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Understanding Concurrent Degrees and How to Apply

College graduates celebrating

Pursuing concurrent degrees allows students to achieve advanced credentials across different disciplines in an accelerated timeframe, maximizing their time and career flexibility. At the Wake Forest University School of Business, this pathway is formalized through a special arrangement with the School of Law, allowing students to earn both a Juris Doctor (JD) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA).

The Concurrent JD & MBA Enrollment Pathway

The concurrent JD & MBA arrangement is a partnership between the Wake Forest University School of Law and the School of Business. This special arrangement allows students to complete two traditionally separate programs—a three-year JD degree and a two-year MBA degree—in a compressed timeframe of three academic years.

This pathway, which began in 2017 and was revised effective Fall 2025, is intended to reflect student needs, evolving institutional procedures, and the priorities of both schools. Students admitted to this pathway gain a broader range of networking and learning opportunities, potentially offering additional flexibility in their subsequent career choices.

The concurrent degree partnership is designed specifically for students to matriculate into the Winston-Salem Evening MBA program format and modality.

Accelerating Your Education Through Credit Exchange

The efficiency of the concurrent degree pathway is achieved by allowing students to apply certain coursework toward both degree requirements:

  • The School of Law agrees to accept up to 15 credits of approved MBA coursework toward the JD degree
  • The School of Business agrees to accept up to 9 credits of approved JD coursework toward the MBA degree

Coursework accepted as credit towards either program is evaluated and applied through the existing procedures relevant to transfer credit within each respective school.

Requirements for the Concurrent Degree

To successfully pursue both degrees concurrently, students must adhere to rigorous academic requirements:

  • Separate Admission: Students must apply separately to the School of Law and to the School of Business and gain acceptance into the relevant degree program at each school.
  • Application Timing for MBA: Application for admission to the MBA program must be made at any time before the student’s second (2L) JD year.
  • Academic Progression: Students must maintain a standard basis of full-time enrollment and normal degree progression. If a student requests to modify the enrollment pathway or deviates from the standardized course sequence, they may be required to pursue each degree independently and sequentially on their standard bases, thereby foregoing the accelerated concurrent option. All other degree requirements for each program remain applicable.

Understanding Tuition and Financial Coordination

The tuition structure for the concurrent degrees pathway varies depending on which courses a student is taking during a given term:

  • First (1L) JD Year: Tuition is assessed per normal routines by the School of Law.
  • Subsequent Concurrent Terms (2L and 3L years): Students are assessed the JD tuition per normal routines. Additionally, they are assessed a “Concurrent Degrees Fee” for their MBA program enrollment during academic terms where they are taking courses in both schools.
  • Summer Terms (MBA Only): During a summer term when a student is only taking courses in the MBA program, they are assessed MBA tuition and fees per normal routines by the School of Business. During this time, they do not pay JD tuition or the Concurrent Degree Fee.

The financial aid teams in both the School of Law and the School of Business work together to coordinate scholarships, grants, or loans, ensuring eligibility or continuation for any given term.

Explore the benefits of this unique enrollment pathway at Wake Forest today.