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

The Four-Year J.D./MBA Program consists of five semesters in residence (71 credits) at Columbia Law School and three semesters (45 credits) in residence at Columbia Business School.

JD DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Students in the Columbia Four-Year J.D./M.B.A. Program must fulfill all of the general curriculum requirements of Columbia Law School. This includes:

The first-year foundation course curriculum,
A professional responsibility course,
A course in legislation and regulation,
The major writing requirement,
The minor writing requirement,
The minimum 40-hour pro bono legal work requirement, and
At least six points of experiential coursework credit.

Students can register for up to 16 points (including both Law School and Business School points) per semester while in residence at either school. This 16-point semester cap does not include block week courses that occur before the semester begins. For example, you can register for a 1.5-point block week course in August and 16 points of additional credit during the Fall term.

For more information about the J.D. requirements, please visit the J.D. Rules Page.

MBA DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

While in residence at the Business School, Four-Year J.D./MBA students have the option to “test out” of certain core requirements by taking exemption exams prior to the start of classes. Please note, however, that exempting out of core classes enables students to take an elective in place of those classes; it does not reduce the total number of Business School credits required for the dual degree. For more information about the M.B.A. degree requirements, please visit the Business School’s webpage.

Once the student has completed all requirements for the Four-Year J.D./MBA degree, including a minimum of 71 credits and 5 semesters in residence at the Law School and a minimum of 45 credits and 3 semesters in residence at the Business School, the J.D. and M.B.A. degrees are awarded on the same conferral date, generally in May. If a student cannot complete degree requirements for one degree as expected, their conferral date for both degrees will be delayed until requirements for both degrees are met.

CONTACT INFORMATION

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

Contact Jill Casal, Director of Admissions for general program information, JD degree requirements, or advising questions at the Law School. For more detailed guidelines on academic rules and the course registration process, contact the Law School’s Office of Registration Services.

ELIGIBILITY AND APPLICATION TIMELINE

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. Students are free to apply to both the Law School and the Business School simultaneously, however, this option requires them 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.

Current J.D. or MBA students are eligible to apply to the Four-Year J.D./MBA Program either during their 1L or 2L year at the Law School or during their first year at the Business School.

Current Business School students must apply during the first year of the MBA program and have satisfactorily completed all first year requirements before enrolling at the Law School.

Satisfactory completion of the first year for MBA is described as two fully paid consecutive terms (fall and spring for August entrants; spring and summer for January entrants), with a minimum of 24 MBA credits at the Business School.
August entry first year MBA students must apply to the Law School no later than the Law School’s February 15 Regular Decision deadline for entry in the subsequent Fall term at the Law School.
January entry first year MBA students must apply no later than the Law School’s February 15 Regular Decision deadline for entry in the Fall term of the same year at the Law School (i.e., shortly after arriving at the Business School).

Current Law School J.D. students must apply no later than February 15 of the 2L year*, for entry at the Business School no later than what would be Fall of the 3L year.

The deadline to apply to the MBA program as a 1L is February 15, for entry in August of the 2L year.
The deadline to apply to the MBA program as a 2L is February 15, for entry in August of the 3L year.

*Kindly note that the Business School does not permit deferrals.

NOTIFICATION 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.

TUITION

Tuition is based on where a student is in residence during a given semester. Students will be charged standard Law School tuition for semesters spent at the Law School and standard Business School tuition for semesters spent at the Business School.

FINANCIAL AID

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

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

The Four-Year J.D/MBA 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.

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.

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.