Last visit was: 19 Nov 2025, 12:13 It is currently 19 Nov 2025, 12:13
Home
GMAT
Messages
Tests
Schools
Events
Rewards
Chat
My Profile
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
User avatar
overtherainbow
User avatar
Joined: 29 Nov 2006
Last visit: 02 Sep 2009
Posts: 44
Own Kudos:
1
Posts: 44
Kudos: 1
Concurrent degrees 12 Dec 2006, 11:11
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Are concurrent degrees worth it?
Some examples are the JD/MBA programs from Haas, NorthWestern, Health management/MBA from Haas.
User avatar
jaynayak
User avatar
Joined: 30 Mar 2006
Last visit: 07 Jul 2008
Posts: 894
Own Kudos:
639
Posts: 894
Kudos: 639
Concurrent degrees 12 Dec 2006, 21:00
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Depends on what your goals are.

Getting a dual degree just for the sake of it doesnot make sense.
Something that this MBA application process has taught us is to assess ourselves.... our aspirations etc.
User avatar
GMATT73
User avatar
Joined: 29 Jan 2005
Last visit: 28 Dec 2011
Posts: 2,877
Own Kudos:
1,256
Posts: 2,877
Kudos: 1,256
Concurrent degrees 13 Dec 2006, 08:01
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
I'd have to say this would be the ONE joint degree worth pursuing, provided one was up to the challenge.

https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/jdmba/index.htm
User avatar
dukes
User avatar
Joined: 07 Aug 2006
Last visit: 30 Aug 2007
Posts: 572
Own Kudos:
8
Posts: 572
Kudos: 8
Concurrent degrees 13 Dec 2006, 08:55
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
The Kellogg JD/MBA is interesting. I just wonder what a top-flight law firm thinks of those law degrees. No LSAT required? Done in three years WITH an MBA? It sounds sort of watered down. Other JD/MBAs take four years.
User avatar
GMATT73
User avatar
Joined: 29 Jan 2005
Last visit: 28 Dec 2011
Posts: 2,877
Own Kudos:
1,256
Posts: 2,877
Kudos: 1,256
Concurrent degrees 13 Dec 2006, 09:51
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
dukes
The Kellogg JD/MBA is interesting. I just wonder what a top-flight law firm thinks of those law degrees. No LSAT required? Done in three years WITH an MBA? It sounds sort of watered down. Other JD/MBAs take four years.
Show more


Read into the program a little further... it's not just three academic years, it's THREE HARD years of sweat, blood, and tears with minimal breaks. The avg. GMAT for the select few that are admitted is now over 700 and most candidates do take the LSAT as well.

I wonder if there is a more demanding joint JD/MBA program on the planet? It would take some serious multitasking just to "hack it" between both schools under the time constraints (especially in year 3). Curious as to what Pelihu has to say about this...

Here is a snap shot of the class of 2009:

Class Size: 22
Number of Applications: 160
*Selectivity: ~13%
Undergraduate GPA: Middle: 80% 3.1-3.9
GMAT Mean Score: 707
Full-time Work Experience: 100%
Average Years of Full-time Work Experience: 5.0
Average Age: 28
Female: 23%
Minority: 36%


Undergraduate Majors
Undergraduate majors include computer science, economics, engineering, English, finance, government, history, industrial engineering, political science, philosophy and religion, public relations.


Undergraduate Institutions Represented
Amherst College, Boston College, Columbia University, Cornell University, Duke University, Harvard College, Louisiana State University, Northwestern University, Princeton University, Purdue University, Stanford University, Vanderbilt University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Notre Dame, University of Texas – Austin, University of Utah, and University of Virginia.
User avatar
pelihu
User avatar
Joined: 31 Jul 2006
Last visit: 11 Jan 2010
Posts: 2,208
Own Kudos:
526
Schools:Darden
Posts: 2,208
Kudos: 526
Concurrent degrees 13 Dec 2006, 12:27
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
I took a quick look a the course description at that link. The most surprising thing that they say is that students have typically satisfied all Kellogg requirements by the end of the second year. That's cramming a lot of stuff into the first two years. The 3rd year of law school is generally pretty laid-back. Most people have jobs and are just taking some electives and taking it easy. The same seems to be true of this program.

The other key aspect is that the first summer is spent taking required courses. This isn't such a burden because most law students are not able to land paying internships during their first summer - but when the economy is good students from top schools do have a chance to get paid (same pay as a 1st year associate) for their summer. I was lucky enough to land a job my first year, and I think the economy might be good enough right now, especially for the type of elite student that could quality for this program.

Other than that, the selectivity seems to be in-line with top 15, but not top 5 law schools. Selectivity at Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Penn & Berkeley law schools are all below the 13% for this program (6.2% at Yale & 7.8% at Stanford). Average GPAs for this bunch seems low compared to top law schools. For example, the 25-75% range for Stanford/Yale is 3.8-3.96. Even Northwestern's own law school has a range of 3.46-3.78. Still, these people have been out of school longer, so their GPAs carry less weight (just like MBA candidates). GMAT is pretty in-line with top business schools, but from a percentile standpoint pales in comparison to LSAT scores at top law schools. 707 would be about the 93rd percentile, but top 10 law schools (including #12 Northwestern) have average LSAT percentiles around 97-98th.

Selectivity seems to be more comparable to the business school side of admissions - the average of 5 years of work experience is certainly something that law schools cannot boast. I would say that this looks like a challenging and competitive program, but probably slots under the top law schools in terms of selectivity and in terms of prestige. For example, I would say that Harvard Law School has more clout in the business world than this program; but of course that is an extreme case. I'm curious as to whether most students go on to pursue business or law.
User avatar
Hjort
User avatar
Joined: 17 Jul 2004
Last visit: 06 Mar 2011
Posts: 3,248
Own Kudos:
517
Posts: 3,248
Kudos: 517
Concurrent degrees 13 Dec 2006, 19:44
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
There is some coverage of JD/MBA programs here:

https://www.gmatclub.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=21559