Joint Degree Programs

Joint degree programs are offered by the Darden School in connection with other schools and departments at the University of Virginia. These programs are designed to enhance the educational experience beyond that which could be achieved if the two degrees were taken independently. Each joint degree program is a unique program with significant and identifiable synergies that the two degrees taken independently would not offer.

Admissions For all joint degree programs, except M.B.A.-Ph.D., students first must be admitted to the Darden School and the appropriate University graduate school or department through the normal admission processes. Admission to both programs should be simultaneous or occur during the student’s first year at Darden.

Once the student is admitted to both programs, he or she must be accepted for the joint degree program by the joint degree program’s program committee. Admission to a joint degree program should be prior to matriculation or no later than during the student’s first year at Darden.

Curriculum Requirements Students in joint programs must complete the Darden first year program and 24 credits of electives (instead of the normal 33 credits). Other curriculum requirements are noted in the individual joint program descriptions.

Receipt of the M.B.A. degree is contingent upon receipt of the respective non-M.B.A. degree. However, in the joint M.B.A.-Ph.D. program, the faculty will award the M.B.A. degree to a student who has completed all requirements for the regular M.B.A. program.

Grading Standards Candidates for joint degrees must satisfy the grading standards of the appropriate school or department granting the non-M.B.A. degree and receive passing grades in their Darden School courses, with grades below B- in no more than 3.5 course units.

Transfer to a Single-Degree Program At any point in the program, the student will be allowed to terminate plans for a joint degree and to continue toward a single degree at either school or department. The student will then be obligated to satisfy the normal requirements of the appropriate program, which may include credit for some of the work done in the other program, as determined by the appropriate officials of the school or department in question.

For More Information about joint degree programs at Darden, contact the Director of Admissions, the Darden School, University of Virginia, P.O. Box 6550, Charlottesville, VA 22906-6550; (434) 924-7281.

The M.B.A.-J.D. Program

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The Darden School offers a combined program with the University of Virginia School of Law, in which the student may obtain the M.B.A. degree and the J.D. degree in four years instead of the five that would be required if each were taken separately. The program is designed to accommodate the interests of three types of students: (1) those who contemplate careers in public service and want to acquire the skills and attributes of the manager; (2) those who contemplate managerial careers and want to acquire the skills and capacities of lawyers; and (3) those who want to prepare for careers in specific areas of the law, such as mergers and acquisitions, corporate reorganization, legal aspects of marketing, or other specific fields.

The M.B.A.-J.D. program is particularly demanding, and unless the student is clearly able to see the applicability of both degrees to future career plans, he or she should not assume that the chance to squeeze one year from a normal five-year sequence is in itself a persuasive rationale for this undertaking.

Administration of the Program The program is administered by one member of the law faculty and one member of the business administration faculty, as designated by the respective deans. The responsibilities of these faculty members extend to admission to the joint program, coordination of curricula for the students involved, resolution of problems that may arise, reconciliation of course and examination conflicts, and promotion of joint offerings by the two schools where that seems feasible. For convenience of reference, these faculty members are the faculty advisors for the program.

Students who have been admitted independently to both schools and who wish to undertake the joint program should notify the registrar of both schools and apply to faculty advisors for permission to do so. Admission requires approval of both the Law faculty advisor and the Darden faculty advisor. No student will be admitted after beginning the second year of the Law School. Entrance into the M.B.A.-J.D. program will not be guaranteed by virtue of acceptance at both schools, but will be judged according to criteria, which is the responsibility of the faculty advisors.

Curriculum The program takes four years to complete. In brief, it consists of the complete first-year program of each school, followed by two years of courses taken from the curricula of the two schools and, in appropriate cases, from other graduate offerings at the University. A student who has been admitted to the program will ordinarily be allowed to elect whether to start in the Law School or in the Darden School. The student will then spend the second year in the program as a regular first-year student in the other school.

Thereafter, the student will be required to earn 32 credits per year for the next two years, 12 each year in the Darden School and 20 in the Law School. The M.B.A.-J.D. candidate is obligated to take, as part of these credits, all of the required curriculum in both graduate business administration and law. The remaining credits will be elective credits and can be chosen from the respective law and business curricula after consultation with the program committee.

