After graduating from Rowan University with a degree in finance, Brette Cox L’25, ’25 MBA, knew his academic journey wasn’t over, but first he focused on starting a career. Little did he know that one day soon he would be well on his way to earning not one but two advanced degrees as the first student to enroll in Syracuse University’s JDinteractive/Online MBA program.
Cox started his career 10 years ago with insurance company GEICO, where today he is manager of corporate tax. Early on, he worked in claims, then moved into accounting and thought about earning an MBA. As he advanced, he managed financial planning for the company’s staff counsel operations, learning how closely insurance and the law were tied together. He wondered if maybe a law degree would be a better option. Cox asked a mentor at GEICO for an opinion on what path might most benefit his career—and the answer was: “Why don’t you do both?”
At first, Cox wasn’t sure how he could possibly make that happen, until he discovered that Syracuse University was launching the first joint hybrid program in the nation, a JDi/MBA that combined an online degree from Syracuse University College of Law with an online MBA from the University’s Whitman School of Management. Living in Virginia, Cox saw this as an opportunity to earn both degrees without relocating and also have the flexibility he needed to continue working while attending school.
To complete the JDi/Online MBA program, students must first be admitted to Syracuse Law and complete their first year (34 credits) with a minimum GPA of 2.9, before they can apply to Whitman’s Online MBA program. The combined degree requires 114 credits—72 from Syracuse Law and 42 from Whitman—to graduate in four years.
Cox began taking classes through the JDi program at Syracuse Law, while working full time. He found the real-time online classes combined with self-paced instruction manageable with his demanding work schedule. After his 1L year, he applied and was accepted to the Whitman School’s Online MBA program. The joint program is designed so that the focus is primarily on law in years one and four with MBA courses during years two and three, although there is some cross over throughout the curriculum.
“Professor Nassau has been a really good sounding board to keep me motivated, and we also have great conversations around career guidance, as well.”
—Brette Cox L’25, ’25 MBA
The program also requires residencies that bring students to campus or other major cities for a condensed concentration on specific subjects related to their studies.
Cox most enjoyed the residencies held at the University. “There’s something to be said about traveling to Syracuse and having the campus experience for a few days,” he says. “Not only did we focus in on topics important to our degrees, but there was also time to take in a lacrosse game, go to local restaurants, explore Dineen Hall and the Whitman School and, of course, interact with the familiar faces of faculty and other students that I only knew through my online experience.”
He is grateful to his mentors and supporters at GEICO who have allowed him to take advantage of this opportunity, as well as the faculty at both schools, including his Syracuse Law mentor Teaching Professor Rob Nassau, who meets with Cox once a quarter to make sure he’s on track. “Professor Nassau has been a really good sounding board to keep me motivated, and we also have great conversations around career guidance, as well,” Cox says.
Cox has already taken many of the things he’s learned and applied them to his job. “Although I plan to stay on the business side, I really like the law, and I know that having a law degree and MBA will give me the background I need to be an even more impactful employee,” he says.
As Cox prepares to complete his JDi/Online MBA degree next year, he has learned a great deal about business, the law and more. And, being the first student to enroll in the joint program makes him proud to be part of Syracuse University’s history.
“The experience has been challenging, but you quickly learn how to manage tasks effectively and prioritize,” he says. “You make time for all of it and take it one semester at a time. You don’t waste a minute. Maybe that means you wake up earlier or stay up a little later to get some things done, but through it all, you’re telling yourself, ‘I can do this!’ — and you can.”
