Joint Degree Programs

Joint Programs

The School of Law and the College of Business (CoB) offer a joint program in legal and administrative studies (JD/MBA), a joint program in legal and taxation studies (JD/MTax), and a joint program in legal and accounting (JD/MSA). These combinations are open to the student preparing for a career in such areas as corporate law, tax accounting, or legal practice in government. The amount of time required to complete a joint degree program is shorter than the time required to complete both programs independently. To pursue either one of these cooperative programs, the student must apply to and be accepted by both the School of Law and the Graduate School. The student should contact each school independently for information covering admission criteria and procedures (for further information on School of Law admissions, write: Director of Admissions, School of Law. The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325-2901; for further information on College of Business admissions, contact Graduate Programs in Business at (330) 972-7043 or gradbusiness@uakron.edu). A baccalaureate degree is required.

Degree Requirements

A student is required to fulfill the requirements of the School of Law, 88 credits, which includes up to ten credits transferred from the College of Business. Law students may transfer up to 1/3 of their program credits from the School of Law for comparable coursework. 

The reciprocal acceptance of course credits by each school is the essence of the joint programs. All law courses used to fulfill College of Business requirements must be approved by the director of Graduate Programs in Business prior to completion.

Law students pursuing the Masters of Taxation degree, must take LAWX:641 Corporate Taxation I in the School of Law (3 credits) and six approved elective Law credits from the list below, or others with approval of the Director of Graduate Programs.

MTax elective courses:

Additional courses may be approved by petitioning the Director of Graduate Programs in Business. 

Joint Degree Admission

Admission Requirements

• Graduate School application and fee
• Official transcripts from each institution attended provided on the LSDAS Report requested from the School of Law
• LSAT in lieu of the GMAT, Tests may be waived based on three or more years of work experience beyond the bachelor’s degree or an earned graduate degree.
• Joint Degree Application Form from the School of Law
• Letter of Intent
• Resume

Application Deadline

• August 1 for Fall enrollment
• December 1 for Spring enrollment
• May 1 for Summer enrollment

International Student Applications

I-20 forms used for visa approval are processed by UA student immigration services in the International Center: https://www.uakron.edu/international/. Proof of English Language Proficiency is required by producing an acceptable TOEFL or IELTS score.

Students currently admitted to this program may have different course requirements than those listed here. Refer to your official Program Checklist and DPR in My Akron for your program requirements.

Degrees Offered: JD/MBA (MBA webpage, MBA Bulletin Page), JD/MSA (MSA webpage), JD/MTax (MTax webpage)

Joint Degree Application Form

School of Law Admissions website

Program Contact: gradbusiness@uakron.edu 

Admission

Policy

To be considered for acceptance to one of the graduate programs in the College of Business (CoB) at The University of Akron, the following admission criteria are examined:

• A preferred minimum of 3.0 GPA, on a 4.0 scale, from an accredited undergraduate program.
• For those that have lower than a 3.0 GPA, individual consideration may be made based upon the GMAT, GRE, or equivalent scores. 
• For those that have a 3.0 GPA or higher, but lack three years of work experience, a GMAT score of 500 or higher is preferred to indicate potential success in the graduate program. 
• Admittance without a GMAT test requirement may be granted to those holding a graduate degree from an accredited university or those with three or more years of professional work experience beyond the earned bachelor’s degree.
• Applicants holding a degree from outside the United States and with an academic standing of first or high second class, satisfactory evidence of competence in English (i.e., TOEFL score of 79 or above or IELTS score of 6.5 or above) is required.
• In all situations, when the graduate committee has reservations about the potential success of a candidate, a GMAT score may be required.
• For those that are admitted on a provisional basis (less than complete acceptance), the course grades and overall GPA will be examined to determine if the student may continue with graduate coursework.

Even though an applicant is eligible for consideration, an offer of admission is not guaranteed. Since staff, facilities, and resources are limited, a determination will be made as to the number of applicants that can be adequately served among those eligible for admission. As a result, offers of admission may be limited to only the most qualified of eligible applicants as determined by the College of Business Graduate Committee. The committee considers the following factors: difficulty of the applicant’s undergraduate program; length of time and activities since graduation; and the percentile ranking on standardized entrance exams (e.g., GMAT, GRE, etc.).

Those applicants previously denied admission may, upon presentation of new information, be reconsidered. The applicant must petition the College of Business Graduate Committee in writing and provide those reasons relevant to the situation which demonstrate the likelihood of success. In all cases, the burden of proof is on the applicant.

Under the regulations of the Graduate School, eligible applicants who have been extended an offer of admission by the CoB Graduate Admissions Committee are recommended to the Dean of the Graduate School for either “full” or “provisional” graduate status. Students admitted with “provisional” status who have not attained an overall 3.0 GPA upon completion of 12 graduate credits will be dismissed from the program. Official admission decisions will come from the Dean of the Graduate School.

Procedure

All official test score reports should be sent to the Graduate School. The GMAT is administered world-wide and the applicant should register for it sufficiently in advance to the filing of the graduate application to avoid delay of evaluation of the application for admission. Those who have test scores more than five years old are normally required to retake the exam. GRE and other tests scores should also be sent to the Graduate School as outlined above.

The CoB Graduate Admissions Committee meets monthly and considers all completed applications on hand at the time of each meeting. Applicants will be informed of admission decisions once the Dean of the Graduate School has acted upon the recommendation of the CoB Admissions Committee.

Degree Requirements

To be awarded any master’s degree from the College of Business, a student must (https://bulletin.uakron.edu/graduate/masters-degree-requirements):

• Meet the time and grade-point requirements of the Graduate School.
• Complete the minimum credits in each of the degree program descriptions.
• Complete all course and program requirements of applicable master’s program.

Questions regarding these Policies, Procedures, and Requirements may be sent via e-mail to gradbusiness@uakron.edu. Further information may be found at the College of Business website: https://www.uakron.edu/cba/.

Transfer Policy

The College of Business will permit will permit up to one-third of program credits of comparable graduate credits to be transferred in a graduate business program. These credits must be pre-approved by the CoB Director of Graduate Programs. This policy also applies to those students pursuing additional graduate degrees.

Additional Degrees

For a student who has already obtained one master’s degree in business, it is possible to pursue another degree in the college provided that:

1. The program must be unique from the earlier degree program(s).
2. The desired program (degree requirements) is specifically approved in advance by the CoB Director of Graduate Programs; and
3. No fewer than 20 new credits are earned for the second degree.

Graduate Internships

It is preferred that all full-time CoB graduate students without extensive work experience participate in an internship to gain practical experience in the field of study. The internship may be paid or unpaid.  Students admitted to programs requiring internships must participate in an internship as outlined in the program requirements.