New dual advanced degree in business and public health offered at UAB

MBA/MPH dual-degree program aims to equip public health professionals with business savvy.

mph mba degree 2Changes in the health care delivery system in the United States have created a substantial demand for persons with both public health backgrounds and business administration skills, making the pursuit of the MPH and MBA degrees an attractive option.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Collat School of Business and School of Public Health have partnered to offer students a coordinated advanced degree of Master of Business Administration and Master of Public Health beginning the fall semester 2016.

“The coordinated MBA/MPH program results in two advanced degrees, providing students with skills necessary for a broad range of positions in health care management, entrepreneurship and leadership,” said Max Michael, M.D., dean of the UAB School of Public Health. “These complementary, coordinated degree programs provide students with a fuller and richer perspective for developing enterprise solutions for the improvement of the health and well-being of individuals, families, communities and populations, locally and globally. Solutions to many of tomorrow’s health care issues will be found at the intersection of public health and business.”

The UAB School of Public Health offers the opportunity to join a vibrant community of professionals and scholars whose global-class research and scholarship are exploring complex problems like HIV/AIDS, obesity and drugs in creative and unusual ways. A graduate degree in public health provides the ability to tackle complicated and thorny issues along with the tools to create solutions for those issues from a uniquely global perspective.

“Earning an MBA opens public health students up to new, innovative ways of thinking,” said Collat School of Business Dean Eric Jack, Ph.D. “Students graduate with more career options, and gain the knowledge needed to broaden their opportunities.”

The UAB MBA program is decision-oriented, focusing on key aspects of modern administration, and it seeks to prepare graduates for leadership roles in business, industry, government or social services. In order to deal effectively with increasingly complex problems of organizations, managers require training in sophisticated analytical techniques, an appreciation for the behavioral facets of management, and an ability to anticipate and adapt to changes in the organizational environment.

Students have the option to focus their MPH in one of four areas: environmental health science, epidemiology, health behavior, health care organization and policy, or a combination of the four. Coursework for an MPH typically includes courses in the core public health disciplines as well as health economics, finance, accounting, management, strategic planning, health insurance and health policy.

A total of 60 credit hours are required for the coordinated MBA/MPH, including the public health core coursework plus 10 hours of public health focus courses and 10 MBA courses. The dual-degree program can be completed online, in class, or through a mix of online and in-class experiences.

The traditional MPH degree requires 42 credit hours, and the MBA program requires 36 credit hours. With the new dual-degree program, 12 credit hours from the MBA curriculum are credited to the MPH and six credit hours from the MPH curriculum are credited to the MBA.

To apply, students must have a bachelor’s degree. Students must apply to each program separately and be accepted to obtain the dual degree. The GRE or GMAT is accepted for either program. To apply for either program, visit the Graduate School’s Apply Yourself online application.