Combined Albany Law School JD and Union Graduate College MBA or MBA in Healthcare Management

Union Graduate College and Albany Law School offer two combined JD/MBA degree options; a JD/MBA in General Management and a JD/MBA in Healthcare Management. The combined programs allow students to “double count” courses which reduces the total time it takes to complete the two degrees separately. The combined degree is typically completed in four years.

Combined program students complete the first year full-time at Albany Law School. The second year is spent as a full-time student at Union Graduate College. Some students complete the MBA requirements in the second year. If necessary, students will complete the remaining courses by taking one MBA course per term in the third and forth years. Albany Law School follows a semester academic calendar while Union follows a trimester calendar. Students must complete the MBA requirements by the end of the Winter trimester of the forth year.

Students must complete all MBA requirements BEFORE completing the JD requirements. Once MBA requirements are met, Albany Law School will transfer in one term’s worth of free electives from the MBA courses taken at Union Graduate College. This usually reduces the total time needed to complete the JD from three years to two and a half years.

Admission Procedure and Requirements
Combined program students must apply and be accepted at each school independently. Union Graduate College applications should be submitted no later than spring of the first year at Albany Law School.

Union Graduate College Application Procedures

• Contact the Combined Program Advisor at Union Graduate College; Dean Mel Chudzik at chudzikm@union.edu or call 518-388-6447
• Generally an undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 is required to be considered for admission.
• Application materials can be found on-line at www.uniongraduatecollege.edu
• Tuition at Union Graduate College is charged per course. Albany Law School tuition is charged per semester
• Application materials include
  • Application form
  • Essay
  • Three recommendations
  • Resume
  • Transcript
  • GMAT- Based upon prior academic work, UGC will frequently allow the LSAT scores to be substituted for the GMAT examination

Both MBA programs consist of 20 courses, although course requirements differ slightly. Union Graduate College will accept four courses taken at Albany Law School for credit toward either MBA. These courses are defined on the reverse side. Additional business-related courses taken at Albany Law School may be considered but require the approval of the Dean.

Courses taken as an undergraduate may also be considered for MBA course waiver. In total, Union Graduate College can waive up to eight courses toward the MBA; four taken at Albany Law School and up to four based on undergraduate course work. Albany Law School courses accepted for MBA course waiver are listed below.

JD/MBA in General Management at Union Graduate College course waivers:

1. MBA 570: Legal Principles of Business; a core MBA requirement is waived based on coursework taken in the first year of Albany Law School
2. One advanced course requirement in the Finance/Accounting and Economics area will be waived with any one of the following courses taken at Albany Law School
   • Bankruptcy
   • Corporate Governance and Finance
   • Estate Planning I
   • Estate Planning II
   • Federal Taxation of Estates, Trusts and Gifts
   • International Finance
   • Introduction to taxation
   • Federal Income Tax/Corp. Shareholders
   • Federal Income Tax/Partnerships
3. One advanced course requirement in the Marketing and Operations area will be waived with any one of the following courses taken at Albany Law School
   • Products Liability
   • Introduction to Intellectual Property
   • Labor Law
   • Trusts and Estates
   • Patents & Trade Secrets
   • Patents & Technology Licensing
4. One advanced course requirement in the Management & Human Resources area will be waived with any one of the following courses taken at Albany Law School
   • Business Organizations
   • Business Planning
   • Employment Regulation
   • Unfair Trade Practices
   • International Law
   • International Commercial Arbitration
   • International Human Rights Law
   • Commercial Law

JD/MBA in Healthcare Management at Union Graduate College course waivers:

1. HCM 574: Healthcare Law; a core MBA Healthcare requirement is waived with Health Law taken at Albany Law School
2. HCM 680: Health Policy; a core MBA Healthcare requirement is waived with Administrative Law taken at Albany Law School
3. One course elective in the MBA Healthcare will be waived with any one of the following courses taken at Albany Law School
   • Antitrust in the Health Industry
   • Bioethics
   • Commercial Law Survey
   • Disabilities Law
   • Human Reproduction: Legal and Moral Issues
   • Malpractice in Health Care
   • Public Health Law
4. One or two course electives in the MBA Healthcare will be waived with any of one the courses listed above in the JD/MBA in General Management course waiver list. The limit is four course waivers based on Albany Law School coursework.

For further information about the Union Graduate College MBA programs, please contact: Rhonda Sheehan, Director of Admissions and Registrar sheehanr@unon.edu; (518) 388-6238.

For further information about the Albany Law School programs, please contact: Joann Fitzsimmons jfitz@albanylaw.edu; (518) 445-2324