MBA or JD: Which Is the Better Career Path?

Choosing Between a Business and Law Career

Graduate business degrees and law degrees are popular post-bachelor’s educational paths, with many people hoping a graduate degree will make them stronger job applicants and ultimately earn them higher salaries.

This certainly has the potential to be true, but only you can decide what is right for you regarding higher education. Review all your options, including educational requirements, possibilities in business or the law, expected job growth and salaries. Explore job openings within these fields, and consider what you might find most fulfilling.

MBA Curriculum and Business Law Courses

If you’re interested in getting into business school, take a closer look at traditional MBA courses and concentrations. You might find enough legal education through an in-person or online MBA program that you are comfortable getting an MBA instead of a JD.

MBA programs follow a similar core curriculum focused on comprehensive business and management study, including technical skills in finance and marketing, according to the Graduate Management Admission Council. The National Center for Education Statistics’ Classification of Instructional Programs describes general business administration programs as including instruction in management theory, human resources management and behavior, accounting and other quantitative methods, marketing and business decision-making. MBA coursework can include:

• Finance: Core finance courses focus on investments, including applying capital budgeting, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of valuation techniques and funding sources.
• Accounting: These courses teach the fundamentals of measuring, processing and communicating financial information. More importantly, you will learn how to use financial statements to understand a business and make decisions.
• Economics Statistics: You will learn how to analyze economic data, including basic and more advanced statistical concepts.
• Marketing: Traditional marketing courses focus on product strategy, economic price theory and pricing, consumer behavior, placement, promotion and communication strategies.
• Leadership and Management: Expect to take classes on leadership, teamwork, organizational behavior and management. Being in business requires learning how to work with and direct a business’s human resources and become a leader.

Law can be part of business school teaching, too: the accreditation standards of business-school accreditor AACSB recognize law and taxation degrees as qualifications for faculty who teach law, the legal environment of business or taxation. But you’re more likely to take substantial law coursework in a dual MBA-JD program, which combines business and law courses, according to the Graduate Management Admission Council.

JD Curriculum and Business Courses

Consider what goes into getting into law school—including preparing for the LSAT—and what you’ll experience when you get there. Law school starts with a set curriculum whether you attend in-person or online JD program courses, full time or part time.

As a first-year law student, you’ll follow a designated course of study that may cover many of these subjects, according to the Law School Admission Council:

• Torts: Torts are harmful acts, other than a breach of contract, that gives rise to a legal claim. You will learn about when a person has a legal claim against others for actions like negligence.
• Contracts: Learn about what makes a legally binding oral or written contract and about the law that governs contract disputes.
• Civil Procedure: You’ll learn the legal rules and procedures for civil court, including for filing lawsuits, discovery and motion practice.
• Property Law: The laws governing land, minerals, water and more.
• Criminal Law: You will learn about penal laws in America, as well as rules and procedures for criminal courts.
• Constitutional Law: You’ll learn the history of the U.S. Constitution and how the courts decide constitutional disputes.
• Writing and Research: This class has many names. Whatever it is called, you will learn how to research, write legal memoranda and present oral arguments.

After completing the law school’s required curriculum, you can choose from many electives. By taking electives in a particular area of law, you may begin to specialize in your education.

JD vs. Master of Legal Studies

Just because you’re interested in the law doesn’t mean you have to earn a JD. It’s best to be confident you’re on the right path before embarking on a law degree. If you’re not dedicated to the idea of practicing law, consider a master’s in legal studies.

The difference between a JD and a Master of Legal Studies is that, in almost all cases, you’ll need a JD to practice law in the United States, according to the Law School Admission Council. Each jurisdiction sets its own bar exam eligibility rules: many limit eligibility to JD graduates of ABA-approved law schools, while a few, such as California, Vermont, Virginia and Washington, also permit law office study, according to the National Conference of Bar Examiners. A master’s degree in law alone will not allow you to sit for the bar or become an attorney, but an MLS can prepare you to work in a law-heavy industry like human resources or healthcare. An MLS is great if you want to be familiar with the law and comfortable working with lawyers but do not want to practice.

It’s also possible to specialize with an MLS. For example, you can pursue a master’s in taxation law, business law, intellectual property, human resources, public policy or dispute resolution.

Business or Law Degree: Side-by-Side Comparison

Is an MBA better than a JD? Only you can decide. If you dream of becoming a lawyer, you will, in almost all cases, need a JD. But if you don’t want to be a litigator, transactional attorney or politician, an MBA might be better.

Keep reading to compare a JD and an MBA. Our guide breaks down the differences to help you decide for yourself.

MBA vs. JD: Time Commitment

Most JD programs are three-year, full-time programs, and many law schools offer part-time programs that take approximately four years to complete, according to the Law School Admission Council. How long it takes you to graduate may depend on how many credit hours you can manage each semester, including summers.

