Xavierite
The Graham School of Management has teamed up with The John Marshall Law School to establish a joint program in business and law.
The program will allow students to earn both a Juris Doctor (JD) degree at John Marshall and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Saint Xavier University.
Dr. Asghar Sabbaghi, Dean of the Graham School of Management, says that the partnership between the two universities benefits both SXU students and students from The John Marshall Law School.
“I believe this partnership will provide a great opportunity for our MBA students who may be interested in pursuing a law degree to gain synergy of their knowledge in business and law. This partnership would also be valuable to students in John Marshall Law School who would be interested to add a MBA degree from an AACSB accredited school to their portfolio, enhance their careers, and give them an even greater edge in the job market, or running their law firms as an effective and efficient business enterprise,” said Sabbaghi.
The program is designed for business students who want to gain legal knowledge and experience, as well as law students who want to develop business leadership. “Graduates with a dual JD/MBA degree can practice law with business vision or pursue a job in business. An MBA can help lawyers secure a position with a law firm, and in some cases, may help the individual move up to partner faster than normal,” said Sabbaghi.
Students who wish to apply to the dual JD/MBA program must be enrolled at SXU and John Marshall. Current SXU students who are already enrolled at the Graham School’s MBA program can apply as part-time JD students in order to begin the dual program. To learn more about applying to John Marshall and the dual program, contact the Director of Admission Melissa Hansen at mhansen@jmls.edu or 800.537.4280.
The program allows students to earn advanced degrees in less time because certain credits can be applied to both degrees. Up to twelve credits from John Marshall can be applied to the GSM’s MBA program. Also, up to nine credits from the MBA program can be applied to the John Marshall law degree. This means that students may able to save 21 credits, which translates to seven classes.
The courses that can be applied to both the JD and MBA degrees must be pre-approved by the university where it will be applied.
Credits from SXU’s MBA program can only be applied to the JD program if they were completed after the student enrolled at John Marshall.
The courses must also be taken after the student completes their first year of study at John Marshall. According to Sabbaghi, the courses for the program will teach students about topics related to business law and other legal matters.
“This dual JD/MBA degree combines business courses with law courses that address topics like business law, investment banking laws, mergers and acquisitions, contract law, and bankruptcy law. Thus, graduates are well-versed in business law and legal topics–something that can be an asset in entrepreneurial pursuits and many management and business related jobs,” said Sabbaghi.
Sabbaghi explained that business knowledge could be very beneficial to lawyers, while a law degree can also be invaluable to business professionals.
“Someone who practices business law can benefit from understanding the management and financial concerns of their clients. A law degree can also help business professionals as their knowledge of the legal system can help entrepreneurs, managers, and small business owners and may be invaluable to management consultants,” said Sabbaghi.
The John Marshall Law School also has partnerships with Benedictine University, Dominican University, Elmhurst College, and Roosevelt University for similar dual JD/MBA degree programs. The GSM also offers two other dual degree programs.
One is the MBA/MACS Program, which is designed for students interested in management positions MBA/MSN Program. They also offer an MBA/MSN Program for nursing students interested in building leadership skills.
All dual degree programs are designed to give students an edge in the job market by providing them with diversified knowledge and skills. “The development of this program serves as a prime example of our devotion to prepare our students to meet the 21st century demands of employers,” said Sabbaghi.
Yasmeen Abdellatif
Senior News Editor