Most people agree that earning a master’s degree leads to higher earnings and better career advancement.
Most people agree that earning a master’s degree leads to higher earnings and better career advancement. That is the reason that more professionals are considering dual master’s degree programs, such as a dual Master of Public Health (MPH) and Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree.
This is an ideal degree choice if you are passionate about a rewarding career in health care management, which, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, is a very strong career choice with good salary and job demand potential.
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Why to Pursue a Joint MBA and MPH Degree – Michael Olsen
This type of dual degree program is a wise choice: You will learn at the same time the business and health-related skills that you need to prepare for your public health/business career.
A well rounded and holistic education in policy and management in the health care industry is what you need to become a strong leader in the 21st century. Most MPH/MBA dual degree programs will give you that necessary, holistic view of both healthcare and health.
With your MPH, you will gain a strong background in the most important aspects of public health, including:
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Epidemiology
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Statistics
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Health Systems
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Behavioral Health
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Policy and Regulatory Fields
With your MBA, you will gain a strong background in accounting, economics, finance, statistics, management and all other subjects related to modern business. The combination of the MPH and MBA degree will ensure that you will have a dynamic and exciting career in health management.
Curriculum
The curriculum for your MPH/MBA program will vary considerably depending upon which university you attend. However, some of the classes that you will likely need to take include:
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Healthcare in the 21st century
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Health information services
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Innovation in healthcare
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Healthcare marketing
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Advanced health care finance
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Health policy decision making
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Legal basis for health care
Universities
There are many on campus and online universities that currently offer a dual MPH/MBA. Some of the recommended universities include:
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Johns Hopkins University: This is a world-renowned program that is offered by the Bloomberg School of Public Health. It is designed for students who are highly experienced professionals who desire managerial skills that will allow them to earn leadership positions in health care organizations.
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University of California – Berkeley: The MPH/MBA program here is highly rated by US News and World Report, and most students can complete their dual degrees in three years.
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Columbia University – This is another top-rated MPH/MBA program that you can finish in under four years.
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University of Chicago: This highly rated program allows you to focus your studies on community health services, epidemiology, health policy and administration or environmental health.
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Benedictine University: This is a fully online MBA/MPH program that will help you to learn how to deal with health care challenges from a business point of view.
You also will need to take core classes in business, and core MPH classes, such as epidemiological methods and biostatistics.
Salary and Careers
In the past, many aspiring MBA students did not consider health care or public health for their future career. But they should reconsider. As of 2013, many health care companies and organizations are not able to find qualified MBAs for many health care and public health positions. As recently as 2010, as the rest of the economy was losing jobs, the health care field continued to thrive. This means that an MBA with a dual degree in public health could be in great demand.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that the demand for health and medical managers will increase by 22% by 2020, which is a very strong growth rate.
Many students who earn their dual MPH/MBA degree will be recruited eventually by:
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Healthcare consulting firms
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Health plans
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Physician group practices
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Hospital systems
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Pharmaceutical companies
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Healthcare banking organizations
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International development organizations
Some of the most popular career choices and salaries today for MBA/MPH graduates include the following positions:
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Medical and health manager: $84,000
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Hospital administrator: $111,000
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Pharmaceutical project manager: $92,000
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Practice manager: $81,000
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Hospital CFO: $155,000
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Healthcare consultant: $96,000
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Research and development business manager: $102,000
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Health information manager: $84,000
Other potential salaries with an MBA/MPH include:
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Medical and surgical management: $87,000
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Outpatient care management: $74,100
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Doctors’ offices: $73,600
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Home health service management: $71,200
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Nursing facility management: $71,700
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