JD/MBA Graduation Requirements and Academic Regulations

The JD/MBA joint degree program enables students to obtain the Doctor of Jurisprudence (JD) and the MBA degree in four (4) years.

Students must apply and be admitted to both the College of Law and the Atkinson Graduate School of Management and be in good academic standing in the MBA and law programs to be considered joint degree candidates.

Students may begin the program at either the Atkinson School or the College of Law. During the first two years of the program, students complete the required first-year curriculum of each school (one academic year is spent at each school). During years three and four, students fulfill additional required and elective courses in both the College of Law and the Atkinson School.

MBA students may apply for admission to the Joint Degree Program by applying to the College of Law during the first year at the Atkinson School. If accepted by the College of Law, the student should advise the Office of Admission of the Atkinson School.

If you have questions about your specific curricular path in the JD/MBA program review the "JD/MBA Curricular Path and Registration Guide" and talk with the Associate Dean/Director of Admission.

JD/MBA Graduation and Program Requirements
Each JD/MBA student is responsible for a thorough knowledge of graduation requirements. The Willamette MBA for Business, Government and Not-for-Profit Management will be conferred on JD/MBA students who satisfactorily complete all of the following requirements as listed below within the policies and regulations of the College of Law and Atkinson School.

Minimum Total Credits Required for Joint Degree: JD/MBA joint degree candidates; must complete a total of 120 semester credits of course work The 120 semester credits include 72 semester hours of course work in the College of Law and 48 semester credits of Atkinson School course work.

Minimum Law Credits Required by the College of Law: As per College of Law regulations, all Joint Degree students must complete at least 72 semester hours of course work at WUCL. Students should check College of Law requirements in regard to the number of Law credits that must be completed with a letter grade.

Minimum MBA Credits Required by the Atkinson School: JD/MBA students must satisfactorily complete a minimum of 48 approved credits of MBA course work and have no pending grades or grades of "Incomplete." The 48 credits of MBA course work, must include thirty-three (33) credits of required courses (including 3 credits of Experiential Elective course work) and fifteen (15) additional credits of elective course work.

Required MBA courses: The thirty-three (33) credits of required courses includes a combination of first and second year courses as listed below. Generally, required courses numbered 5000 or above will be completed in the first-year of MBA study and required courses numbered 6000 or above will be completed during years of concurrent enrollment in the MBA and Law programs.

Required Experiential Elective: A minimum of three (3) credits from Experiential Elective courses is required for graduation. Experiential Elective courses are special elective courses that include a project with a form of external evaluation. Experiential Elective courses are designated by the faculty and are identified on the schedule of classes. Students can take more than one Experiential Elective if they choose.

Elective Courses: JD/MBA students are required to complete fifteen (15) credits of elective course work (in addition to the three-credit Experiential Elective requirement) for graduation. Generally, six (6) credits of elective course work will be completed during spring semester of the first-year of MBA study and the remaining credits of elective course work will be completed during the years of concurrent enrollment at Atkinson and the College of Law.

IKEWs: JD/MBA students must satisfactorily complete the IKEW requirement of the MBA program.

Willamette MBA Management Writing Program:  JD/MBA students who began the MBA program in Fall Semester 2016 or after, must satisfactorily complete the Willamette MBA Management Writing Program. 

Good Standing: JD/MBA candidates for graduation must have a cumulative Atkinson School grade point average of 3.00 (B) or higher, comply with requirements determined by the School's faculty, and be in Good Standing within all policies of the Atkinson School and Willamette University.

GSM 6000 - 6099 Credit Limit: A maximum of six (6) credits of elective courses numbered GSM 6000-6099 may be applied toward the 48 credit MBA graduation requirement.

Minimum and Maximum Time for Degree: The JD/MBA joint degree program must be taken over no less than four academic years. An academic year consists of a fall semester and a spring semester. In addition, the candidate must complete the MBA degree within six (6) years from date of initial enrollment in the degree program.

Minimum Semester and Course Load Residency Requirement for JD/MBA Students: As a condition of graduation, the College of Law requires joint degree students to be enrolled for six (6) semesters of course work totaling ten (10) credit hours for each of those semesters. After year two of the program, Joint Degree students may combine Atkinson School and Law credit hours in the same semester to fulfill the residency requirement of ten (10) credit hours per semester.

Course Exceptions for JD/MBA Students: JD/MBA students are not required to complete "GSM 6122: Leading Ethical and Sustainable Organizations," but may take the course as an elective.