At the successful conclusion of the four years, the student will be awarded both an M.B.A. and a J.D. degree.

Financial Aid Financial aid will be available during the first two years by application to the school at which the student is a resident. During the third and fourth years, the Darden School will provide for the third year with the Law School providing aid in the final year.

M.B.A.-M.A. in Asian Studies

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The M.B.A.-M.A. in Asian Studies combines the analysis, decision-making, and managerial concepts and techniques taught at the Darden School with intensive language and area studies in East Asia, primarily Japan and China.

Students are expected to complete the M.B.A.-M.A. program in three years instead of the four years required if each degree were taken separately.

Administration of the Program The program is administered by one member of the East Asian Studies faculty and one member of the Darden School faculty, as designated by the respective deans. The responsibilities of these faculty members extend to admission to the program, development of curricula for the students involved, coordination of courses and examinations, and promotion of joint offerings by the two schools where that seems feasible.

Curriculum A joint degree candidate must satisfy the grading standards of the appropriate school or department granting the non-M.B.A. degree and receive passing grades in their Darden School courses, with grades below B- in no more than 3.5 course units. Students must also take the required portion of the M.A. program, which consists of 24 graduate credits.

Following the Darden first year, students normally spend the summer in intensive language study. The second year is followed by a six-month internship in an East Asian location. For their sixth semester, students return to the University to complete their degree requirements. One research paper based on field work conducted in Asia may be used to satisfy both a Darden Business Project at Darden and the master’s thesis requirement at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. These research projects are jointly supervised by a faculty member from both the Darden School and the East Asian Studies faculty.

Students in the joint program must comply with the Darden grading standards for recognized joint programs.

At the successful conclusion of the three years, the student is awarded both an M.B.A. and an M.A.

M.B.A.-M.A. in Government, Foreign Affairs, or Public Administration

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The joint degree in government, foreign affairs, or public administration meets the growing need for managers to obtain expertise in comparative government, international relations, political risk assessment, and public administration in combination with the business concepts and techniques taught at Darden.

Students are expected to complete the M.B.A-M.A. program in three years instead of the four years required if each degree is taken separately.

Administration of the Program The program is administered by one faculty member designated by the chair of the Department of Government and Foreign Affairs and one member of the Darden School faculty, designated by the dean. The responsibilities of these faculty members extend to admission to the program, development of curricula for the students involved, coordination of courses and examinations, and promotion of joint offerings by the two schools where that seems feasible. For convenience of reference, these faculty members are referred to as the program committee.

Curriculum The program takes three years to complete. Students in the joint program must complete all the required courses at the Darden School.

Students must earn 24 credits of Darden electives to satisfy the Darden graduation requirements.

The M.B.A. Darden Business Project is combined with the thesis requirements of the M.A. program. Projects are jointly supervised by a faculty member from both the Darden School and the Department of Government and Foreign Affairs.

Students must take the required portion of the M.A. program, consisting of 24 graduate credits or 27 graduate credits for the M.A. in Public Administration. The department will accept six credits (two courses) from Darden toward the completion of this requirement.

One of the required courses for the M.A. may be a tutorial course, 595, Selected Problems (in specific areas). This course may entail a research paper based on experience as an intern.

The M.A. in Government or Foreign Affairs requires successful completion of a proficiency test in a foreign language arranged by the department, and of written comprehensive examinations in two of the subfields into which the department’s curriculum is divided. For the Master of Arts in Public Administration there is no language requirement, and only one subfield examination is required.

The M.B.A.-M.E. Program

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The objective of the Master of Business Administration-Master of Engineering joint degree program at the University of Virginia is to prepare individuals for leadership positions in technologically intensive organizations.

The M.B.A. program provides an understanding of the fundamental areas of business while it develops the capacity to analyze managerial problems and present resourceful solutions to these problems.

The M.E. program within the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) enhances the professional instruction of the bachelor’s program in engineering, while increasing the graduate student’s knowledge and understanding in a specific field of engineering or applied science.

The M.B.A.-M.E. program will create an opportunity for graduate students to acquire the breadth of understanding and added flexibility needed to operate effectively at the interface between the commercial and technical units of modern industry and society.

