UMaine, Law School Roll Out New MBA-JD Degree
Contact:
Nory Jones, (207) 8581-1995; Peter Pitegoff, (207) 780-4344; George Manlove, (207) 581-3756
ORONO — The University of Maine business school and the University of Maine School of Law in Portland are rolling out a new joint degree option in the fall, allowing students to concurrently get an MBA and law degree sooner and less expensively than pursuing each degree separately.
Through an arrangement between the Maine Business School on the Orono campus and the law school, both institutions will accept certain academic credits from one another’s curriculum, which can reduce by a full year the time a student would spend earning consecutive degrees.
The program means “an enormous savings in time and money” for students, says Nory Jones, associate professor of management information systems and director of graduate programs in the Maine Business School. “I think it’s very exciting,” she says.
Peter Pitegoff, dean of the University of Maine School of Law, says the joint degree in business and law “provides our graduates with expanded opportunities and an edge in the marketplace. Today’s complex economy requires lawyers, business analysts, managers and entrepreneurs with interdisciplinary expertise.”
Jones agrees.
“In this turbulent economy, this dual degree prepares a student for a rewarding and exciting career in business and law,” she says. “An MBA degree provides a fantastic foundation to go into corporate law with a Juris Doctorate. The combined degrees also could provide a great foundation for environmental law for graduate students in our business and sustainability track.”
Completing both degrees would require attending both institutions, according to Jones. Under the preferable academic structure, students take the first year of the law program in year one, followed by most of the MBA program in year two. Students would then complete the law program in year three or part of year four.
In addition, students intending to pursue the joint degree need take only the Law School Entrance Exam (LSAT), since the business school has agreed to accept satisfactory LSAT results in lieu of the business school entrance exam.
John Mahon, dean of the College of Business, Public Policy and Health and director of the business school, says the new degree “is another example of the Maine Business School reaching out to the community in cooperation with other University of Maine System institutions to bring advanced educational opportunities.
“This joint degree affords young men and women the option of obtaining an MBA and a JD in a compressed time frame, thereby preparing them to either engage in legal activities, manage a law office, or both,” he says. “It is a very powerful and highly sought-after combination.”
For additional information, Jones can be reached at (207) 581-1971; Mahon can be reached at (207) 581-1968; and Pitegoff can be reached at (207) 780-4344.
Details on the program also are available on the Web.
Students can apply to the joint degree program immediately, according to Jones.