Two North Texas universities are joining their academic forces to supply the growing workforce demand in business and law fields.
The University of Texas at Arlington and the Texas A&M University School of Law have partnered to offer two dual-degree programs.
Starting Spring 2020, students can earn a master’s degree in either business administration or taxation and a J.D. degree in law, concurrently, from each institution. The new plan allows students to study and finish both degrees at the same time.
“We’ve discovered a real appetite for this kind of joint degree,” said Harry Dombroski, UTA dean of the College of Business. “We imagine that many of our dual-degree students in this program will attend business classes at UTA Fort Worth, which is adjacent to the Texas A&M School of Law. It’s practical, and we believe the program will attract a number of professionals.”
Under the agreement, UTA’s MBA dual-degree students can receive up to 15 credit hours from the Texas A&M School of Law as electives in the Master of Business Administration degree. UTA’s dual-degree students in the master’s program in taxation can receive up to 12 credit hours from the Texas A&M School of Law as electives.
Texas A&M School of Law students may transfer up to 12 hours of designated UTA courses as electives in their J.D. program. Students enrolled at either UTA or the Texas A&M School of Law may apply to the other school’s program.
“In a heavily regulated world, business and law are impossible to separate,” Robert Ahdieh, dean of the Texas A&M School of Law said. “Students trained in both will enjoy a significant market advantage.”
The MBA courses at UTA are taken in sequence, in accelerated five- or eight-week sessions. UTA offers this format at its Fort Worth campus and consists of 48 semester hours.
“This is a great example of working across institutions and systems for the benefit of students while creating the best intellectual capital and workforce for the region and state,” UTA President Vistasp Karbhari said.