Business

The daily interaction of Law and Business in our society presents attorneys, entrepreneurs, and other professionals with a diverse set of challenges arising from public and private institutions, policies, and practices. A joint degree program can provide valuable interdisciplinary skills to tackle these challenges. To prepare the next generation of leaders, the University of Pittsburgh School of Law offers an outstanding joint degree program in Law and Business with a unique option.

Students may combine a Juris Doctor (JD) degree with a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from either the University of Pittsburgh Katz Graduate School of Business or Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business, which was ranked #18 in the nation according to the 2017 U.S. News & World Report. The JD/MBA program enables students to receive integrated training in Law and Business while reducing the amount of time ordinarily necessary to earn the two degrees from five years to four years.

Curriculum & Requirements

Students in the JD/MBA program complete the joint degree in either eight (8), nine (9), or ten (10) semesters. During the first four (4) semesters of the program, students must enroll full-time for one (1) entire year at the School of Law and for one (1) entire year at the appropriate School of Business. Students have an option of enrolling either at the School of Law or the School of Business for the first-year of the program. During the third- and fourth-years of the program students enroll in courses at both schools, subject only to availability and each school's respective upper-level requirements. To graduate from the Law School, students in the JD/MBA program must have five semesters of full-time enrollment (minimum of 10 credits per semester) at the Law School (rather than the six that is normally required).

School of Law

Details about the first-year program at the School of Law can be found on the First-Year Curriculum page.  A full listing of the requirements for graduation from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law can be found on the Graduation Requirements page.

Katz School of Business

To graduate with a JD/Katz MBA degree students must acquire a total of 76 credits from the School of Law and 39 credits from Katz. This means that, after a year at the School of Law and a year at Katz, a student must normally acquire at least 43 additional credits from the School of Law and 3 credits from Katz to graduate with a JD/MBA.  Effective Fall 2021, the credit requirement for Katz will be 33 credits.  Students who enrolled in the joint degree prior to Spring 2020, are not able to switch to this new credit requirement and are required to have 39 credits.

More information can be found on their website.

Tepper School of Business

To graduate with a JD/Tepper MBA degree students must acquire a total 88 credits from the School of Law and 64 credits (or 192 units) from Tepper. However, completing the MBA degree entitles the student to 15 credits of advanced standing at the School of Law, resulting in an actual total of 73 credits; and completing the JD degree entitles the student to 10 credits (or 30 units) at Tepper, resulting in an actual total of 54 credits (or 162 units). This means that, after a year at the School of Law and a year at Tepper, a student must acquire at least 40 additional credits from the School of Law and 22 credits (or 66 units) in electives from Tepper to graduate with a JD/MBA.

More information can be found on their website.

For Students Interested in Practicing in New York

Please be advised that students who wish to be admitted to practice in New York should not enroll in a joint degree program that entitles the student to more than 12 credits of advance standing at the Law School (i.e., the JD/MBA with the Tepper School of Business). See New York Rules of Court § 520.3(c)(5).

Application Instructions

All JD/MBA candidates must apply and be admitted separately to the School of Law and either Katz or Tepper. The School of Law's application deadline is in early March; all applicants to the School of Law must submit an Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) score, in accordance with application guidelines. Katz's application deadline is in early March, and Tepper's application deadline is in late April; all applicants to either School of Business must submit a Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) score, in accordance with application guidelines. Class profile information is available for the School of Law, Katz, and Tepper.

Further, all JD/MBA candidates must complete a Joint Degree Program Application online, which is sent to representatives of each school applied to.  After a student has been admitted to each school individually, a joint admissions committee decides on admission to the Joint Degree Program. Admission to the JD/MBA program is granted either prior to attending the School of Law and Katz/Tepper or during the first year of study at the School of Law.

Questions concerning the admissions process for each school should be directed to the respective Admissions Office:

University of Pittsburgh School of Law
Office of Admissions
3900 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Tel: 412.648.1413
Fax: 412.648.2647
E-mail:admitlaw@pitt.edu

University of Pittsburgh Katz Graduate School of Business
MBA Admissions Office
276 Mervis Hall
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Tel: 412.648.1700
Fax: 412.648.1659
E-mail:mba@katz.pitt.edu

Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business
MBA Admissions Office
Posner Hall 149
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Tel: 412.268.2272
Fax: 412.268.4209
E-mail:ma-admissions@andrew.cmu.edu

Tuition & Financial Aid

Students may apply for financial aid from the school in which they are attending full-time. Deadlines for loans and/or scholarships may differ between schools; for the School of Law, students have a variety of loan and scholarship options.

All students in the JD/MBA program pay tuition based on a formula. During the first year at the School of Law, students pay full tuition at the then-current School of Law rate. During the first year at the appropriate School of Business, students pay full tuition at the then-current School of Business rate. For the remaining semesters students pay tuition equal to the sum of (1) 85% of the then-current School of Law rate, and (2) 42.5% of the then-current School of Business rate; students who receive permission to graduate early still must pay this amount.

Students are strongly recommended to consult with financial aid officers at the School of Law and the appropriate business school before enrolling in the JD/MBA program:

University of Pittsburgh School of Law
Office of Financial Aid
3900 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Tel: 412.648.1415
Fax: 412.648.1318
E-mail:lawfa@pitt.edu

University of Pittsburgh Katz Graduate School of Business
MBA Admissions (Financial Aid) Office
276 Mervis Hall
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Tel: 412.648.1700
Fax: 412.648.1659
E-mail:mba@katz.pitt.edu

Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business
Financial Aid Office
Tepper Rooms 115/116
5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Tel: 412.268.7581
Fax: 412.268.2810
E-mail:tepper-aid@andrew.cmu.edu