The Haworth College of Business of Western Michigan University(HCoB) and the Thomas M. Cooley Law School (TMCLS) will cooperate in the delivery of a Master of Business Administration degree and a Juris Doctor degree. Both schools will offer their existing JD and MBA degrees independently and will cooperate in a manner that will permit eligible students in one institution’s degree program to incorporate course work from the other institution’s program.
General Provisions
All degree requirements of TMCLS and HCoB are unaffected by the degree partnership program. Each institution admits students, conducts graduation audits, and exercises control over its respective academic programs independently. Admission to either the MBA degree or the JD degree does not guarantee admission to the other program.
HCoB students are eligible for course waiver or transfer for courses taken at the partner institution if the students are in good standing at their respective institution. TMCLS may transfer credit and HCoB may waive individual courses (of their respective programs) subject to the approved list of courses below with the written advisor approval for each student. Grades for waived courses are not computed as part of the GPA, but a reduction in total program hours will occur.
Academic Credit
Individuals who plan to participate in the degree partnership program may apply for admission to both programs simultaneously or while an active student member of either College. They are encouraged to do so in a manner, which permits timely completion of both programs and which, meets other requirements. Credit may be transferred or waived between the schools, specifically waived in the case of HCoB only if a student has matriculated in both schools. TMCLS can grant transfer credit from HCoB-WMU for purposes of the degree participation program only if a student begins and completes an eligible HCoB-WMU transfer course after matriculation at TMCLS.
Students who have matriculated in the degree participation program will sign a declaration of intent to participate and submit it to their academic advisors at both schools before registering for the first elective course in either program.
Students who have matriculated in the degree participation program may begin taking courses in the second program according to the following provisions: A TMCLS JD student may begin taking MBA courses at HCoB-WMU after satisfactorily completing 27 credit hours at TMCLS. An HCoB MBA student may begin taking JD courses after satisfactorily completing 9 credit hours in the MBA program at the Haworth College of Business of WMU.
Neither school can confer its degree upon students participating in the degree partnership program until six acceptable credits are transferred or waived by the other institution. In general, completion of the second degree should not extend beyond twelve months of conferral of the first degree, subject to the WMU Graduate College requirement of a six-year maximum time period for master degree completion.
TMCLS will accept six semester hours of credit earned by a student in good standing at WMU in any combination of the following HCoB courses:
- ACTY 6240 - Business Tax Planning Credits: 3 hours
- BUS 6150 - Global Business and Intercultural Communication Credits: 3 hours
- BUS 6160 - Business Policy and the Social and Ethical Environment Credits: 3 hours
- FCL 6420 - International Finance Credits: 3 hours
- LAW 6840 - International Business Law Credits: 3 hours
- LAW 6880 - Health Law Administration Credits: 3 hours
- MGMT 6410 - Business Venturing Credits: 3 hours
- MGMT 6520 - Strategic Human Resource Management Credits: 3 hours
- MKTG 6130 - Customer-Driven Marketing Management Credits: 3 hours
- MKTG 6770 - Buyer Behavior Credits: 3 hours
- or other courses deemed appropriate fro transfer by the department or program advisor for other 6000-level courses
In addition, if LAW 6040 is required in the program of an MBA student, HCoB-WMU will accept three semester hours of credit earned by a student in good standing at TMCLS in any of the following TMCLS courses:
- Civil Procedure II Credits: 3 hours
- Constitutional Law Credits: 3 hours
- Contracts Credits: 3 hours
- Contracts II Credits: 3 hours
as a waiver for LAW 6040 at HCoB-WMU.
HCoB will accept six semester hours of credit earned by a student in good standing at TMCLS in any combination of the following TMCLS courses:
- Secured Transactions Credits: 3 hours
- Taxation Credits: 3 hours
- Bankruptcy Credits: 3 hours
- Business Planning Credits: 3 hours
- Federal Administrative Law Credits: 3 hours
- Sales Credits: 3 hours
- Alternative Dispute Resolution Credits: 3 hours
- Collective Bargaining Credits: 3 hours
- Comparative Law Credits: 2 hours
- Computer Law Credits: 2 hours
- Consumer Law Credits: 2 hours
- Deferred Compensation and Pension Planning Credits: 2 hours
- International Business Law Credits: 2 hours
- International Financial Regulation Credits: 2 hours
- International Human Rights Law Credits: 2 hours
- International Trade Law Credits: 2 hours
- Labor Law Credits: 2 hours
- NAFTA Credits: 2 hours
- Patent Law Credits: 2 hours
- Products Liability Credits: 2 hours
- Securities Regulation Credits: 2 hours
Specifically, as part of the six credit hours of elective courses waived, HCoB will accept the successful completion, jointly, of (1) Business Organizations and (2) Professional Responsibility at TMCLS as equivalent to BUS 6160 at WMU.