A traditional MBA is a full-time, two-year program, according to the Graduate Management Admission Council. GMAC notes that one-year and other alternative-length programs, such as 18-month programs, are more common in Europe, while part-time MBA programs are taught over a longer period, with classes held outside work hours in person, online or both.

For working students, full-time MBA programs and JD programs may be too time- consuming. If you want to work while earning a graduate degree, it may be best to look at part-time and online programs. Many universities have programs geared toward working adults.

MBA vs. JD: Cost

The cost of a JD or MBA may not be the determining factor, but it’s likely an important one. You want to be confident you can take on the financial burden of JD or MBA tuition, pay student loans after graduation and get a good return on investment.

Consider the cost of tests for either option. All ABA-approved law schools accept the LSAT, according to the Law School Admission Council, and some also accept the GRE. The GRE is also accepted by more than 1,300 business programs, according to ETS. As of August 2026, standard test administration costs of the GRE are $249 in the U.S., and additional score reports are $40 each. The cost of the LSAT is $253 for the August 2026 to June 2027 testing year, then an additional $219 for the credential assembly service and $45 for each law school report. You will invest more in the GRE or LSAT by buying study materials or going through prep programs.

There’s also the cost of applying, including official score reports and, for law school, a separate law school report for each application, according to the Law School Admission Council.

Most importantly, look at average MBA and JD tuition. At the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, for example, the total budget for a two-year MBA can exceed $200,000. If you’re worried about the cost of an MBA, consider in-state schools and MBA scholarships.

Getting a law degree is costly. However, law school scholarships might help defray tuition costs.

If you have to take out student loans for a JD or MBA, don’t forget to calculate cost-of-living expenses. A school’s cost of attendance, which sets a limit on the total federal aid you can receive through programs such as Direct Loans, includes allowances for housing and food, transportation and personal expenses as well as tuition and fees, according to the Federal Student Aid Handbook. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, law degree completers who borrowed for their graduate education owed an average of $132,740 in graduate education loans in 2019-20.

MBA vs. JD: Exams

When considering how difficult business school is compared to law school, you need to factor in tests. Is law school hard? It may be, and some of that is because of the LSAT, Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam (an ethics exam) and bar exam. Testing is a rite of passage in law. The bar exam is generally required only if you want to practice as an attorney. Take into account bar exam costs in terms of time, effort and money.

For MBA programs, ETS offers the Major Field Test for Master of Business Administration (MFT-MBA), which it describes as a comprehensive national assessment for program evaluation. The test consists of 124 multiple-choice questions.

MBA vs. JD: Licensure Requirements

An MBA does not prepare you to practice in a particular profession as a law degree does. If you want to be a practicing lawyer, you generally must pass the bar and the MPRE (multistate professional responsibility examination) to become licensed. According to the National Conference of Bar Examiners, the MPRE is required for bar admission in all but two U.S. jurisdictions, Wisconsin and Puerto Rico, and Connecticut and New Jersey accept a law school professional responsibility course in its place. Wisconsin also admits graduates of its two law schools through a diploma privilege rather than the bar exam, according to the Wisconsin Court System.

MBA vs. JD: Careers

JD and MBA degrees offer various career paths. A JD is typically for people who want to become practicing attorneys, though there are other options: some people use a JD to become a law librarian, enter academia or go into consulting, according to the Law School Admission Council.

An MBA helps prepare you to take on a leadership role in business: business-school accreditor AACSB says general business master’s degrees ordinarily include preparation for leading an organization. Depending on your MBA concentration, you might work within a specific industry such as healthcare or construction, or you might work in a specific department, such as sales or marketing.

MBA vs. JD: Salary

You might be interested in knowing whether JD or MBA degree holders earn more money. That depends on the position, years of experience, industry and geographic region. But earning potential is good for professionals with either a JD or MBA.

The median annual wage for lawyers was $159,670 in May 2025, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports. It’s important to consider that there is an extensive range of lawyer salaries. For example, the median annual wage for lawyers in state government (excluding schools and hospitals) was $115,330 in May 2025.

Take a close look at job growth and opportunities in your region when considering a JD.

To get an idea of what MBA graduates earn, you may have to review information for many potential positions since you could work in sales, finance, marketing, HR or any other number of departments and industries. Consider management positions, such as financial managers, HR managers and marketing and sales managers.

May 2025 median annual wage examples for business jobs that might hire someone with an MBA, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

• Financial Managers: $166,570
• HR Managers: $149,280
• Sales Managers: $148,270
• Marketing Managers: $166,790

What are the Benefits of Obtaining a Dual MBA-JD Degree?

Another option is a joint MBA-JD degree. Some universities allow you to go through one combined program and leave with both degrees, according to the Graduate Management Admission Council. But whether a dual MBA degree is worthwhile depends on whether you think both an MBA or JD is worth it individually. Both degrees can teach you valuable reasoning, communication and leadership skills. But, if you don’t feel like a JD or MBA is worth it on its own, the length and cost of a dual degree might not benefit you. Only you can decide what is right for your future.