Juris Doctor (Joint Degree Program), JD/MBA

GGU provides students the opportunity to simultaneously pursue both the MBA and JD degrees. Students interested in the joint program should first apply to the School of Law. Matriculated JD students may apply to participate in this program after the completion of two semesters of law school, for full-time students, and after three terms for part-time students. Students’ LSAT scores will be accepted in lieu of the GMAT and Writing Proficiency Requirement in order to gain admission to the MBA program. All the other admission requirements of our traditional MBA program apply. Students’ Law School grades will also be considered in the admission decisions. See Joint Degree Programs and the Business Administration, Law Concentration, Joint MBA/JD for more information.

Students must complete 88 units to graduate, 76 of which must be from the School of Law. In addition to the requirements listed below, students will complete approximately 15 units of electives. Of the 88 units required for the JD program, 12 units of elective courses will be waived after completion of the MBA program requirements. Electives include additional units from the lists below and other classes on a variety of subjects listed in the course schedules each term.

First Year Courses - 30 units

LAW - 700A Civil Procedure I 3 unit(s)
LAW - 700B Civil Procedure II 3 unit(s)
LAW - 705A Contracts I 3 unit(s)
LAW - 705B Contracts II 3 unit(s)
LAW - 710 Criminal Law 3 unit(s)
LAW - 715 Property 4 unit(s)
LAW - 720 Torts 4 unit(s)
LAW - 725A Writing and Research I 2 unit(s)
LAW - 725B Writing and Research II 3 unit(s)
1L Elective 2 unit(s); First year students who have a required course GPA below 2.3 at the end of the first semester may be required to take LAW 801E Legal Analysis in place of the first year Lawyering elective. When space permits, other students may enroll in Legal Analysis with approval of the Associate Dean for Law Student Support.

Second Year Required Courses (12-16 units per semester)

LAW - 801A Constitutional Law I 3 unit(s) (Fall Semester.)
LAW - 801B Constitutional Law II 3 unit(s) (Spring Semester.)
At least 4 “Additional Upper Division Required Course” units

Additional Upper Division Required Courses - 9 units

LAW - 803E Criminal Procedure I 3 unit(s)
LAW - 804 Evidence 4 unit(s) (Recommended for fall of second year.)
LAW - 805A Professional Responsibility 2 unit(s)

California Bar Subject Courses - At least 8 units

LAW - 802A Business Associations 4 unit(s)
LAW - 808A Community Property 2 unit(s)
LAW - 720G Privacy, Defamation, and Other Relational Torts 2 unit(s)
LAW - 715C Real Estate Transactions 2 unit(s)
LAW - 806 Remedies 3 unit(s)
LAW - 807 Wills and Trusts 3 unit(s)

Upper Division Writing Courses - At least 4 units

All students must complete at least 4 units from a number of courses which have
been certified as including:

At least 15 pages of writing (approximately 4100 words) in one large assignment or multiple shorter assignments;
Independent research; and
A rewrite of a draft on which the student receives individualized written feedback from the professor.

These courses include:

LAW - 727E Advanced Legal Research 2 unit(s)
LAW - 732 Appellate Advocacy 2 unit(s)
LAW - 869 California Legal Research 2 unit(s)
LAW - 862A Environmental Law Journal Writer I 2 unit(s)
LAW - 884 Independent Study 1-2 unit(s)
LAW - 861A Law Review Writer 1-2 unit(s)
Additional Information:
- Additional courses as identified in the course schedules for a particular semester or as approved by the Associate Dean or Director for Law Student Support in consultation with the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
- Law Review and Environmental Law Journal participation satisfies the requirement, provided the student drafts a note or comment of satisfactory length, receives feedback from a professor or senior editor, and revises the piece, as certified by the Associate Dean or Director for Law Student Support or their designee.
- Although all students must complete at least 4 units of Upper Division Writing Courses, these units are not included in calculating a student’s required course GPA.

Upper Division Experiential Courses - At least 6 units

All students are required to complete at least 6 units of Upper Division Experiential Coursework. Students graduating in the full-time day program must complete at least 3 of these units through a clinic, externship or field placement (“Non-Simulation Courses”) listed below.
Students graduating in the part-time program may complete all 6 units of this requirement with Simulation Courses, but are strongly encouraged to complete at least 3 units through Non-Simulation Courses.

Non-Simulation Courses

LAW - 834C Environmental Law & Justice Clinic 2-3 unit(s)
LLM - 312 Estate Planning Externship 2-3 unit(s)
LAW - 809B HLP Client Representation 2 unit(s)
LLM - 306C IRS Litigation Clinic 1-3 unit(s)
LLM - 306A Pro Bono Tax Clinic: State Income Tax 1-3 unit(s)
LLM - 306B Pro Bono Tax Clinic: Sales & Use Tax 1-3 unit(s)
LAW - 776C Veterans Legal Advocacy Center 2-4 unit(s)
LAW - 885B Women’s Employment Rights Clinic 2-3 unit(s)
Additional externships, clinics, or field placements as identified in the course schedule

Simulation Courses

LAW - 815 Alternative Dispute Resolution 3 unit(s)
LAW - 745N Business Negotiations 3 unit(s)
LAW - 897C Civil Litigation: Depositions 2 unit(s)
LAW - 897A Civil Litigation: Pretrial Phase 3 unit(s)
LAW - 898A Criminal Litigation 3 unit(s)
LAW - 837F Family Law Practice 2 unit(s)
LAW - 823P IP Practicum: Trademark & Copyright Transactions 2 unit(s)
LAW - 815G Negotiation 3 unit(s)
LAW - 899B Trial Advocacy 3 unit(s)
Additional simulation courses as identified in the course schedule
Additional Information:
- Additional courses with a significant experiential learning component, as identified in the course schedules or as approved by the Associate Dean or Director for Law Student Support in consultation with the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, may satisfy either category.
- Although all students must complete at least 6 units of Upper Division Experiential Courses, these units are not included in calculating a student’s required course GPA.