Master of Business Administration/Master of Public Health (MBA/MPH)
The dual degree Health Sector MBA/MPH program leads to the award of both an MBA from Questrom School of Business and an MPH from the School of Public Health (SPH). The goal of the program is to provide students with a solid foundation in both management and public health in an integrated, structured curriculum.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the program, students will be able to demonstrate:
- Responsible business leadership.
- Effective communication.
- Critical and analytical thinking.
- Collaboration.
- An entrepreneurial mindset.
- An understanding of the breadth and complexity of the health sector.
- Strategies and execution in the health sector.
Upon completion of the MPH degree requirements, graduates are able to:
Evidence-Based Approaches to Public Health
Public Health & Healthcare Systems
Planning & Management to Promote Health
Policy in Public Health
Leadership
Communication
Interprofessional Practice
Systems Thinking
MBA Program Components
Health Sector MBA/MPH students must complete a minimum of 43 units in residence at Questrom, including: 15 required core courses and 1 optional elective course at Questrom for 37 units, at least 9 units of health sector management courses at Questrom, and a health sector management internship. Students must maintain at least a 2.70 Questrom GPA (B–) to be considered in good academic standing at Questrom.
MBA Required Courses (43 units)
- QST AC 710 Financial Reporting and Analysis (3 units)
- QST BE 720 Organizations, Markets, and Society (3 units)
- QST ES 723 Career Management (0 units)
- QST ES 730 Leadership Communications (1.5 units)
- QST ES 735 Team Coaching (0.5 units)
- QST FE 711 Finance I (1.5 units)
- QST FE 712 Finance II (1.5 units)
- QST HM 703 Health Sector Issues and Opportunities (3 units)
- QST HM 710 Health Service Delivery (3 units) or HM 717 Drugs and Devices (3 units)
- QST HM 820 Strategy, Economics, and Policy in the Health Sector (3 units)
- QST MG 730 Ethical Leadership in a Global Economy (1.5 units)
- QST MG 735 Integrated Risk Management (0.5 units)
- QST MK 723 Marketing Management (3 units)
- QST MO 713 Managing Organizations and People (3 units)
- QST OM 725 Creating Value through Operations and Technology (3 units)
- QST QM 716 Business Analytics: Data Analysis and Risk (3 units)
- QST SI 750 Competition, Innovation, and Strategy (3 units)
- Action Learning Elective (3 units)—Students must complete one 3-unit course from a list of approved experientially based electives.
- Elective (3–6 units)
MPH Program Components
The MPH is a 48-unit degree. MBA/MPH students must complete a minimum of 40 units in residence at SPH and 8 units are completed at Questrom. All courses counted to the MPH portion of the MBA/MPH must be numbered SPH XX 700 and above. 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.
Foundations of Public Health
- SPH PH 700 Foundations of Public Health (0 units)
MPH Core Courses (12 units)
Dual MBA/MPH degree students are waived from taking SPH PH 718 Leadership and Management in Public Health (4 units) upon successful completion of QST MO 713 Leading Organizations and People (3 units) at Questrom. Students must adhere to the SPH grading policy in their MPH classes.
- SPH PH 717 Quantitative Methods for Public Health (4 units)
- SPH PH 719 Health Systems, Law, and Policy (4 units)
- SPH PH 720 Individual, Community, and Population Health (4 units)
MPH Certificate & Elective Courses
Dual degree students must choose a functional or context area certificate and elective courses for at least 20 SPH non-core course units. Students cannot choose the Healthcare Management or Program Management certificates due to overlap with core MBA and Questrom Health Sector Management courses.
Possible Functional Certificates—16 units
- Community Assessment, Program Design, Implementation, and Evaluation
- Environmental Health
- Epidemiology and Biostatistics
- Global Health Program Design, Monitoring, and Evaluation
- Health Communication and Promotion
- Health Policy and Law
Context Certificates—12 units
- Chronic and Non-Communicable Diseases
- Global Health
- Human Rights and Social Justice
- Infectious Disease
- Maternal and Child Health
- Mental Health and Substance Use
- Pharmaceutical Development, Delivery, and Access
- Sex, Sexuality, and Gender
MBA/MPH students earn 8 units toward the MPH by completing the following courses:
- QST AC 710 Financial Reporting and Analysis (3 units)
- QST MG 730 Ethical Leadership in a Global Economy (1.5 units)
- QST MG 735 Managing in a Crisis (0.5 units)
- QST MO 713 Leading Organizations and People (3 units)
Integrating Management and Public Health (4 units required)
The required MBA internship partially fulfills the SPH practicum requirement. Students will also register for and complete SPH PH 978 Integrating Management and Public Health (4 units) to fulfill the SPH practicum requirement.
SPH Career Development Program (SPH PH 746, 0 units)
MBA/MPH students are waived from the required SPH Career Development Program (SPH PH 746, 0 units) upon successful completion of QST ES 723, ES 730, and ES 735.
Integrated Learning Experience at SPH (SPH PH 845, 0 units)
The Integrated Learning Experience (ILE) will be tied to the student’s functional certificate. Students who only select a context certificate will complete the ILE for the Healthcare Management certificate.
Applications
Prospective students are required to submit two applications: one to Questrom School of Business and one to the School of Public Health. Within each application, candidates should express their interest in this particular dual degree program. Candidates will then receive separate decisions from each school regarding admission to that portion of the dual degree. Please note that candidates may be admitted to one but not both of the schools in which the dual degrees are housed and may choose to pursue that individual degree. That said, they must be accepted by both schools in order to be eligible to complete the dual degree.
Please refer to the application deadlines and admission decision dates for both schools to determine the best time to submit the application to each program.