Degree Requirements Students in the M.B.A.-M.E. program will be required to complete 24 credits of course work in the School of Engineering and Applied Science and 69 credits of course work in the Darden School. Normally, the M.E. degree requires 30 credits and the M.B.A. requires 78 credits. In effect, students in the combined program are given elective credit in one school for courses taken to fulfill the requirements of the other.

The purpose of the M.B.A. degree program requirements is to provide a comprehensive, integrated view of business. M.B.A. students in the joint degree program are expected to use their elective courses to provide depth in the areas that reflect their joint degree educational objectives and career interests. For example, M.B.A. students might select electives in international business, marketing, operations/technology, quantitative analysis, and organizational behavior. The Business Projects course (3 credits) will normally be combined with the SEAS course requirement of a 3-credit project in the M.E. program. This combined 6-credit requirement will be jointly supervised by a Darden and a SEAS faculty member. Exceptions to a joint project have to be approved by the M.B.A.-M.E. program Committee.

The M.E. degree is a professionally-oriented degree. Of the 24 credits of course work required in SEAS, 21 credits will be normal course work and 3 credits will be taken in an appropriately-numbered project course. Of these 21 credits, a minimum of 12 credits must be taken in the major department. Also, a maximum of 6 credits may be taken at the 500-level. None of the 24 credits may include a course taken in the Darden School. The project must have one advisor from SEAS and another from the Darden School.

The joint degree is obtained in approximately one semester less than the time required for the two degrees separately. If a student drops out of either part of the joint degree program, he or she will be required to complete the normal degree requirements to obtain a single degree in either SEAS or Darden.

The M.B.A.-M.S.N. Program

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The objective of the Master of Business Administration-Master of Nursing joint degree program is to provide a unique educational experience to specially qualified individuals capable of leadership and innovation in health care organizations and delivery systems.

The M.B.A. program provides an understanding of the fundamental areas of business while it develops the capacity to analyze managerial problems and present resourceful solutions to these problems. The M.S.N. program builds on the theoretical knowledge and clinical experience of the bachelor’s prepared nurse and, therefore, the M.B.A.-M.S.N. program creates a special opportunity for students to acquire the breadth of understanding and the management skills needed to perform effectively and creatively at the business and clinical interface of our health care delivery organizations.

Degree Requirements Students in the M.B.A.-M.S.N. program are required to complete 24 credits of course work in the School of Nursing and 69 credits of course work in the Darden School. Normally, the M.S.N. degree requires 30 credits and the M.B.A. requires 78 credits. In effect, the students in the combined program are given elective credit in one college for courses taken to fulfill the requirements of the other.

Students in this program are expected to use their elective courses to develop depth in areas that reflect their joint degree educational objectives and career interests. For example, electives in service operations, marketing, managerial accounting, etc., might be taken at the Darden School; and courses in health economics, health policy, etc., could be chosen from the nursing school.

The M.B.A. Darden Business Project and one of the required M.S.N. practica are combined into an administrative practicum course where the students are required to serve as administrative residents in a health care organization and are assigned various general management responsibilities. This experience, supervised jointly by faculty from both colleges, is a key element in the practical integration of course work material taken by the student during the program.

The M.B.A.-Ph.D. Program

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The Darden School offers a combined M.B.A. and Ph.D. degree in business administration that shortens the process of obtaining both degrees, without sacrificing either professional or scholastic content. The joint four-year program allows a student to satisfy the M.B.A. degree requirements and the Ph.D. course requirements by the end of the third year. The completion of the required dissertation typically takes at least one additional year of full-time work.

To gain admission to this joint program, one must first apply to the regular M.B.A. program and check the M.B.A.-Ph.D. box on the application form. When an applicant is admitted to the M.B.A. program, the application materials are passed on to the doctoral admission committee. If the committee decides favorably, the applicant is conditionally admitted to the M.B.A.-Ph.D. degree program. Final admission is granted upon the student’s successful completion of the first year in the M.B.A. program.

For more information about the M.B.A.-Ph.D. degree at Darden, contact the Director of Admissions, Darden Graduate School of Business Administration, P.O. Box 6550, Charlottesville, VA 22906-6550; (434) 924-7281.