And do you apply at the same time a student applies to med school? Or can it be done later?
What other info about the process can you share (app process and degree process)
Yes, a MD/MBA adds at least 1 extra year to med school. They are a few accelerated programs where the student completes both degrees in 4 years.
Yes, the student applies for both the MD and MBA at the same time because the joint program affects when the student begins clinical rotations. (Just like MD/PhD programs put the PhD portion between the didactic and clinical portions of med school, MD/MBA programs also put the MBA coursework between MS2 & MS3.) Joint degree students may be expected to take some business classes during MS1-2, especially if the Business School determines they don’t have an adequate business background. A few joint programs require students to start business classes the summer before med school.
I don’t think in most cases, the student can apply retroactively after med school admission due to scheduling issues mentioned above.
USNews has an article about MD/MBA programs here: [Become a Business Savvy Doctor with a Joint MD/MBA Program]( http://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/top-medical-schools/articles/2013/10/01/become-a-business-savvy-doctor-with-a-joint-md-mba-program)
Thanks!
I agree that it might be impossible to apply retroactively…but one program I looked at seemed to allow students to apply during the winter/spring (during the med school app year…but after med apps go in). One seemed to have an April deadline, so one could apply once they knew that they were accepted to the med school.
For joint programs, yes, but I know a couple kids from my school who took time off (usually after MS3 actually) to pursue MBAs at a different, more prestigious, institution before finishing medical school. Obviously these students added a full 2 years to their schooling. I don’t know if they applied during MS3 or applied during MS2 and deferred admission 1 year. Just another option to consider, especially when where you get your MBA from is pretty much all that matters about an MBA - in contrast to your MD.
You would be done in either 5 or 6 years. If you decide to do it after you matriculate, you probably are going to have to ask for time off while in med school, take a gap year between med school and residency, or after you become an attending.
The only benefit to applying for the two programs concurrently is probably an easier application process. It will very unlikely save you time to complete both them, and it will not have any effect on what you can do with the degrees.
I am under the impression that even if one does not apply for the joint program upfront, many do use the gap year to do one and this decision can be made during the program. Many who I know who are taking gap years are choosing between MPH and MBA.
Some schools like Stanford don’t offer MPH and so their students who want to take a gap year but don’t want to do an MBA are forced to do it in other schools. I am told that some residencies look down on people who apply with an MBA and so they do an MPH outside in such cases (at least that was the explanation from a student who is currently doing MPH somewhere else).
And some programs prefer it because they have management/administration tracks. I don’t understand why someone would do an MPH instead of an MBA because they are worried the MBA looks bad. Two completely different degrees…
Holding an MBA and having worked closely in a previous life with MPHs (those with real MPH careers outside of medicine) I think of MBA as being a far superior addition for an MD. However, I don’t understand the vagaries of what those fine medical institutions are telling their students about why they shouldn’t get an MBA. 