When deciding where you want to study certain subjects, it’s usually indicative of the name of the institution. Want to study medicine? Go to medical school. For law, it would be law school. And business schools educate individuals on all things – you guessed it – business.

But sometimes, worlds collide, and interdisciplinary expertise is needed. This is where crossovers can happen with schools offering courses in subjects they are perhaps not as well-known for. PR experts Stephanie Mullins and Kyle Grizzell from specialist PR consultancy BlueSky Education take a closer look. 

One such area of crossover involves business and law, two areas within the real world which are often intertwined, meaning it’s valuable to have knowledge of both. Here are some examples of business schools which offer courses associated with the law sector:

Aalto University School of Business

Knowledge of legal standards is becoming increasingly important in a company’s business. To manage risk, people need a deep understanding of both economic activity and the legal framework that governs it.

The Master of Business Law programme at Aalto University School of Business in Finland offers specific expertise in economics and business law to students who want to build their skills around these two important areas of business.

In the programme, students learn to master the regulatory framework for business and economic activity and will be able to monitor whether a business is operating in the right legal way. Students will understand the role of tax law in the operation of a business, and what needs to be taken into account when operating in the marketplace and entering into contracts. They will know how to use legal tools to add strategic and tactical value to the business.

BI Norwegian Business School

Elsewhere in the Nordics, BI Norwegian Business School was recently approved to offer a Master’s in Law; a five-year law programme with a focus on business and economics.

BI decided to develop programmes in law after the Norwegian Parliament changed regulations in 2021 to enable all higher education institutions to request approval from NOKUT (the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education) to offer Master’s in Law, Psychology, and Theology.

BI is well-equipped to educate individuals interested in law as their Department of Law and Governance is home to one of Norway’s largest academic communities within business law, tax law, labour law, real estate law, and economic history. This course will not only provide graduates with knowledge of business focused on law aspects, but actually enable them to practice law as attorneys.

Frankfurt School of Finance & Management

The Master of Financial Law at Frankfurt School of Finance & Management acknowledges that multidimensional knowledge and expertise is required to address the complexity of modern capital and financial markets. Aimed at lawyers seeking an academic qualification in finance, or financial experts who want to expand their legal skills, this course gives participants the economic and legal expertise to pursue successful career in banking and finance.

Trinity Business School

Also offering a course focused on the intersection of finance and law is Trinity Business School in Dublin with their MSc in Law and Finance, an interdisciplinary programme jointly offered with the Law School. The programme provides students with the knowledge and skills needed to operate both across law and financial services.

Designed for applicants with an honours Bachelor degree in business, economics, or law, the course is structured to include foundational and advanced material to build students’ knowledge and understanding of law and finance. It will provide students with the capacity to embrace current and future changes in financial regulation, EU law and financial innovation and develop their skills in understanding both financial and legal concepts.

emlyon business school

As our world has become more globalised, it is also valuable for courses to have an international aspect to them, particularly when it comes to topics such as business and law. Emlyon business school in France is aware of this and offers a specialised Master’s Degree in International Management Law (Mastère Spécialisé Juriste Manager International).

This is a management course adapted to lawyers, enabling participants to obtain all the key skills to optimise the strategic choices of their organisation from a legal perspective, including negotiation techniques, forecasting, and financial accounting, among other skills. Taught at the Lyon-Ecully Campus, with an international seminar, the intercultural aspect of the course enables participants to learn the right skills to develop in an international context.

As we move into an increasingly complex and interdisciplinary future, Law and Business are not the only areas overlapping within business education. Many business schools are also starting to offer Health and Business courses, with UCL Global Business School for Health, the world’s first business school totally dedicated to health, having launched in 2021. In the years ahead, we may see more and more business schools offering programmes overlapping with other sectors.