Management and Law (MBA/JD)
Law School, SC Johnson College of Business
Program Description
Cornell Law School and the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell offer two programs for combining law school education with graduate management training. Students receive both the J.D. and Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degrees in three or four years, rather than the normal five years. Applicants must apply to, and be accepted by, both schools for either the 3-year J.D./M.B.A. or the 4-year J.D./M.B.A.
Full time status for the M.B.A. program is defined as a minimum of 12 graduate-level credits per term.
Academic Schedule 3-Year J.D./M.B.A.
- First year is spent entirely in the Law school.
- Second year, entirely in the Johnson school.
- In the third year, students are in residence at Law and take a mix of courses across the Law School and Johnson to meet the degree requirements of both programs in the three years.
Academic Schedule 4-Year J.D./M.B.A.
- First year is spent entirely in the Law school.
- Second year is spent entirely in the Johnson school.
- Third and fourth years, students take a mix of courses across the Law School and Johnson to meet the degree requirements of both programs in the four years.
Program Information
- Program Mode of Delivery: In Person; Distance Education
- Program Location: Ithaca, NY
Dual Program Requirements
J.D. Program Requirements
3-Year Option
Candidates for the J.D./M.B.A. (3-year) will spend their entire first year at the Law School, totaling 32-33 credits.
In total, students must take 20.5 credits of M.B.A. core courses, 5 credits of required courses, 19.5 College of Business elective courses at Johnson. Within Law, students are required to take a minimum of 9 law credits per semester and a total of 72 credits of the 84 credits for the law degree earned in the Law School.
- All courses for credit must be taken at either Johnson or the Law School.
- Students who apply to enter the three-year J.D./M.B.A. program must have a minimum 3.40 grade point average during the fall semester of their first year in the Law School.
- Cross-listed courses will be factored in the student's law school merit point ratio (MPR).
- Students must take LAW 6131 Business Organizations in the Spring semester of their first year.
- Students must take a minimum of 9 credits of LAW coursework each semester.
- In addition to the first year coursework, students must complete:
- One course in LAW 6641 .
- One Writing course.
- Courses which meet this requirement vary each semester. Consult the class roster for more information.
- This course must be taken for a letter grade.
- This course must be at least three credits.
- Six Credits of Experiential Learning.
- Electives must come from the LAW subject area.
- Students must adhere to the following restrictions when choosing elective coursework:
- three credits of supervised writing per semester, for a total of 12 credits
- three credits of supervised experiential learning, with a one semester enrollment limit
- two credits of directed reading per semester, for a total of eight credits
- two credits of supervised teaching per semester, for a total of eight credits
- twenty total credits of externship over the four upper-class semesters
- no undergraduate coursework may be counted towards the J.D.
- Students must complete a minimum 64 credits of regularly scheduled courses. Courses outside the regular schedule are:
- Externships, the Pro Bono Scholars program, directed reading, supervised writing, supervised teaching (including Lawyering Honors Fellows), supervised experiential learning, courses taught in other divisions, and practicums.
Students will need a total of 117 credits for the receipt of both degrees.
3-Year Student Schedule
- First year is spent entirely at the Law school.
- Second year is spent at the Johnson school.
- In the third year, students are in residence at Law and take a mix of courses across the Law School and the Johnson School to meet the degree requirements of both programs.
- Tuition is paid to the Law School for four semesters and to the Johnson Graduate School of Management for two semesters.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 1L Fall Required Courses | ||
| LAW 5001 | Civil Procedure I | 3 |
| LAW 5021 | Constitutional Law | 4 |
| LAW 5041 | Contracts | 4 |
| LAW 5081 | Lawyering I | 2 |
| LAW 5151 | Torts | 3 |
| LAW 5101 | Professional Development: Lawyers in the Best Sense I | 0.5 |
| Total Hours | 16.5 | |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 1L Spring Required Courses | ||
| LAW 5001 | Civil Procedure I | 3 |
| LAW 5061 | Criminal Law | 3 |
| LAW 5081 | Lawyering I | 2 |
| LAW 5121 | Property | 4 |
| LAW 5101 | Professional Development: Lawyers in the Best Sense I | 0.5 |
| LAW 6131 | Business Organizations | 3-4 |
| Total Hours | 15.5-16.5 | |
4-Year Option
Cornell Law School and the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell offer a program for combining law school education with graduate management training. Students received both the J.D. and Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degrees in four years, rather than the normal five years.
Students will spend their first year entirely in one school and their second year entire in the other school. During the third and fourth year they will take a mix of courses from the Law School and Johnson to meet the degree requirements of both programs.
