JD/MBA & Accelerated JD/MBA

Students and faculty affiliated with Duke Law School and The Fuqua School of Business have many opportunities to collaborate on issues at the intersection of law and business. Students who are particularly ambitious and focused in this area may apply to both the JD and The Duke MBA through a single application that is reviewed by each school separately.
» Application information

Course of Study

Students who are admitted to both degree programs may choose to begin their studies either at Duke Law School or at the Fuqua School of Business. The JD/MBA can be completed in four years, rather than the five it would take to complete each degree separately.

A typical course of study might begin with the first year curriculum at the Law School, followed by the first year curriculum in The Duke MBA, and then two years of classes selected from both schools, with approximately two-thirds of the courses taken in the law school. However, other students may spend their first year at the business school and their second at the law school, or the first two years at the law school and the third at the business school. This flexibility is typical of the opportunities in the JD/MBA program.

Accelerated JD/MBA option

Typically, JD/MBA students will complete both degrees in four years (eight semesters) of study. However, with careful course scheduling, some students are able to complete their JD/MBA in three and a half years (seven semesters). Students who pursue this option are attracted by the opportunity to get a head start on their entry into the job market. There's no need to commit yourself to the accelerated JD/MBA option during the application process; you can explore the possibility during your first year of study at Duke.

Summer start option

JD/MBA students who begin their program at the law school may also choose to join the JD/LLM, JD/MA, and JD/MA students who get a head start on their legal studies by starting in the summer rather than in the fall. Summer-starting students take two of the required first-year law school courses in June and July and may have an easier time scheduling classes between the two schools later in their academic careers.
» Learn more about the summer start

JD/MBA Careers

JD/MBA students have a wide range of career options, whether they choose to pursue legal practice informed by a deeper understanding of business and finance, work in finance or management drawing on their legal expertise, or some other combination of the two disciplines. Three summers for both legal and business employment and internships allow students to gain experience in both fields. And they can take full advantage of the resources and advice of both Duke Law's Career Center and the Duke MBA Career Management Center.