near completion of one program, but who has not yet commenced the other program, may not be able to pursue the joint degree program. 

    2. A current student in either program may apply to be a joint student by notifying the faculty advisor and registrar (Law School) or records secretary (SOM) of the school in which the student is already enrolled, and then applying for admission to the other school.

    Because the student is already enrolled in one program, the student ordinarily must complete the basic required courses in the program already begun prior to starting courses in the other program. For the law student, this means completing those courses required in the first year day curriculum. For the SOM student, this means completion of all required M.B.A. prerequisites and the first 31 hours of M.B.A. course requirements.


    F. Occasionally an applicant to the joint J.D./M.B.A. program seeks to apply, as transfer credit, course work taken at a school other than Capital University.

    1. The School of Management accepts up to nine hours of transfer credit from another accredited M.B.A. program (usually about three courses) and the Law School accepts up to 43 credit hours of transfer credit from another accredited law program. However, a course taken at another institution and accepted for transfer credit by SOM cannot be used to satisfy the nine credit hours that the Law School accepts from SOM work for credit toward the J.D. degree. A course taken at another institution and accepted for transfer credit by the Law School cannot be used to satisfy the nine credit hours that the School of Management accepts from the Law School work for credit toward the M.B.A. degree.

    2. The Law School requires all law students to complete a minimum of 43 credit hours at the law school (exclusive of transfer credits or credits earned at other schools with whom the Law School offers a joint degree program). Typically, this requirement only affects students wishing to transfer into the Law School from another law school.
     

     

  • 4.15.04 Period of Enrollment

    A. Normally, the part-time joint degree candidate is able to complete both degrees within five and a half years. The candidate who completes law school as a day student can complete both programs in four years and three summers.

    B. The School of Management normally requires the student to complete the M.B.A. within five years from the semester in which the student is initially enrolled in SOM 600 (Business and Society). Because the joint degree program requires completion of many more hours than the M.B.A., the SOM faculty has agreed to waive the five-year rule, providing the student is making satisfactory progress towards completion of both degrees. The student must seek and receive permission for waiver of this time period by formalized written application to the SOM faculty outlining a planned completion.

    C. The Law School requires that the student complete the Juris Doctor program within seven years from the term in which the student is first enrolled. The combined J.D./M.B.A. may easily be completed within in six years even by the part-time student. Therefore, no need exists to waive the requirement. Waivers rarely are granted by the Law School, and then only because of extraordinary circumstances, and only for one year.
  • 4.15.05 The Program of Study

    A. The School of Management offers its M.B.A. primarily during the evening, with occasional classes on Saturday mornings, on a part-time basis. SOM has a daytime program, and joint degree students may register for any class offered during the day subject to limitations imposed by course scheduling. The Law School offers the J.D. degree either during the day or on an evening part-time basis. Thus, the candidate can take law courses during the day or evening.

    B. With the permission of both advisors, a student may take both law and business courses during the same semester, providing all basic requirements for both programs have been fulfilled. Simultaneous enrollment in the School of Management and the Law School usually is permitted if all prerequisites have been completed.

    1. This means that the student must have completed: (1) all SOM prerequisites and the first 31 hours of SOM course requirements, and (2) the 29 credit hours of the full-time first year Law School curriculum, which takes one year if enrolled as a full-time law student or two years as a part-time student, before the student may begin to take classes concurrently at both the School of Management and the Law School.

    2. However, the full-time student may never take concurrently more than 16 credit hours in both programs in the same semester. The part-time law student, after completing the 29 hours noted above, may take courses concurrently in both schools, but is prohibited from taking concurrently more than 11 credit hours in both programs at any given time. During summer sessions, the joint degree candidate may not take more than eight credit hours concurrently as a full-time student or six credit-hours as a part-time degree student, without the express written permission of the
    Dean or Dean's delegate or Dean's delegate of the Law School for law courses and the Dean or Dean's delegate of the School of Management for SOM courses.

    3. A student who has completed SOM prerequisite courses and the first 31 hours of SOM course requirements, and who has completed the part-time first year law program or its equivalent, may take appropriate summer session courses in the SOM program, the law program, or both.

    C. Joint degree students registered only in one school should communicate periodically with the other school. Each school's registrar automatically continues to mail registration materials to the joint degree candidate until it is determined that the candidate no longer wishes to receive them. It is the joint degree student's responsibility to notify both the Law School Registrar and the SOM registrar of changes in either their permanent or local mailing address.

    D. Because SOM and the Law School are on different calendars and may on occasion offer special courses at times and on a schedule, which creates conflicts with the calendar and course and exam schedules of the other school, students may not always be able to take courses offered in the curriculum of SOM or the Law School. Students with scheduling problems should talk with the advisor at the school affected. However, there may be occasions in which a solution to scheduling conflicts cannot be resolved such that the student may have to postpone taking a desired course.

