Law and Professional Accountancy, J.D./M.P.A.

The College of Law and J. Mack Robinson College of Business offers a dual degree program that allows students simultaneously to pursue advanced course work in law and professional accountancy (the J.D./M.P.A. Program). Full-time students are able to satisfy all requirements for both a J.D. and a masters of professional accountancy (M.P.A.) in as little as four years, or eight semesters, as opposed to the five years, or 10 semesters, that would be required if the two degrees were pursued separately.

Degree Requirements

M.P.A. Requirements

The requirements for the M.P.A. are described in section 7190 of the Robinson College of Business catalog.

For students enrolled in the dual degree program, the Robinson College of Business will accept 24 credit hours of law courses toward the required 24 credit hours of general business coursework. In addition, the J. Mack Robinson College of Business will allow 12 semester hours of law courses to be credited toward the 30 credit hours of 8000 level M.P.A. courses, as follows: nine credit hours of law courses applied toward the nine credit hours of elective M.P.A. courses and a three-credit-hour tax law course applied toward the required course ACCT 8120.

The School of Accountancy requires strict adherence to the prerequisites listed for each of its courses (see the Course Descriptions chapter of this catalog). Students enrolled in accounting or taxation courses without having completed the stated prerequisites with minimum grades of C will be required to withdraw from the course. Students should contact the School of Accountancy before registration if there are questions about course prerequisites.

J.D. Requirements

The College of Law requires all J.D. candidates to complete 90 credit hours of law courses (43 of which are required courses and 47 of which are elective courses). Students enrolled in the J.D./M.P.A. program are permitted to apply 24 credit hours of law courses toward the required 24 credit hours of general business coursework. In addition, Robinson College of Business will allow 12 semester hours of law courses to be credited toward the 30 credit hours of 8000 level required M.P.A. courses, as follows: nine credit hours of law courses applied toward the nine credit hours of elective MPA courses and a three-credit-hour tax law course applied toward the required course ACCT 8120. Reciprocally, the College of Law will allow 12 credit hours of 8000-level M.P.A. courses in which students earn a grade of B or higher to be credited toward the requirements of the J.D. program. Thus, a student enrolled in the J.D./M.P.A. program will be able to complete the requirements for both degrees by completing 45 credit hours in Robinson College of Business and 78 credit hours in the College of Law.

Enrollment Sequencing and Time Limits

Candidates interested in the joint-degree program must satisfy the admissions requirements and be admitted to each college separately. Applicants should contact the Office of Admissions of each school for application information. Students must take the GMAT for admission to Robinson College of Business and the LSAT for admission to the College of Law. After students have been admitted to both programs and have declared their intent to enter the joint program, they must, at their first opportunity, complete the first 30 credit hours of required courses in the J.D. program. After the first 30 required credit hours of law are complete, enrollment in either college or both concurrently is permitted. Degree requirements for both programs must be complete within eight years of the student’s initial semester of enrollment in the joint program. The J.D. must be completed within seven years of the student’s initial enrollment in the J.D. program.

Graduation

Students must satisfy the degree requirements of each school and should consult with advisers in each school for the precise graduation requirements for each degree and for information about course offerings.