Concurrent JD & MBA Degrees Enrollment Pathway

Program Description

Under an arrangement between the Wake Forest University School of Law and School of Business, students may pursue a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree while completing their final two years of the Juris Doctor (JD).

A concurrent JD & MBA degrees arrangement began in 2017 and was revised effective fall 2025 to reflect evolving institutional procedures, student needs, and the priorities of each School.

This special arrangement offers students the opportunity to complete a stand-alone three-year JD degree (normally six semesters, excluding summers) and a stand-alone two-year MBA degree (normally five semesters, including summers) in three academic years.  Students admitted to both degree programs will have a broader range of learning and networking opportunities.  In addition, graduates with both may have additional flexibility in their career choices.

Pursuant to each school’s normal process and procedures for approving transfer credits, the School of Law will accept up to 15 credits of approved MBA course work toward the JD degree, and the School of Business will accept up to 9 credits of approved JD course work toward the MBA degree.

The expected sequence of study is as follows:

Students interested in earning each degree must apply separately to the School of Law and to the School of Business and be accepted by each school into the relevant degree program. Application for admission to the MBA program may be made at any time before the student’s second (2L) JD year.  This partnership is designed for students to matriculate into the Winston-Salem Evening MBA program format and modality.

Tuition and Fees
Tuition for the first (1L) JD year is assessed per normal routines by the School of Law.  Students who thereafter begin the concurrent degrees pathway will be assessed the JD tuition per normal routines for the 2L and 3L years as applicable, but also will be assessed a “Concurrent Degrees Fee” in consideration of their MBA program enrollment in the School of Business for the academic terms during which they are taking courses in both programs/Schools. 

During a summer term when students are only taking courses in the MBA program, they are assessed MBA tuition and fees per normal routines by the School of Business and do not pay JD tuition nor the Concurrent Degree Fee. 

Financial Aid teams in the School of Law and School of Business will coordinate on matters of scholarships, grants, or loans, as applicable for eligibility or continuation for any given term.

Academic Requirements

Coursework in the School of Law or School of Business accepted as credit toward either School’s degree program will be evaluated and applied via the existing procedures relevant to such transfer credit in each School as documented in their respective student handbooks. All other degree requirements and enrolled student expectations for each School and the respective degree programs also remain applicable to students in the concurrent degrees pathway.

The ability to pursue this concurrent degrees enrollment pathway and participate in the resulting course registration and tuition handling arrangements presumes a standard basis of full-time enrollment and normal degree progression on the part of participating students.  In the event a student deviates from the standardized JD or MBA degree course sequence for any reason, or requests to modify the enrolment pathway illustrated above in any way, they may forego the ability to earn both degrees concurrently in an accelerated manner and instead be required to pursue each degree independently and sequentially on their standard bases.