    E. The joint degree student may complete both course requirements together, or complete one ahead of the other. Because each school grants academic credit for some courses successfully completed in the other school:

    1. to be eligible to receive the J.D. degree, the joint degree student must successfully complete 18 credit hours in the SOM program at the 600, 700, and 900 levels.

    2. to be eligible to receive the M.B.A. degree, the joint degree student must successfully complete all Law School courses being used as SOM Electives (joint degree credits) as well as the other M.B.A. Core courses.
    The joint degree student must notify the registrar of each school at the appropriate time to receive the degree awarded by each. Degrees are presented at the respective commencements of the two schools.
  • 4.15.06 Definition and Operation of Joint Degree Credit

    A. SOM accepts up to nine hours of law work for its' forty required hours to complete the M.B.A., i.e., SOM uses nine hours of specified law courses in place of nine hours of M.B.A. electives. In addition, SOM 799 (the one credit hour M.B.A. writing research paper) will be waived for students who have successfully completed Legal Writing I and II at the Law School. The courses in the Law School that can be used for credit towards the M.B.A. are set out in Appendix A. The Law School will allow a law candidate to use any nine hours in the M.B.A. Core (600, 700, and 900 levels) to count towards its 89 credit hour degree requirement.

    B. The academic retention rules of the School of Management and the Law School differ, and interested students are advised to consult with the appropriate advisor.

    C. Accreditation standards prohibit either program from using transfer credit that has been achieved at a substandard level.

    1. The law student must maintain a 2.00 cumulative grade point average to remain in the law program. Because a C grade or better is considered acceptable at the Law School, a C grade or better earned in a course at the Law School that satisfies the requirements for joint degree credit will be counted as indicated below for joint degree credit.

    2. The M.B.A. student may not have more than two C's or four C+'s for M.B.A. work, including joint credit, and stay in the program. A course taken in the SOM will be counted for joint degree credit only if it satisfies the requirements for joint degree credit and only if the student earns a B or better.

    D. A student enrolled in the J.D./M.B.A. joint degree program will have two official transcripts, one from each program (J.D. and M.B.A.). In order to have a complete record, it will be necessary for a joint degree student to request both transcripts.

    1. Credits earned in the law program that satisfy and are to be counted for joint degree credits, will appear on the Law School transcripts by course title, credit hour and letter grade. Those same credits, following an appropriate footnote, will be listed on the SOM transcript by course title and credit hour. The letter grades will not be averaged into the SOM cumulative grade average.

    2. Credits earned in the SOM program that satisfy and are to be counted for the joint degree credits, will appear on the SOM transcript by course title, credit hour and letter grade. Those same credits, following an appropriate footnote, will be listed on the Law School transcript by course title and credit hour. The letter grades will not be averaged into the Law School cumulative grade point average. 

  • 4.15.07 The Bar Exam


    To be admitted to the practice of law, most states require the successful completion of that state's bar examination. Bar examinations are usually given at least once, and often, as in Ohio, twice a year. A student should consult with the Supreme Court or the Board of Bar Examiners of the appropriate state about requirements to sit for that state's bar examination. Ohio allows a person to sit for the bar examination upon certification from the Law School Registrar that the student has completed all requirements for the degree. 
     

  •  4.15.08 Appendix

    CAPITAL LAW SCHOOL COURSES WHICH WILL SERVE AS JOINT DEGREE CREDIT

    (Courses listed below may change from time. Consequently, this list may not reflect courses currently being offered at the law school. Additionally, new courses may be added to the curriculum and not appear on this list. Students are advised to check the Course Descriptions appearing in the Manual of Policies and Procedures or contact the law school registrar.)

    A. Administrative Law and Governmental Regulation
    Labor Arbitration
    Labor Law
    Antitrust Law and Trade Regulation
    Unfair Trade Practices

    B. Business Association Courses
    Corporate Counsel
    Securities Regulation

    C. Commercial Law
    Consumer Law

    D. International Law
    Admiralty
    International Sales

    E. Medicine and Science
    Biotechnology and the Law
    Control of Research and Therapy
    Contemporary Medical Liability

    F. Property and Estates
    Copyrights
    Environmental Law
    Air Pollution Law and Policy
    Water Pollution Law and Policy
    Hazardous Waste Law and Policy
    Intellectual Property
    Real Estate Finance
    Land Use Controls
    Patent Law
    Energy Law

    G. Taxation
    All tax course (other than Federal Personal Income Tax) and independent research in tax related areas,

    H. Torts and Remedies
    Prodzucts Liability

    I. Other Advanced Courses
    Creditors’ and Debtors’ Rights
    Insurance Law
    Agricultural Law

    J. Other Courses may be approved upon filing a Request for Dean’s Action with the Dean or Dean’s delegate.