Online ~ Distance Learning JD/MBA ?

I have been reading these forums on and off for awhile, I am really wanting to persue a JD/MBA program however I can only find them at true B&M schools, and all requiring that I quit my life and go to school full time for 4-5 years. I am 30.

There has to be a better option.. I currently have a bs business from a california state school, my gpa was averge 2.65, and my lsat was 137, however I didn't bother studying for it . I found school so boring when i was younger.. however now I am intrested in it. I want both degrees, and i want to get them done at the sametime. Is my only option some B&M school that i will end up paying 100k for? I am right in downtown Los Angeles, I have UCLA, USC, Pepperdine, UC Irvine etc all offering these types of degrees.

I really need a push in the right direction. I want to practice law ( on an as needed basis). I have an extremely successful career in IT, but I feel i have to get this to solitify myself in any company or organization. Eventually I want to persue a DBA or PhD.

What are my choices? do I have any? I really want distance learning because i can do all my studying at my job and home. Do i have to study these seperately online? I see AIU doing duel MBAs for about 30k right now, and nothern california law school having it done in about 2 years.

Any answer would benefit me so well, I will jump for any school that offers this that is regionally accredited.

Thanks in advance!

 

If you absolutely must do the MBA and JD online at the same school, try William Howard Taft University (www.taftu.edu). However, since there are so many top notch online MBA programs out there, you could complete the JD with Taft or Oak Brook (www.obcl.edu) and complete the MBA at a better online school.

Either way, if you plan on practicing law outside of California, an online JD won't be of that much help. Unfortunately, ABA gatekeepers refuse to accredit worthy online programs. Therefore, if at all possible, try to get into an ABA approved JD program. You'll need to retake the LSAT, but if you score 150 or higher, you’ll have a shot at law schools like Whittier or Jefferson.

In my experience, the best way to prepare for the LSAT is to take practice exams under timed conditions. You can download free practice exams online (see www.lsac.org), and you can buy additional practice exams from Arco and Princeton Review.

 

Also....

For the online MBA try regionally accredited National University in southern California. Their graduate tuition, listed at $250 per unit, seems pretty reasonable. Plus, I think choosing a local school is beneficial for a variety of reasons. See www.nu.edu/Admissions/Graduate/Tuition.html and www.nu.edu/emailcamp/inquiryformmba_thnkyou.html

Otherwise, look into Amberton University in Texas. I have read that they are one of the most affordable regionally accredited distance education universities. See www.amberton.edu

 

Questions:

If you have a bachelor's degree in business, do you really NEED an MBA?

Do you really think it is wise to approach law practice on an "as needed" basis? Law isn't really like that. If you aren't working in your area of expertise, what you think you know will be obsolete quicker than you might think. You may well end up hiring lawyers anyway because it's cheaper and more efficient than trying to bring yourself up to date.

I have never really seen the advantage to dual degree programs. You don't learn to do business in an MBA program and you don't learn to be a lawyer in law school. Both activities demand full time work experience to complete one's education.

Okay, having said all that, I get the impression from your post that money is a concern though not perhaps a deal breaker.

You have to decide some things, here. With your gpa and LSAT you will find getting into the UC system difficult, I think. I suspect that the two really good private schools, Stanford and U.S.C., may be a bit too competitive as well, though you SHOULD apply if you think you'd like to go there. LSAT and gpa aren't the only things that matter, especially for a more mature student. So that leaves the other fourteen private ABA schools. An LSAT less than 150 and a gpa under 3.0 will not help much, I'm afraid. Studying for the LSAT might improve your scores somewhat but remember, schools get ALL of your scores from LSDAS.

What I would recommend is doing your graduate business work FIRST. Doing well in a decent MBA program might go a long way toward overcoming your scholastic record.

Just a thought. Good luck whatever you decide!

 

re: my post!

Great info, however how would degrees at National University/ Amb that are regionally accredited help me get into a phd / doctorate program after I graduate?

Do people have problems entering these programs in state or even university of california for a PHD ?

My whole idea is that if I am not running a company I will be working for someone, and having a law degree or a PhD will allow me to teach / consult As well as give me more value against the person only holding a masters degree in xyz ... I don't want to lock myself into only one option so having a couple of options later on is what i want. I have seen too many middle managers get fired because some new young hot shot ( like me ) gives them a good belting. I don't want that to happen to me, so I want more to offer later on. Teaching or even practicing law at a later date is what I want to do.

As middle management it always looks good for some company to have some phd's working for them, or people with law degrees. People that look at those companies feel safer because there are "experts". So in the second part of my life i want to have that solitified.

I am really looking for utility, I have mutiple IT certifications, but certs are no good because they become outdated in 3 years, and unless i want to play the cert game for the rest of my life it won't do me any good.. I actually want to have a life. Any suggestions would help me a bunch.

I want something that will offer me the most choices and give me the ability to not worry so much about my future.

Anyone that has gone though this please let me know, as well as any advice for me.

National university looks very good, i will give them a call tomorrow.. any other suggestions? Any other school choices? Thanks again in advance!

