Curriculum
Program Structure and Curriculum
Students spend the first year of the JD-MBA Program at the Law School’s Chicago Campus where they complete the standard first-year law curriculum.
Students must take a minimum of 3.0 Kellogg credits during their first summer, which can be achieved by taking part-time Kellogg classes through the Evening & Weekend Program at Kellogg’s downtown campus, full-time Kellogg classes through the Full-Time Program at Kellogg’s Evanston campus, or Law School classes that are co-listed for Kellogg credits. They may also take Law School coursework to get ahead of their Law curriculum requirements, enroll in an experiential opportunity at the Law School, or do a business or law internship in addition to taking classes.
Students register in the full-time program at Kellogg’s Evanston campus and will complete the minimum 16 Kellogg credit MBA requirements, including the core classes, by the end of this year. JD-MBA students have a fully immersive Kellogg experience in this year: experiential learning courses, club leadership, KWEST, social events, etc.
Students participate in a summer internship in law or business following their second year in the program. Students pursuing a law internship will go through recruiting with the Law School during their first year and through the summer term. Students pursuing a business internship will participate in the Kellogg recruiting activities in the winter quarter of their second year. Students have full access to both Northwestern Pritzker Law and Kellogg Career Centers.
Students return full time to the Law School and complete their remaining courses. Students may take a few Kellogg electives if there is space in their credit offerings for each quarter and provided they do not exceed the 20 Kellogg course credit limit. Most JD-MBA students take one to four Kellogg courses during their third year.
Majors & Pathways
As a JD-MBA student, you’ll participate in the same classes and coursework as your counterparts seeking only an MBA or law degree. Our strong MBA core curriculum creates a well-balanced academic foundation.
You may opt to choose from seven majors during your MBA studies: Accounting, Economics, Finance, Marketing, Operations, Strategy and Managing Organizations. A major requires that a student complete the core course for the major and a minimum of four electives. If you choose not to elect a major, “General Management” will be noted on your transcript.
We believe that this approach gives our students the flexibility and guidance they need to carve out a unique intellectual experience that is relevant to their specific educational and career goals.
In addition to majors, Kellogg provides “pathways” to our students who are interested in building expertise in emerging areas and evolving industries.
A pathway is an integrated, cross-functional sequence of courses designed to address a particular skill set or industry for which there is active student and recruiter demand. You have the flexibility to pursue any number of pathways and go as deep as you’d like into each one.
Explore pathways for AI and Analytics, Entrepreneurship, Growth and Scaling, Healthcare at Kellogg, Real Estate, Social Impact and Venture Capital & Private Equity.