Law (J.D.)/Finance (M.S.)
The J.D./Master of Science in Finance joint-degree program is designed to prepare students for careers in the legal profession with an emphasis on finance.
Enrollment in the J.D./Master of Science in Finance joint-degree program enables a student to obtain a J.D. degree from Chicago-Kent and an M.S. degree from Illinois Tech's Stuart School of Business in approximately three and a half to four years of full-time study or five to six years of part-time study.
The program is designed for students who wish to focus on securities and commodities law for a law firm, brokerage firm, commodity exchange, or trading company. Students gain a unique perspective on the economics of financial products and markets that are used to advise clients, to propose regulation, or to litigate.
Program Overview
The J.D./Master of Science in Finance joint-degree program is designed for students who wish to focus on securities and commodities law for a law firm, brokerage firm, commodity exchange, or trading company.
Career Opportunities
Attorneys who work in financial services law include private practitioners in law firms who represent financial services entities and in-house counsel in both large and small companies. They also can work as compliance officers at financial services companies or as government regulators charged with enforcing laws applicable to the financial services industries.
Among the government agencies that enforce financial services regulations are the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Office of the Comptroller of Currency at the U.S. Treasury Department, and the Federal Reserve Banks.
Possible jobs include:
- Administrative law judge
- Compliance officer
- In-house counsel for a bank or hedge fund
- Government attorney
- Law firm associate or partner
Joint-degree J.D./Master of Science in Finance students may apply up to 12 credits of M.S. coursework taken at Illinois Tech's Stuart School of Business toward the requirements for the J.D. degree. Students should work with their Stuart graduate academic adviser on their program of study and for information about applying certain J.D. courses toward the M.S. degree.
Candidates for the J.D./Master of Science in Finance program must apply to and be accepted by each program separately, and complete a Registration as a J.D./M.S. in Finance Student Form in the Office of the Registrar. Admissions information for the J.D. program is available from the Chicago-Kent Office of Admissions and for the M.S. program from Stuart School of Business.
Stuart Scholarships
Students pursuing the Stuart School of Business M.S. in Finance degree are eligible to apply for the Chicago Talent Pipeline Scholarship (for domestic students) or the Stuart School of Business Dean’s Scholarship (for international students), which award up to $14,000 for the degree program. Learn more about Stuart scholarships.