Pursuing a joint JD/MBA might seem like a daunting prospect, since it entails a significant investment of your time and energy (not to mention your tuition dollars).  But one of the benefits of an established joint degree program is that the law and business schools have already organized a curriculum that will maximize your chances for success.  Max Kozinn, a current JD/MBA student at Michigan State University, was kind enough to answer some questions and share his JD/MBA experience with Beat the GMAT.

What motivated you to pursue a joint JD/MBA?

I came to law school knowing that the JD/MBA program was what I wanted to do.  I knew I wanted a career in sports and entertainment, a very competitive industry and one in which business and legal skills are very crucial and beneficial. I figured it would open up a lot of doors for me in diversifying my background and making me stand out from the crowd.

Why did you choose MSU?

There were a number of reasons I chose MSU. But I knew that MSU not only had a great law school but a top ranked business school as well. Both schools have excellent career services offices and placement rates with companies and firms. Both schools have outstanding reputations both in Michigan and  nationally and I knew that would help me if I wanted to either stay in Michigan or work in another part of the country, because both my degrees would stand out.

How has the joint degree improved your networking opportunities?

Tremendously. Not only have I expanded my network with students in the law school and business school, but also attending different law and business school events, I have met so many different representatives from companies and law firms all over the country. Both schools put on fantastic networking events, such as “meet the lawyer” events at law school, and the business school speaker series in the business school, that not only help me in learning about areas of law and business, but opportunities to network and get your name out there. In addition, whenever I meet a new potential employer, they are definitely impressed with the degree and the skill set, and the degree itself is a great talking point. Employers are very interested not only in why I am doing it, but also how the program works and what skills I am building on.

Compared to your business school colleagues, how do you feel about the workload that results from the joint degree?

Both schools require a lot of work, but that’s why I am doing graduate school, right?  It is a great challenge. Particularly in the first years of each program when you are studying all law or all business, quite a bit of work is thrown your way (I did year 1 law, year 2 business, year 3 both, year 4 both).  The interesting thing is the differences in how the work is done. In law school, most of the work is done individually and you are tested primarily once a semester for each class to determine final grades. Most of your work in law school is done outside the classroom, too.   In business school, we are organized on teams, and there are a lot more team projects, papers, group work–most of the work is done in these settings. Also there is more in class time in business school.  Overall, the workload has been great, though, because I have developed the skill set to work not only individually but also on a team, and that is something employers look for.

Have you had any conflicts between your law school obligations and your business school obligations?

Well as I said, I did year 1 law and year 2 business and my last two years I am doing both. Being in my 3rd year of the 4 year program, I have noticed only a few conflicts. Occasionally, at the business school my team wants to meet at a certain time to work on a project where I have to do something for law school at the same time, but as long as I use good time management it works out fine. Also being removed one year from law school to do business school, there is a readjustment in getting back into the law school swing in year 3, but that has not been a problem. I have also stayed close with the law school even while doing all business school my second year. I served on the executive board for the sports and entertainment law society to make sure I was still active in the law school. I also made time to see my friends from law school!

What impact has the joint degree had on your career prospects?

Huge! Not only was I able to land an awesome internship in sports with the Detroit Pistons, but I have also had numerous employers tell me that both my degrees will put me in a very good situation upon graduating in May 2011. Employers have told me numerous times they want someone who can think critically and analyze problems while at the same time understanding business decisions and applications. Both degrees provide those tools and complement each other in that regard. Also, the experience of working on teams in the MBA program as well as the individual grind of law school has diversified my skill set and helped make me even more employable. Being someone who wants to work in sports and entertainment, to have already broken into this very competitive industry with my internship and succeeded greatly in my work, I feel I am in a great position and I owe a lot of that to the dual degree program.

See part 1 of this series: To JD or Not to JD: Should You Pursue a Joint Degree? Part I