May 13, 2008

Cooley Law School Partners With Western Michigan University To Offer Joint Law Degree And MBA Program

Students will be able to earn a law degree and a master’s of business administration simultaneously thanks to a new partnership announced today by the Thomas M. Cooley Law School (Cooley) and Western Michigan University’s Haworth College of Business (WMU). The joint-degree program will require 12 fewer credits than if the degrees were earned separately.

"Both schools are focused on providing students with the knowledge and skills that will make it easier for them to succeed quickly when entering professional employment," said William P. Weiner, associate dean of international programs at Cooley. "We believe that combining broad business and management education with a law degree can provide the competitive edge executives and attorneys need in a rapidly expanding global marketplace."

Students will attend WMU for classes geared for the MBA and Cooley for law classes. Those who successfully complete the program will earn an MBA from WMU and a Juris Doctor degree (J.D.) from Cooley.

Since WMU’s MBA program is available in Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids, the new partnership will likely be most beneficial to the residents of West Michigan. Cooley has campuses in Grand Rapids, Auburn Hills and Lansing.

The joint-degree program with WMU parallels a similar arrangement that Cooley has with Oakland University for residents of Southeast Michigan.

"This is an example of a program designed to fulfill the needs of students who have unique career objectives that can be best met by completing two degrees instead of one," said Dr. P. David Shields, dean of the Haworth College of Business at WMU. "Business and legal education clearly complement each other in many areas of employment."

Celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, Cooley Law School is the largest law school in the country and includes the largest African-American and second-largest minority student enrollment.  Founded in 1972, it operates J.D. programs in Michigan's capital city in Lansing, Auburn Hills, and downtown Grand Rapids.  Today, Cooley Law School has more than 12,000 graduates across the nation and worldwide and also offers joint degree and master of laws programs.  Additional information about Cooley can be found at www.cooley.edu.