Global Health and Management
The Master of Business Administration/Master of Public Health dual degree program is offered by the Health Sector Management Program in the School of Management and the International Health Department in the School of Public Health.
The MBA/MPH is an accelerated, full-time program leading to the award of both the MBA and the MPH degrees in two years, including summers.
MBA/MPH in Global Health and Management
The Health Sector Management (PMM) Program at SMG and the Department of International Health (IH) at SPH offer a track for the dual degree MBA/MPH program focusing on global health (GH). The goal of the two-year, full-time program is to provide students with a solid foundation in both management and public health in an integrated, structured curriculum that focuses on international health systems and global health issues. This program is geared toward foreign and American students who will lead and manage institutions working to ameliorate the health of populations in resource-constrained settings around the world. The global health focus as part of the dual degree will help students understand the context in which international health policy, financing, and management decisions are made. Students will have the opportunity to apply management skills to practical challenges in their field of programmatic interest, such as pharmaceutical policy and management, HIV and AIDS, or global health management consulting.
The dual degree will require the completion of a minimum of 80 credits: 44 from the School of Management, 33 credits from the School of Public Health, and 3 elective credits earned at either school.
MBA Core Programs
MBA/MPH GH candidates will cover the bulk of the core MBA program from the School of Management in the first year. This includes the basic MBA skill set of accounting, finance, information systems, marketing, operations, organizational behavior, and strategy. Students will take 30 credits of MBA core courses in the first two semesters, and 5 additional core credits in year two, for a total of 35 credits.
The following Graduate School of Management courses are approved for elective credit at the School of Public Health; MBA/MPH students must complete these courses while completing School of Management coursework, and they will also be counted toward the 48 credits for the MPH degree. MBA/MPH GH students may count a maximum of 15 credits of these courses toward their MPH degree.
- HM 710 Health Service Delivery: Strategies, Solutions, and Execution (3 cr)
- HM 817 Health Information Technology (3 cr)
- HM 833 Health Sector Marketing (3 cr)
- HM 840 Health Sector Consulting
- IM 852 Global Social Enterprise Field Seminar Brazil (3 cr)
- IM 853 Indian Field Seminar (3 cr)
- AC 840 Nonprofit Financial Management (3 cr)
MBA/MPH students must take all courses that they wish to count toward the MPH at the School of Public Health. No courses taken outside of the School of Public Health will count toward the MPH, including courses taken at other Boston University schools and colleges.
SPH Core Program and Other Requirements
MBA/MPH GH candidates will be required to take core courses in the School of Public Health. Due to overlapping coursework, two MPH core requirements (the biostatistics core course and the health policy and management core course) are satisfied through School of Management coursework.
Summer Internship/Practice Requirement
Students will fulfill the public health practicum requirement through the School of Management summer internship program. This summer internship requirement includes 400 hours of on-site work, which is greater than the requirement for SPH student practice placement on-site work. Students will be strongly encouraged to work overseas with a global health nongovernmental organization, private company engaging in a public-private partnership, multilateral or bilateral donor agency, or international financial institution. To allow adequate time for an overseas internship, no other coursework is scheduled for the summer after the first year.
International Health Concentration and Culminating Experience
MBA/MPH GH candidates will be required to complete 22 approved credits in the IH-Global Health track. All students will take a 4-credit required course, SPH IH 704, which provides an introduction to health systems and medical care delivery in developing countries. In discussions with their IH faculty advisor, students will be encouraged to choose an area of focus within global health and must choose at least 16 credits from approved elective options. In addition, students must complete a 2-credit culminating experience during the second year Spring Semester, which synthesizes learning from prior courses and practicum. The experience includes an industry analysis, documentation of networking opportunities, career plans, and an explanation of experiences that the student brings to potential employers.
Applications
Applicants must apply simultaneously to the School of Public Health and the School of Management. Separate application to both Schools is required. For further information, contact:
Department of International Health
School of Public Health
Taryn Vian,
Associate Professor
tvian@bu.edu
