The Wharton Business and Law Certificate (WBLC) is being remodeled and will be offered in the fall of 2012 by Penn Law School in conjunction the Wharton School’s Aresty Institute of Executive Education This new program will be designed exclusively for Penn Law LLM candidates. Details will be announced January 2012.
- Overview
- Program Description
- Available Courses
- Who Should Attend
- Benefits
- Academic Policies
- Requirements, Deadlines, and Fees
Overview
Offered in alliance with the Penn Law Master of Laws (LLM) Degree Program
The practice of law requires superior preparation not only in conventional areas of legal education, but also in the diverse disciplines that intersect with the law. The Wharton Business and Law Certificate pairs the resources of one of the world's top business schools with one of its foremost law schools to offer internationally trained attorneys a rigorous preparation in professional business disciplines.
Offered exclusively to students enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania Law School's Master of Laws (LLM) program, this Wharton certificate is especially beneficial to internationally trained attorneys who seek to understand business strategy in a U.S. context. The program is most suitable for those in the early to middle stages of their careers who wish to acquire key business skills in order to better serve business clients, manage their practices, or expand their professional options beyond the practice of law.
Taken concurrently with the one-year LLM program, all Wharton Business and Law Certificate courses earn credit from the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to the LLM degree conferred by Penn Law, participants who successfully complete the program earn a certificate in business and law awarded by Wharton Programs for Working Professionals (WPWP).
With a schedule that complements the intensive LLM course of study, Wharton courses are held in the evenings and Saturdays in state-of-the-art teaching facilities at Jon M. Huntsman Hall.
Applications to the Wharton Business and Law Certificate program are handled by Penn’s Master of Laws (LLM) program.
Program Description
Participants earn the Wharton Business and Law Certificate (WBLC) after successful completion of coursework at two centers at the University of Pennsylvania: three courses from Wharton Programs for Working Professionals and one course from Penn Law:
- Wharton Programs for Working Professionals. WBLC students choose three courses from among several areas of study, including accounting, corporate finance, human resource management, marketing, business policy, and general management. This certificate program has been designed by the Aresty Institute of Executive Education exclusively for mid-career professionals seeking to gain business expertise. This program should not be confused with an MBA program and does not include MBA students.
The courses in the WBLC program are taught by Wharton lecturers and industry experts who are appointed by Wharton departments for their subject expertise, teaching skills, and ability to offer applied concepts and examples to course participants. Courses available to WBLC students provide a top-level introduction to the foundations of management in a wide range of business disciplines.
Wharton Certificate candidates are required to undertake coursework over and above that required of the LLM program alone and must pay additional tuition beyond that charged for the LLM degree (see below). Students must complete at least 23 semester hours to earn the LLM degree. Of this total, six hours of credit may be transferred from participation in three courses offered by Wharton Programs for Working Professionals.
- Penn Law Master of Laws (LLM) Degree Program. Students must complete at least 23 semester hours to earn the LLM degree. Of this total, six hours of credit may be transferred from participation in courses offered by Wharton Programs for Working Professionals. The remaining credits must be earned from Penn Law courses. For WBLC candidates, at least one course must be selected from Penn Law's extensive list of courses focusing on the intersection of business and law. With more than 70 percent of its faculty holding additional advanced degrees in economics, management, and other complementary fields, Penn Law offers world-class expertise in corporate, finance, and other business-related legal fields. Upper-level courses are taught in small classes or seminars comprised of both LLM and JD students. For additional information, visit Penn Law or contact gradadmissions@law.upenn.edu.
Available Courses
- All WPWP courses are open to WBLC students who meet the prerequisite qualifications.
- Penn Law Courses and Seminars
Who Should Attend
Corporate lawyers, in-house counsel, judges, bankers, and other internationally trained legal professionals who are enrolled in Penn Law's LLM program and need to acquire:
- Strong grounding in business disciplines to better meet the needs of clients, oversee their practices, or widen their professional options
- A robust business vocabulary that enhances workplace communication
- An understanding of business culture in the United States
- Enhanced skills for the sophisticated presentation of projects, ideas, or investment propositions to colleagues, clients, and other professionals from the worlds of both law and business
- Better understanding of core management concepts that will increase their capacity to develop or professionalize a practice, department, firm, or business enterprise
Benefits
- Faculty members emphasize the application of classroom concepts to practical decision making and management
- Classmates become a strong collaborative network, offering insights and perspectives across a range of industries
- Small class sizes promote in-class discussion and interaction
- You can begin to apply new strategies and concepts at work immediately, analyzing and refining your approach with feedback from faculty and fellow classmates
- Wharton’s Jon M. Huntsman Hall offers state-of-the-art classrooms, a networked campus environment, and high-tech group study facilities to maximize your learning experience
- Earning your certificate from one of the world’s leading business schools brings increased professional credibility and confidence, both now and into the future
Academic Policies
The academic policies for the WBLC program differ from other WPWP programs. Please see Academic Policies for WBLC Students for specific information on program support, minimum grade requirements, transfer credits, substitutions, and other academic policies.
Requirements, Deadlines, and Fees
For applicant requirements, application deadlines, and program fees specific to WBLC students, please view the Admissions and Tuition Information page.
