Health Policy 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 Health Policy & Management 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 the summer between the first and second academic year.  The goal of this rigorous program is to provide students with a solid foundation in both management and public health in an integrated, structured curriculum that focuses on the U.S. health care system. Students will develop managerial skills and knowledge along with a public health care systems approach and be prepared for a variety of managerial roles within the U.S. health care system. The dual degree requires a total of 80 credits: 43 credits from the School of Management, 36 credits from the School of Public Health, and 1 elective credit earned in either School.

MBA Program Components

During the first year, MBA/MPH Health Policy and Management (HPM) candidates will take 33 credits of MBA core courses and a 3-credit course in the Health Sector Management program. These courses include the basic MBA skill set. During the summer after the first year, a required internship through the Health Sector Management program will be completed, along with 6 credits of MPH coursework. In the second year, students will take two additional Health Sector Management courses (to include HM 710) at the School of Management and the career community program, for a total of 43 credits across the two years.

MPH Program Components

Dual degree candidates begin their School of Public Health coursework during the summer after the first year, taking 6 credits at that time. MBA/MPH students are required to take four core courses in the School of Public Health. Due to overlapping coursework in the MBA curriculum, two core MPH requirements, Biostatistics and Health Policy and Management, are satisfied by School of Management coursework.

MPH Core courses required—students must earn a B− or better:

• SPH EP 713 Introduction to Epidemiology (3 cr)
• SPH EH 717 Foundations of Environmental Health (3 cr)
• SPH LW 751 Public Health Law (4 cr) or SPH LW 719 , Essentials of Public Health Law (3 cr)
• SPH SB 721 Social and Behavioral Science for Public Health (3 cr)

Health Policy and Management concentration requirements, including:

A minimum of 16 credits satisfying departmental distribution requirements, to include:

• One course meeting the research paper requirement (PM 736, PM 776, PM 834, PM 840)
• An integrative course (PM755, PM 776, PM 827, PM 834, PM 840)
• Health Policy & Management culminating experience, PM940
• Additional courses with approval of program manager to bring total SPH credits  to 36 credits
• A 1-credit elective in either School, typically fulfilled by completing a Directed Study at the School of Public Health

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. MBA/MPH GH students may count a maximum of 12 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 (3 cr)
• 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 for 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.

MBA/MPH Health Policy and Management students will fulfill the required public health practicum requirement through the School of Management-required Health Sector Management Internship. This summer internship requirement includes 400 hours of on-site work. If the MBA is being completed through a program other than the standard full-time track, then dual degree students must fulfill the field practice placement through an SPH practicum.

Applications

Applicants must apply simultaneously to the School of Public Health and the School of Management. Separate application to both schools is required.