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By Gianni Truzzi and the All Business Schools career research team—Your source for Business Career news, trends and programs.
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Keep up with current news about business school. From accounting and finance to MBA degrees, The Board Room has the latest on your degree in business and all business education trends.
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Degree in Business Types
Discover the variety of degree in business programs available to you.
More Degrees in Business
Whether you apply your traditional or online business degree as an entrepreneur or a manager in a large corporation, business law will guide and govern what you do. A solid understanding of the laws affecting your business will keep your firm in compliance with state, federal, and even international rules.
Make no mistake, if you want to practice law, you have to graduate from an accredited law school approved by the American Bar Association—and no online schools currently meet that criterion (California is the only state that offers rigorous exception).
But augmenting your business degree with law training—from an online school or traditional school—is one way to help you stand out in a competitive pool of candidates. Financial officers need to know tax law, human resources managers need to follow state and federal hiring rules, and operations managers have to comply with safety regulations.
Business Degree and Law—Online and Traditional Options
Few MBA training programs in business administration offer a concentration in business law, although most MBA degrees and programs offer business degree law online and traditional courses as part of their degree requirements. Further training in law can be gained either before or after you complete your business degree:
- Associate's and Bachelor's Degrees – Undergraduate degrees in legal-related fields are designed to qualify graduates for entry-level positions, including paralegal and other support work. But the knowledge and skills acquired in these programs can also provide a strong foundation prior to earning an MBA or advance law degree. Many online training opportunities are available.
- Master of Science in Law (MSL) – An MSL degree is for professionals who are not lawyers, but who need the skills to think and act confidently in the legal aspects of their work. Programs are designed for careers that require productive collaboration with lawyers to prevent needless litigation and comply with regulations, such as financial auditors, government workers or healthcare administrators.
- Law (JD) Degree – Not everyone who earns a law degree plans to become a lawyer. For those with a business degree, skills in law—from online or traditional schools—can enhance an existing career. Law students spend the second half of their three-year program (or four years if part-time), focused on a specialty such as tax, labor or corporate law. If you do not plan on taking a written bar examination to practice law, an online program is a good option.
Necessary Skills for Business and Law
Business law can be a very broad specialty, and candidates will typically specialize in an area that is relevant to their desired position. This may include:
- Anti-trust
- Contracts
- Employment and labor
- Trademark and copyright
- Product and liability
- Tax law
- Cyber law
- Patent and intellectual property law
- International trade
Perseverance, creativity, and strong reasoning skills are important traits for those dealing with issues in business law. Both business and law degrees (from online or traditional schools) provide the education you need to analyze and address the variety of legal situations you will face in the business world.
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