- Students must take LAW 6131 Business Organizations in their second or third year.
- Students must satisfactorily complete 84 credit hours of Law School coursework.
- 72 of the 84 credits for the law degree must be earned in the Law School.
- Cross-listed courses will count towards the 72 credits and will be factored in the student's law school merit point ratio (MPR).
- Students may take up to 12 credits of courses related to legal training taught by members of the university faculty outside of the Law School, subject in each case to the approval of the Law School's Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
- In addition to the first year coursework, students must complete:
- One course in LAW 6641 .
- One course in LAW 6131 Business Organizations .
- One Writing course.
- Courses which meet this requirement vary each semester. Consult the class roster for more information.
- This course must be taken for a letter grade.
- This course must be at least three credits.
- Six Credits of Experiential Learning.
- Electives must come from the LAW subject area.
- Students must adhere to the following restrictions when choosing elective coursework:
- three credits of supervised writing per semester, for a total of 12 credits
- three credits of supervised experiential learning, with a one semester enrollment limit
- two credits of directed reading per semester, for a total of eight credits
- two credits of supervised teaching per semester, for a total of eight credits
- twenty total credits of externship over the four upper-class semesters
- no undergraduate coursework may be counted towards the J.D.
- Students must complete a minimum 64 credits of regularly scheduled courses. Courses outside the regular schedule are:
- Externships, the Pro Bono Scholars program, directed reading, supervised writing, supervised teaching (including Lawyering Honors Fellows), supervised experiential learning, courses taught in other divisions, and practicums.
During six of the eight terms, students must register for a minimum of 9 credits in the Law School.
Students will need a total of 117 credits for the receipt of both degrees.
4-Year Student Schedule
-
First year is spent entirely at either the Law School or the Johnson School.
-
Second year is spent entirely at the school in which the student did not complete their first year.
-
Third and fourth years take a mix of courses across the Law School and the Johnson School to meet the degree requirements of both programs in four years.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 1L Fall Required Courses | ||
| LAW 5001 | Civil Procedure I | 3 |
| LAW 5021 | Constitutional Law | 4 |
| LAW 5041 | Contracts | 4 |
| LAW 5081 | Lawyering I | 2 |
| LAW 5151 | Torts | 3 |
| LAW 5101 | Professional Development: Lawyers in the Best Sense I | 0.5 |
| Total Hours | 16.5 | |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 1L Spring Required Courses | ||
| LAW 5001 | Civil Procedure I | 3 |
| LAW 5061 | Criminal Law | 3 |
| LAW 5081 | Lawyering I | 2 |
| LAW 5121 | Property | 4 |
| LAW 5101 | Professional Development: Lawyers in the Best Sense I | 0.5 |
| Total Hours | 12.5 | |
M.B.A. Program Requirements
3-Year and 4-Year Option
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Core Courses | 20.5 | |
| NCC 5000 | Financial Accounting | 2.5 |
| NCC 5010 | Data Analytics and Modeling | 2.5 |
| NCC 5020 | Microeconomics for Management | 2.5 |
| NCC 5030 | Marketing Management | 2.5 |
| NCC 5040 | Leading Teams | 1.5 |
| NCC 5050 | Critical and Strategic Thinking | 1.5 |
| NCC 5060 | Managerial Finance | 2.5 |
| NCC 5080 | Managing Operations | 2.5 |
| NCC 5090 | Strategy | 2.5 |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | 2 | |
| NMI 5101 | Work Experience | 1 |
| NBA 5700 | Core Teams Practicum | 1 |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Leadership Elective | 1.5 | |
| Students must take one of the following as a letter grade: | ||
| NBA 5140 | Ethics and Corporate Culture | 1.5 |
| NBA 6040 | Finance and Ethics | 1.5 |
| NBA 6130 | Topics in Leadership: Women in the Workplace | 1.5 |
| NBA 6540 | Power and Influence in Organizations | 1.5 |
| NBA 6650 | The Strategic Management of Technology and Innovation | 3 |
| NBA 6870 | Leading Across Differences: Understanding Identity, Dialogue, and Influence | 1.5 |
| Sustainability Elective | 1.5 | |
| Students must take one of the following as a letter grade: | ||
| NBA 6030 | Strategies for Sustainability | 1.5 |
| NBA 6035 | Organizational Change and Sustainability | 1.5 |
| NBA 6575 | Sustainability and Equity Investing | 1.5 |
Johnson Elective Courses (19.5 Credits)
Students may take eligible graduate level courses (5000 level or above) offered at Cornell within the SC Johnson College of Business (AEM, HADM, NBA, NBAY, NMI, REAL).
