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anonymous Changing from an MBA/JD to just an MBA I had some questions as I think I may have somewhat deviated from my original trajectory in that I am not sure if a JD would be the right course for me and it might be better to perhaps simply pursue an MBA after working or even straight after my studies. It would be very helpful if I could get someone's opinion on this. While, given a background in Philosophy (my undergraduate degree, graduating 2017), I might be better suited to the JD than an MBA. I really have no desire to practice law and only felt it would be a good supplement going into business.Plus having a label always helps. Furthermore, I feel my philosophy degree has given me a lot of the analytical and critical reasoning components that seem to recommend a JD. Of course a JD might further hone them, but it's an extra 2 years and I could just as easily hone them in a working environment. Aside from the extra time involved. It would also mean an even more competitive application. As I'd have to get in to both schools. Is there any value to having both if you are not planning to practice law? #MBA {{ 1434632400325+1-1 | date : 'short' }} mba All Replies User Picks
Eric Allen expert I will certainly let others chime in on this, but I do think there is value, but a lot of people get the dual degree to give them a different perspective on thinking. My brother has a JD / MBA and while he doesn't practice law he has talked about the value of the thought structure that law provides. Now you have to look at ROE. Given your degree in philosophy, that value is likely minimized, so it may not have the same returns for you. I have seen the JD/MBA be quite valuable for certain careers like business development (contracts / strategy) and for those who may want to practice and own their own law firm, the MBA helps in that regard. That's quite a bit of additional debt if you're not sure, so keep talking to folks! {{ 1434825001784+1-1 | date : 'short' }}
Shannon Lopez Couldn't agree more with @Eric Allen on this. Additionally, since you have no desire to practice law, you might want to get an understanding of the experience of law school... the level of detail and memorization and things like that. It would be important to understand if that's a fit for you or not. If it's not, then you will have an even tougher time with the experience and may have difficulty getting out of it what you want to. {{ 1434968464364+1-1 | date : 'short' }}
Jennie Rothman expert @EricAllen raises the right questions to consider. You should consider not only whether a JD will help you broaden your skill set, but also whether that broadened skill set is necessary for the particular field you want to go into. Yes, a JD can help in certain business fields, as Eric mentions, but it's not necessary or even useful for all. And, a law degree brings a lot of debt. For some more info on reasons to get/ forego a JD, check out this recent article: http://www.vox.com/2015/6/5/8724555/should-i-go-to-law-school {{ 1435002252138+1-1 | date : 'short' }}