MBA Independent Study and Internship for JD/MBA Students: A maximum of six (6) credits from a combination of GSM Internship for Management, Independent Study and Research courses may apply toward MBA graduation requirements. Credits from "GSM7261G - Global Study and International Experience" are not counted toward this limit.

Submit Petition for MBA Degree: Candidates for graduation must submit a "petition for degree" at the beginning of their final semester in the JD/MBA program.

Completion of all MBA and Law graduation requirements: JD/MBA students must meet all academic regulations and graduation requirements governing the MBA program unless specifically described in these regulations. JD/MBA degree candidates must have also completed all graduation requirements of the JD degree as stipulated by the College of Law to be eligible for MBA graduation from the Atkinson School.

Other Regulations: Regulations governing the courses for the degree program at either school (Law and Atkinson) shall apply unless they are inconsistent with these JD/MBA joint degree regulations.

Curricular Changes: In the event the curriculum is changed or graduation requirements are otherwise altered, the rules in effect at the time of the student's entry to the program will apply unless otherwise stated.

Academic Regulations

Good Standing
All students must maintain 'Good Standing' for continued enrollment and graduation. "Good Standing" is defined as adhering to the academic policies, standards of conduct and financial policies of the Atkinson School and Willamette University.

Good Academic Standing
All students must maintain a cumulative Atkinson School grade point average of 3.00 (B) or better and make satisfactory progress toward degree completion to be in "Good Academic Standing."

Full-time MBA Enrollment Status
JD/MBA students who are enrolled in nine or more credits of graduate level course work in a given semester during their one year of full-time study in the MBA program are considered full-time MBA students.

Grades
It is the responsibility of the instructor to assign grades. The Atkinson School uses a letter grade system consisting of seven regular grades. Their grade point values are:

Other grades in the Atkinson School MBA grading system are listed below. Each grade shown below has specific requirements and implications.

Regulations Regarding "I" Grades

A grade of Incomplete (I) may be assigned at the discretion of the course instructor when an unexpected emergency, event, or situation precludes a student from completing the course as planned. To receive an incomplete grade, all coursework must be complete except for a final assignment or exam. If more than a final assignment or exam is required to complete the course, it is necessary to withdraw from the course.

A student requesting a grade of “Incomplete” must enter into an agreement with the faculty member to document remaining requirements and establish the timeline for completion. A copy of the agreement signed by the student and the faculty member is provided to the Atkinson School Recorder, Karen Arthur, at the time the “Incomplete” grade for said student is submitted by the faculty member.

 “I” grades must be cleared from the transcript by completing the required coursework within the timeline contained in the agreement — which shall be no later than the end of the next regular academic semester. (Fall or spring semester.) Failure to clear an "I" by the mutually agreed-upon date contained in the agreement will result in the "I" becoming a grade of "F.”

It is the student's responsibility to complete the requirements stipulated in the agreement and take the initiative to stay in contact with the faculty member of the course for which the "I" grade was received.

If a student formally withdraws from school before the end of the next regular academic semester, the "I" grade will not be converted to an “F,” however, the student must complete the course by the end of the first semester in which they return to the Atkinson School.

Regulations Regarding "F" Grades
"F" grades are calculated in the grade point average and result in zero credits earned toward graduation.

A student who receives an "F" in a required course must repeat the course and earn a grade of "C" or higher in the repeated course. A student who receives an "F" grade in an elective course may repeat the course.

When a course is repeated, both the "F" grade and the grade received in the repeated course appear on the transcript, and both grades are calculated in the grade point average.

"F" grades have very serious consequences. A student anticipating an "F" in a course is advised to withdraw from the course prior to the last scheduled class meeting of the course.

Grade Changes
Changes in grades already recorded on a transcript are determined by the faculty member and permitted only under the following conditions:

• Error by the instructor in computing or reporting a grade
• Completion of work in a course for which the grade of "I" has been recorded
• Administrative error in the reporting or recording of a grade

Grade Appeal
The Atkinson School has a formal grade appeal process (described below). Students who want to use the formal grade appeal process as their first step are encouraged to do so. Students who want to use a more informal process as their first step are encouraged to communicate directly with the professor, and/or the Associate Dean/Director of Admission. If the issue is not resolved at the informal level, the next step for the student would be to begin the formal grade appeal process.

Formal Grade Appeal Process: The first step of a specific course grade appeal must be for the student to take the issue to the instructor in question or to the chairperson of Atkinson School's Student Affairs Committee (SAC). If the faculty member involved with the grade appeal is the chairperson of the SAC, the student may take the issue to the chairperson of the previous year.