Advanced Standing (15 Credits)
All dual degree seeking students will be awarded 15 credits of advanced standing upon their first semester registered as a Johnson M.B.A. student.
- NMI 6000
Johnson Graduate School of Management Requirements
- Students must satisfy all core course requirements. (20.5 core credits - NCC courses)
- Students must complete 45 graduate-level credits in accordance with degree requirements. Students are granted 15 credits of advanced standing as part of the dual degree partnership.
- Students must complete residency requirements that align with their academic plan. Full-time status is defined as attempting at least 12 graduate-level credits per term.
- Students must achieve grade-point averages of at least 2.70 overall and 2.50 in core courses.
- Students may take no more than eighteen (18) credits in any semester toward the graduation requirement. Students may petition to add up to 4 additional credits for a total of 22 credits per semester.
- Students may take up to two courses (regardless of credit) that are optionally graded if the student chooses the satisfactory/unsatisfactory option. Additional optionally graded courses can be taken but must be taken for a letter grade.
- Students may take a maximum of 1.5 total credits of Leadership Skills Programs courses (NMI 5050 ) toward graduation.
- Students may enroll in undergraduate courses (under 5000 level) including Physical Education (PE), however these credits will not, under any circumstances, count toward M.B.A. degree requirements. They will however count toward the total number of enrolled credits.
Program Calendar
J.D. Program Calendar
Fall 2026
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| August 24, 2026 | First Day of Instruction |
| September 7, 2026 | Labor Day - No Classes |
| October 10-18, 2026 | Fall Break |
| November 25-29, 2026 | Thanksgiving Break |
| December 3, 2026 | Last Day of Instruction |
| December 4-6, 2026 | Study Days |
| December 7, 2026 | First Day of Exams |
| December 18, 2026 | Last Day of Exams |
| December 18, 2026 | Last Day of Term |
Winter 2027
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| January 4, 2027 | First Day of Term |
| January 4, 2027 | First Day of Instruction |
| January 17, 2027 | Last Day of Instruction |
| January 17, 2027 | Last Day of Term |
Spring 2027
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| January 19, 2027 | First Day of Term |
| January 19, 2027 | First Day of Instruction |
| February 14-16, 2027 | February Break |
| March 27-April 4, 2027 | Spring Break |
| April 28, 2027 | Last Day of Instruction |
| April 29-May 2, 2027 | Study Days |
| May 3, 2027 | First Day of Exams |
| May 14, 2027 | Last Day of Exams |
| May 14, 2027 | Last Day of Term |
Summer 2027
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| June 1, 2027 | First Day of Term |
| June 1, 2027 | First Day of Instruction |
| June 18, 2027 | No Classes |
| July 4-5, 2027 | No Classes |
| July 31, 2027 | Last Day of Instruction |
| July 31, 2027 | Last Day of Term |
M.B.A. Program Calendar
The Management (M.B.A.) follows the Standard Academic Calendar.
Admissions
Application Requirements and Deadlines
Application Deadlines
Fall: The application and all supporting documents must be submitted through the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) by the following deadlines:
- Early Decision: January 1
- Regular Decision: March 1 (Priority Deadline); July 1 (Final Deadline). We strongly encourage regular decision applications to be submitted by March 1.
- Transfer or Visitor applications: July 1
Note: Binding early decision applicants and 3+3 Accelerated Pathway Scholars admitted without an LSAT score who subsequently take the LSAT will be subject to admission reconsideration. In the event admission is rescinded, any seat deposited paid will be refunded.
J.D. Application Requirements
A complete application consists of the following:
- Register with the LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS)
- Complete the LSAT, GRE or GMAT
- Submit your electronic application through LSAC
- Submit transcripts to LSAC for processing
- Submit letters of recommendation to LSAC for processing
Law Admissions Contact Information
Email: jdadmissions@cornell.edu
Phone: (607) 255-5141
Website: https://www.lawschool.cornell.edu/admissions/jd-admissions/
M.B.A. Application Requirements
- Completed online application form
- Resume
- List of activities
- Goals Statement and one of two required essays (a second essay is optional)
- Academic records and transcripts for all post-secondary coursework and degrees
- GMAT or GRE score report (test waiver optional)
- TOEFL, IELTS, and DET score report (for applicants whose first language is not English)
- One letter of professional recommendation (a second letter is optional)
- Non-refundable $250 USD application fee
MBA Admissions Contact Information
Name: Full-Time MBA Admissions
Email: mba@johnson.cornell.edu
Phone: (607) 255-4526
Website: https://www.johnson.cornell.edu/programs/full-time-mba/admissions/