 

Re: re: my post!

The best thing to do is check with the doctoral programs you are interested in eventually applying to in order to learn exactly what they are looking for. However, it should be noted that since DETC accredited Master's degree are sometimes enough to get students into doctoral programs, Amberton and National degrees should definitely suffice. The regional accreditation they possess, makes the Master’s to PhD move even easier.

I believe Dr. Rich Douglas, one of the regulars here, earned a National degree. It seems to have served him well. You may want to find one of his posts and ask him for more information about the program.

Aside from National, there are tons of other distance education master's programs. You may also want to check out CSU Dominguez Hills (dominguezonline.csudh.edu/programs.php) or just search this forum for other possibilities. Still, though, if it were me, I would probably go with National or any other local school. I just think it will lead to less suspicion.

Finally, (last but not least), I recommend you take at look at Jonnie’s distance learning page. The guy lists just about every accredited MBA program known to man. It’s a great site. Have a look by following this link: www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Haven/2386/distance.html

Good luck! And enjoy the search; it's half the fun. I had a blast narrowing down my choice of possible law schools, applying, and then, deciding which school to choose.

 

Hi, I was feeling the same way you were a couple of years ago. I was looking into the JD/MBA as a way to get a leg up. I live in SoCal and was looking at many of the same places you are. But all that work for that JD!! Ugh!!!

So what I looked at was a second masters in addition to my MBA. (I planned on earning them simultaneously if at all possible)
I worked in financial markets and I didn't think a MBA with a finance concentration was good enough not only in depth, but in giving me an advantage over others.

In fact, one of the first programs I looked into was an MS Finance degree from National U. I was all set to go, but I think they didn't have the enrollment numbers that they were looking for so they decided to discontinue this program at their education center and now it is only offered in San Diego. That was just a bit too far for me to travel.

A couple others people gave good info on getting a JD. You said that you wanted to eventually do a DBA or PhD. I was looking at the PhD programs in the local area, and I can tell you USC and UCLA are just out of sight as far as what they are looking for. USC does have a webpage that gives their class profile. http://www.marshall.usc.edu/web/Doctoral.cfm?doc_id=885 The class profile for UCLA is along the same lines.

There are other B&M programs in the local area (UC Irvine and Claremont Graduate University are two that I know of). I communicated with their department and they have slightly lower admission standards than USC and UCLA, but they are still quite high.

It seems to be that you have two objectives: 1) Looking at staying one step ahead of the rat race and 2) teaching and/or practicing law.

Objective 1 can be solved multiple ways: graduate degress, certificates, professional certifications.

For objective 2 to occur I just think you need to bite the bullet and look at an ABA JD.

Gaining a specialization can help keep relive you fear of being replaced. I do know that Villanova University offers a Graduate Certificate in Commerical Contract that I believe can be done online. Maybe that can be of use to you.

Good Luck

 

If you have a bachelor's degree in business, do you really NEED an MBA?

For me it is YES, for three reasons:

1) My BS program did not offer a specialization. It was "Bacehlor of Science in Business Administration" no concentration.

2) The classes in my UG business courses were soooo large (I'm talking some with at least 400 students and the cell phones that go with them). I just didn't learn as much as I wanted to in that type of environment. The largest class for my MBA has been 31 students. Many of my classes have been 15 or less. Needless to say, I have learned much more.

3) To me the MBA is seen more of an essential part of getting (and keeping) a job rather than being an elective part of a person's education that can give that person the ability to stand out.

These were the factors that led me to enter a MBA program even with a BSBA.

 

Response to Thom

I have a special interest in the subject of your research as I am the Manorial Lord of Knowth which you will know is of archealogical interest because of the burial grounds there. Indeed there is nothing else there besides burial grounds. According to the Irish Library in Monaco, Knowth was historically important and at least one King of Ireland held sway there.

A visit to Monaco might be worthwhile as it holds a copy of the book of Kells as well as all the books left by Princess Grace, who was of course Irish.

I would be happy to supervise your thesis with St Clements University. However, it would have to be on the basis of a thesis of at least 70,000 words.

I can email a 14-page Dissertation Guidelines if you wish. This applies to any other reader whether or not interested in St Clements University. Indeed I would welcome comments on the document which is the most useful I have seen. Just send me an email on [email protected].

Applications for theses should be made direct to www.stclements.edu

 

Jeff, you're on the wrong thread. Either repost or ask the mods to move this. The thread you want is labeled PhD Interdisciplinary or something similar. Janko

 

Although it DID sound interesting!

Strangeone:

Please don't misinterpret my comments about your numbers into advice to forget law school. That wouldn't be good advice.

If you intend to STAY in California, a non ABA J.D. might serve you well and could cost a lot less money than an ABA degree. Frankly, it is also significantly easier to get into these schools.

The majority of California law schools aren't ABA. Many, many law teachers in these schools hold a non ABA degree but are also admitted to the California Bar.

Some of these schools are regionally accredited; others are accredited by the CalBar.

Just remember. In the law, the license is the thing.