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NC State Poole College’s Jenkins MBA, Campbell Law School Partner on Dual Degree Program

The partnership allows students to simultaneously pursue a Juris Doctor (J.D.) at Campbell Law and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree at the NC State Jenkins Graduate School. Both schools will accept transfer credits which are applied toward J.D. and MBA degrees from Campbell University and NC State, respectively.

This dual degree program was officially announced at a brief ceremony held 10 a.m. on May 18, 2011, at the Campbell Law School. The dual degree program enables students to earn both degrees in four years of full-time study, rather than the usual five. The first students will be starting their studies this fall.

NC State Jenkins Graduate School Associate Dean Dr. Steve Allen said that the J.D./MBA degree students will study in a cross section of disciplines, including the analytical culture of law and the problem solving culture of business graduates.

“Students in the dual J.D./MBA program will be well prepared for careers in business, finance, law, government, nonprofit organizations, teaching and research,” Allen said, adding that “some students may go on to governmental roles in North Carolina, helping identify and solve problems facing the state.”

Several top business schools in the U.S. offer dual J.D./MBA degrees, including Stanford School of Business and Harvard University.

Collaborating Law with Business

Melissa A. Essary, the dean and professor of law at the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University, said she is excited by the new dual J.D. /MBA degree, adding that increasingly, businesses need to have lawyers on staff in order to accomplish their business goals and by having a dual J.D./MBA degree, her graduates will become even more marketable. “Law is a gateway degree. It opens up a lot of doors and a lot of careers. If coupled with a great MBA degree, this gateway is widened considerably,” she said.

Allen concurred, saying that, like Essary, he thinks this dual degree program will help further distinguish Poole College’s Jenkins MBA program from its competition, helping to attract more students.

“We are unusual in having a large number of dual MBA programs,”Allen said. “This year we also created a dual MBA and Master of Biomanufacturing and a dual MBA and Master of Industrial Engineering program.”

The new J.D./MBA degree was developed because many people with legal training also need to act as business advisors, or have to make business decisions. Additionally, more people in business are dealing with innovation, which leads to handling legal issues, such as patents. “Having training in both law and business will qualify these people to handle such things,” he said.

MBA electives and specialization courses may be taken in the School of Law or in the MBA program. Allen said that applicants should expect a rigorous workload, but should also realize they will save a year of studies with the joint degree, compared to earning the degrees separately.

Why the Jenkins Graduate School Partnered with Campbell Law School

Allen said that the Jenkins Graduate School chose to partner with Campbell Law School partly because of its proximity to NC State University – the two institutions are down the road from one another – but mostly because Campbell Law produces excellent graduates.

“Campbell Law School has the highest pass rate on the bar exam in the state of North Carolina. Additionally, their approach to teaching is similar to that of the Jenkins Graduate School in that it is hands-on, rigorous and practical. Campbell Law professors use mock trials and mock cases in the same way that Jenkins Graduate School professors use business case studies and real problems with real companies to teach their MBA students,” he said.

Essary said she chose to collaborate with the Jenkins Graduate School because of the excellent reputation at NC State and because of its focus on technology and innovation.

The deans agree that the alliance is a win-win, particularly for students. “Most law firms will appreciate having lawyers who understand business. Most businesses will value having managers who understand law. This is a truly great and highly applicable partnership between two great programs,” Allen said.

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Melissa A. Essary, the dean and professor of law at the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University; Steve Allen, associate dean, Jenkins Graduate School in the NC State Poole of Management; Henry C. Campen, Jr., managing partner, Raleigh Office, Parke Poe LLC, and Ira R. Weiss, dean, NC State Poole College of Management, were among those attending or speaking at the announcement.

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