Dual Degrees and Certifications

Educated and trained physicians diagnose and treat human disease, but many times they also run the business of hospitals, medical units or practices, or other health-related businesses.

To ensure they have the education and skills to not only treat people, but also to ensure the operations are healthy, an integrated education through a combined medical degree (M.D.) and master’s in business administration (MBA) can provide health care professionals a greater understanding of the business of health care.

The Eli Broad College of Business and the College of Human Medicine at Michigan State University are proud to partner in a dual M.D./MBA degree. The MBA is a combined classroom and online program consisting of 61 credits: 31 credits of core MBA courses; 18 credits of concentration coursework in management, strategy and leadership; and 12 credits of medical school transfer credits.

Interested students must apply to both the College of Human Medicine and Broad College of Business. The applicant will be evaluated independently by both colleges’ admissions committees. If accepted into both programs, the student’s curriculum will be set up as seen below.

The Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Eli Broad College of Business offer a dual-degree program for highly motivated students who are interested in developing business competency in medical practice and to prepare physicians for careers in healthcare leadership.

Graduates of the dual degree will gain expanded career opportunities and reinforce their clinical education in the marketplace. The program is designed to be completed in five years. The MBA portion of the joint degree specializes in management, strategy and leadership.

Students who go through the dual degree will complete their first two years in the D.O. program at the College of Osteopathic Medicine. The third year is used taking MBA classes and then during the fourth and fifth year the student fulfills all the requirements of the D.O. program (while completing the rest of their MBA credits online). Alternately, students can complete their in-residence MBA year before starting medical school and complete the rest of their online MBA courses while doing their College of Osteopathic Medicine coursework. Applicants must fulfill (both) the D.O. and MBA application requirements to be considered for the dual degree.