If the issue is not resolved to the student's satisfaction at this level of appeal, the student can submit two (2) copies of his/her appeal in writing to the Associate Dean/Director of Admission, who will then distribute them as follows: one (1) copy to the Student Affairs Committee (SAC) Chair and one (1) copy to the instructor involved.

Written grade appeals must reach the Associate Dean/Director of Admission within forty-five (45) days following the general notification of grades, otherwise the grade will stand as posted and no further appeal will be available. It is the Associate Dean/Director of Admission's responsibility to notify both the SAC Chairperson and the instructor in question about the appeal.

Upon receipt of the written appeal, the SAC Chairperson will make a written request for the involved instructor's position, also to be submitted in writing. The SAC Executive Committee will then meet to review and discuss all appeal particulars, including but not limited to interviewing the parties involved in the appeal. If a conflict of interest arises within the SAC Executive Committee, the SAC Chairperson will replace the said compromised individual with an ad-hoc member of similar standing.

The process of appeal will occur during the semester (fall or spring) following the initial filing of the appeal. The appeal process is complete when the SAC reaches a consensual decision and the said decision is rendered in writing and distributed to the student and to the instructor in question.

If either party is dissatisfied with the Committee's decision, they may make a written appeal to the Dean, whose decision is final and binding.

Core Course Waivers
JD/MBA students may be eligible to receive a "substitution waiver" for core course work, but are not eligible for "credit waivers." Students granted a substitute waiver must take a specific elective course in place of the specific core course. The total number of required MBA credits required for graduation for an JD/MBA student remains 48 credits.

Waiver criteria: The criteria for granting a waiver for a core course are determined by the faculty member responsible for the course, and based on an assessment of whether the student meets the academic requirements for waiving the course. Students who waive a core course are responsible for the content of the waived course as it is applied in other MBA core and elective courses.

• GSM 5103 - Data Analysis, Modeling and Decision Making cannot be waived.
  
  
• GSM 5104 - Managing Individuals, Teams and Organizations
  Students who have completed ALL of the following may be eligible for a Substitute Waiver for GSM 5101/5102: a bachelor degree in business from an AACSB accredited program within five years of entry to the Atkinson School with a major in Organizational Behavior, Organization Theory or Human Resources; six or more undergraduate courses in HRM/Personnel (including course work in ethics) and earned a minimum grade of 3.0 (B) in each course; four or more junior/senior level courses in Organizational Behavior, Organization Theory, Leadership or Decision Making with a minimum grade of 3.0 (B) in each course; and have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or better. Qualified students should contact Alex Subert, Sr. Associate Dean, before the first week of fall semester.
  
  
• GSM 5105 - Accounting for Managers
  Students who have completed a course in Financial Accounting with a minimum grade of 3.0 (B), a course in Cost or Management Accounting with a minimum grade of 3.0 (B), and have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or better may be eligible to substitute an approved upper division accounting course for the core course Accounting for Managers. Qualified students must contact Professor Pierson during Compass Week to review their waiver options.
  
  
• GSM 5107 - Marketing - Creating Satisfied Consumers
  Students who have completed six credits or more of undergraduate course work in marketing with a minimum grade of B (3.0) in each of the marketing courses, have a cumulative GPA of B+ (3.3) or better in all marketing course work, and a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 (B) or higher may be eligible for a Substitution Waiver. Students granted a substitution waiver for GSM 5107 are required to complete either "GSM 6260 - Research for Marketing Decisions" or "GSM 6261 Marketing Strategy" in place of GSM 5107. Qualified students should contact Alex Subert, Sr. Associate Dean, before the first week of fall semester.
  
  
• GSM 5108 and 5109 PACE I and II cannot be waived.
  
  
• GSM 5110 - Economics, Finance and Markets
  All students who seek a waiver for GSM 5110 must talk with the professor who will be teaching the course during spring semester. To qualify for a review by the professor, the student must have completed an undergraduate course in Intermediate Micro, Intermediate Macro, and Corporate Finance course in the U.S. with grades of "B" or better in each course and a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 (B) or higher. In addition, a student seeking a waiver must familiarize himself or herself with the syllabus of GSM 5110 and explain why he or she has already learned the course material. The finance professors also strongly recommend students seeking a waiver attend the first class meeting of GSM 5110 before making a final decision.
  
  
• GSM 5114 - Operations and Systems Management cannot be waived.

Transfer Credits
JD/MBA students are not eligible to transfer credits from other MBA programs to the Atkinson School.

Request for Exception to Academic Policy or Procedure