Four-Year J.D./MBA Program

Academics
Dual and Joint Degrees
Four-Year J.D./MBA Program

Earn a J.D. from Columbia Law School and an MBA from Columbia Business School in just four consecutive years and accelerate your journey to professional success.

Columbia University’s Four-Year J.D./MBA Program trains you to integrate legal expertise with business acumen, giving you a unique skill set—and a valuable edge—in today’s competitive global market.

As a student in the Four-Year J.D./MBA Program, you will:

Study a varied and rigorous course curriculum.
Gain expertise in specific fields of interest through electives.
Pursue extracurricular activities in both disciplines.
Study with renowned faculty who shape policy through their groundbreaking research.
Tap into Columbia’s powerful alumni networks in both disciplines, which provide access to trailblazers across industries worldwide.
Spend three summers working in law and business placements.

Overview
Admissions
Tuition and Financial Aid
Career Services

RESIDENCY
Students reside at the Law School for five semesters and at the Business School for three semesters.

After completing at least one continuous academic year in residence at each school, you can choose which of your remaining semesters to spend at the Law School and which to spend at the Business School.

REQUIREMENTS
Students must earn a total of 71 law credits and 45 business credits in addition to separate requirements from each school.

J.D. Requirements

All first-year foundation courses
A course in professional responsibility
A course in Legislation and Regulations
The Major Writing requirement
The Minor Writing requirement
A minimum of 40 hours of pro bono service
At least six points of experiential coursework credit

For more information about J.D. degree requirements, see the J.D. Academic Rules page.

MBA Requirements
While in residence at the Business School, you can “test out” of certain core requirements by taking exemption exams prior to the start of classes. Exempting out of core classes means that students may take an elective in place of those classes; it does not reduce the total number of Business School credits required for the dual degree.

Because some of the core curriculum requirements at the Business School are cross-listed with the Law School, you must replace any exempted cross-listed core course with another cross-listed course.

Contact Kristen Casano, Assistant Director, Advising and Academic Success, with any questions regarding the MBA degree requirements. For more information about the MBA degree requirements, visit the Business School’s webpage.

Once you have completed all requirements for the J.D. and the MBA, both degrees are awarded on the same date.

Dates
The Law School renders decisions on a rolling basis, but generally after February 15 and no later than April 30 of each admissions cycle. The Business School generally renders decisions within six to eight weeks following the completion of an application.

How to Apply
Applications for admission to Columbia Law School and Columbia Business School must be filed separately. Each school’s admissions decisions are based solely on that school’s selection criteria and, accordingly, are determined independently.

You are eligible to apply to the Four-Year J.D./MBA Program during your 1L or 2L year at the Law School, or during your first year at the Business School.

You are free to apply to both the Law School and the Business School simultaneously, however, this option requires you to spend the first year of the program at the Business School and defer matriculation to the Law School for one year, as the Business School does not allow deferred matriculation.

Tuition
Tuition is based on where you are in residence during a given semester. You will be charged standard Law School tuition for semesters you spend at the Law School and standard Business School tuition for semesters you spend at the Business School.

Financial Aid
Each school’s financial aid office awards financial aid packages separately and only for the terms in which you will be in residence at its school.

When applying separately to the Law School and the Business School, you must submit all financial aid documents required by each school. Your financial aid will be managed by the Law School’s Financial Aid Office during the semesters in which you are in residence at the Law School and by the Business School’s Office of Financial Aid when you are in residence at that school.

The program offers individualized career plans that are tailored to the needs of both students and employers.

LAW CAREERS
Students interested in private sector law careers can access career advising resources and interview programs with the Law School’s Office of Private Sector Careers.

Students interested in public sector law careers can consult the Law School’s Public Interest/Public Service Careers resources and the Office of Public Interest/Public Service Law and Careers.

Contact Us
Private Sector
Julie Schulman, Assistant Director of Career Advising

Government Careers
Alex Hogan, Director of Government Programs

Public Interest Careers
Joel Dodge, Director of Public Interest Professional Development

BUSINESS CAREERS
Students interested in business careers can take advantage of career advising and on-campus recruiting programs through the Business School’s Career Management Center.

Contact Us
Tricia Baione, Director of Career Education and Advising

RICHARD PAUL RICHMAN CENTER FOR BUSINESS, LAW, AND PUBLIC POLICY
In addition to its scholarly and professional programs in law and business, the Richman Center—a joint venture of Columbia’s Business and Law Schools—provides networking and mentoring opportunities to all J.D./MBA students.

Visit the website for:

An overview of the J.D./MBA program.
Student and alumni career trajectory profiles.

A year-by-year career advising road map (which outlines when J.D./MBA students typically access each of the career services offices at the Law School and Business School).