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Carey JD/MBA Program

JD/MBA

JD/MBA Fitler square

The Francis J. & William Polk Carey JD/MBA Program at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and the Wharton School immerses students in an accelerated course of study, preparing them for careers at the intersection of law and business. Students earn both JD and MBA degrees in three years, rather than the five years it would typically take to earn each degree separately. 

There is a 4-year track available only to students who have already matriculated at Wharton OR Penn Carey Law.

Highlights

Explore notable and unique academic opportunities the Penn Carey JD/MBA Program has to offer.

  • Capstone
    • The JD/MBA Capstone is an experiential course exclusively for JD/MBA students in the final year of their joint degrees. The Capstone is led and taught by Professor Sarah Pierce and allows students to guide a company through several transactions, including start-up structuring and venture capital, exit/M&A, and restructuring. Students get the opportunity to travel and meet with experts and industry leaders to build a plethora of interpersonal and professional skills.
  • Summer Program
    • Our JD/MBA has a unique Summer Session in between the 1L and 2L years. This session brings the rising 2L cohort together in a meaningful way and gives them access to professors at Wharton and Penn Carey Law in a very intimate environment.
  • San Francisco Semester (Optional) - by application
    • The Semester in San Francisco combines classroom learning with extracurricular activities and various opportunities for students to engage with the regional economy in a unique immersive learning experience.
  • Speaker Series and Alumni Events
    • The Carey JD/MBA Speaker Series takes place throughout the academic year and gives JD/MBA students the opportunity to interact and network with faculty, alumni, and guest speakers who are experts in their fields.
  • Academic Advising Events
    • The Carey JD/MBA program offers one-on-one academic advising for all students, as well as group programming and panels such as “Picking Your 1L Spring Electives,” “Studying for Exams,” and “Participating in a Law Journal as a JD/MBA.”
    • For more information on academics, see below.

A huge part of this program and what also makes it so unique is the cohort bonding. The Carey JD/MBA program offers many social event opportunities for current students to connect with one another throughout the academic year.

Student Association

jd mba students 2024

The JD/MBA Student Association provides an important touchpoint for those in the Carey JD/MBA Program

JD/MBA Student Association co-presidents Joshua El-Bey L’23, WG’23 and Genevieve Shaw L’22, WG’22 share more information about the organization and its offerings.

Read more

Academic Portion

Curriculum Overview for 3-Year Program

When you join the three-year Carey JD/MBA Program, you will spend your first year at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. The following summer, you will take a series of Law and Wharton courses designed specifically for the Carey JD/MBA Program. The second and third years include a combination of Law and Wharton courses, along with the JD/MBA capstone course in the third year.

Degree Requirements

University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
  • First-year Law School curriculum
  • Professional Responsibility course (typically provided as part of summer coursework)
  • At least 70 hours (about 3 days) of supervised legal work in a pro-bono setting through Penn Law’s Toll Public Interest Center
  • Senior research and writing requirement
  • 86 total credit hours, of which 64 credit hours are LAW courses (course, seminar, or clinical coursework) and 6 credit hours are experiential learning (simulation/skills courses, clinics, or externships)
The Wharton School
  • Wharton Pre-Term
  • Core courses (certain courses may be waived by experience or exam and replaced with electives)
  • Major
  • Minimum of 15 course units (CU’s); maximum of 16.5 CU’s; approximately 5 CUs required for a major
Joint Programming
  • Capstone
  • Summer session
Curriculum Overview for 4-Year Program

If you are admitted to the 4-year program in your 1L year at the Law School, you can matriculate at Wharton in your 2nd year or 3rd year; if you are admitted to the 4-year program in your 2L year at the Law School, you must matriculate at Wharton in your 3rd year.

The requirements are the same for the 4-year program except for the summer program.

Please note that the 4-year JD/MBA is only available to students who have already matriculated at Wharton OR Penn Carey Law and wish to add a degree at the other school.

JD/MBA Capstone

Students must complete the JD/MBA Capstone course in their final year of the program. This will count towards the Law School’s experiential learning requirement. The course is led by Professor Sarah Pierce.

 

Student Profiles

Lydia Anglin

Lydia Anglin

 
Ted Baumgardner

Ted Baumgardner

 
Brendan Bell Headshot 2022

Brendan Bell

 

Contact JD/MBA

The Francis J. & Wm. Polk Carey JD/MBA Program

jdmba@law.upenn.edu
JD/MBA Orientation Week
JD/MBA Students
JD/MBA Orientation Week
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Claire Devlin

JD/MBA Admissions Welcomes Claire Devlin GEd’22

Claire Devlin GEd’22 is the new Associate Director of Admissions of the Francis J. & William Polk Carey JD/MBA Program.

Jill Fisch and Sarah Pierce

Teaching Excellence

Jill Fisch and Sarah Pierce were recently honored with 2022 Provost’s Teaching Awards.

Golkin

The JD/MBA Student Association provides an important touchpoint for those in the Carey JD/MBA Program

JD/MBA Student Association co-presidents Joshua El-Bey L’23, WG’23 and Genevieve Shaw L’22, WG’22 share more information about the organization and its offerings.

The Goat

Law student volunteers drive success of Pennsylvania 30 Day Fund offering hope and funds to struggling small businesses

The Pennsylvania 30 Day Fund provides $3,000 forgivable loans to small businesses in need with the help of Penn Law graduate and student volunteers.