Which MD/MBA programs take applications for MBA at from the other med-schools?

[Gunneria]

So, apparently in most schools MD/MBA programs, you apply for the MBA in your third year of medicine typically to your home institution...and I always thought you were limited in that sense to only do the MBA at your home institution...I was wrong because apparently some places which have 1 year MBA-only or 1.5 year MD/MBA programs let you apply to their schools in their third year (i.e. Cornell being one)...in business, the reputation of the MBA and networking derived from that school really matters so I would love to get a chance to apply to a top 20 MBA program....does someone have a list of MD/MBA programs or 1-year MBA programs that would take applicants from other medical schools?

Thanks.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[mysterious.mr.x]

Interested in this myself, has anyone heard of someone doing B-school at an institution that was different from their med school (while still in med school)? Is this even possible at a school like HBS, Wharton, Sloan etc.?

 

[Gunneria]

I mean another similar question is whether med schools grant a 2-yr hiatus in between 3rd and 4th year to pursue a 2 yr MBA as well..

thanks

 

[businessdocn12]

I applied to and was accepted to CBS and Kellogg and was not a medical student at either. My impression is you'd probably have a shot at most top programs if you can sell yourself right (and a killer GMAT certainly doesn't hurt).

 

[BBender716]

I applied to and was accepted to CBS and Kellogg and was not a medical student at either. My impression is you'd probably have a shot at most top programs if you can sell yourself right (and a killer GMAT certainly doesn't hurt).

lol

 

[rick james MD]

I am finishing up my MD at Michigan Med and my MBA at Wharton. I applied to Ross (Michigan), Harvard Business School, and Wharton. Lucky enough to gain acceptance at all three.

HBS would have required me to take two years off, while Ross and Wharton could be done in just one additional year. Also, Wharton gave me the most money, so it was definitely the cheapest option. In addition, I personally feel that Wharton's healthcare management program is the best program of its kind. Wharton requires 19 course units to graduate, so I took more credits than the average student to finish four semesters of work in three semesters. My schedule: first 3+ years at Michigan, 4th year at Wharton, 5th year fall finishing med school, 5th year spring back at Wharton.

I did a summer internship at McKinsey between 4th and 5th year, which was excellent. However, I want to do a residency, and I just matched into ortho at a great place.

I firmly believe that my med school background is the main reason I got into Wharton and HBS. Also, the MBA really set me apart in residency interviews. Many programs are looking for business-minded students who will be leaders in a post-reform setting.

I had no prior business experience, and I did have a very strong GMAT score. Do not get trapped into thinking that you have to stay at your jhome institution for business school. It can be done elsewhere, but it does require tedious planning. The support I received from Michigan Med has been incredible. PM me if you have any questions.

 

[samuraiR]

I am finishing up my MD at Michigan Med and my MBA at Wharton. I applied to Ross (Michigan), Harvard Business School, and Wharton. Lucky enough to gain acceptance at all three.

HBS would have required me to take two years off, while Ross and Wharton could be done in just one additional year. Also, Wharton gave me the most money, so it was definitely the cheapest option. In addition, I personally feel that Wharton's healthcare management program is the best program of its kind. Wharton requires 19 course units to graduate, so I took more credits than the average student to finish four semesters of work in three semesters. My schedule: first 3+ years at Michigan, 4th year at Wharton, 5th year fall finishing med school, 5th year spring back at Wharton.

I did a summer internship at McKinsey between 4th and 5th year, which was excellent. However, I want to do a residency, and I just matched into ortho at a great place.

I firmly believe that my med school background is the main reason I got into Wharton and HBS. Also, the MBA really set me apart in residency interviews. Many programs are looking for business-minded students who will be leaders in a post-reform setting.

I had no prior business experience, and I did have a very strong GMAT score. Do not get trapped into thinking that you have to stay at your jhome institution for business school. It can be done elsewhere, but it does require tedious planning. The support I received from Michigan Med has been incredible. PM me if you have any questions.

nicely done. How'd you swing a scholarship for the MBA? Did they just offer you one?

 

[rick james MD]

Yes, it was included in my financial aid package. All healthcare management students at Wharton get $4,000 per year for the two years through a Kaiser grant. This is not a lot, but every little bit helps. I also received a Joseph Wharton scholarship grant.

 

[exeunt]

I am finishing up my MD at Michigan Med and my MBA at Wharton. I applied to Ross (Michigan), Harvard Business School, and Wharton. Lucky enough to gain acceptance at all three.

HBS would have required me to take two years off, while Ross and Wharton could be done in just one additional year. Also, Wharton gave me the most money, so it was definitely the cheapest option. In addition, I personally feel that Wharton's healthcare management program is the best program of its kind. Wharton requires 19 course units to graduate, so I took more credits than the average student to finish four semesters of work in three semesters. My schedule: first 3+ years at Michigan, 4th year at Wharton, 5th year fall finishing med school, 5th year spring back at Wharton.

I did a summer internship at McKinsey between 4th and 5th year, which was excellent. However, I want to do a residency, and I just matched into ortho at a great place.

I firmly believe that my med school background is the main reason I got into Wharton and HBS. Also, the MBA really set me apart in residency interviews. Many programs are looking for business-minded students who will be leaders in a post-reform setting.

I had no prior business experience, and I did have a very strong GMAT score. Do not get trapped into thinking that you have to stay at your jhome institution for business school. It can be done elsewhere, but it does require tedious planning. The support I received from Michigan Med has been incredible. PM me if you have any questions.

whoa, really? HBS takes outside applicants? i actually emailed them about a month ago asking if they accepted MD applicants from other schools and they said that they were Harvard-only...

 

[DrJosephKim]

The other option to consider if you want to get your MBA from a top-tier school is to pursue the executive MBA option after you complete your residency. You may even find potential employers who will pay for your MBA.

 

[aajani]

hey so i'm starting my 3rd year at BU med and was wondering the same thing. I think Dartmouth also allowed students to do this (if you get accepted to the main MBA program and then petition to be placed in the accelerated track).

I emailed Wharton and HBS and they both said it's only for their own med students.

Rick James, MD -> can you clarify how you made that happen? thx

 

[PlatinumPenny]

are there b-schools who will accept your MCAT instead of a GMAT score?

 

[michaelrack]

are there b-schools who will accept your MCAT instead of a GMAT score?

not traditional MBA programs. Some physcian executive MBA's do not require the GMAT

 

[sanityonleave]

hey so i'm starting my 3rd year at BU med and was wondering the same thing. I think Dartmouth also allowed students to do this (if you get accepted to the main MBA program and then petition to be placed in the accelerated track).

I emailed Wharton and HBS and they both said it's only for their own med students.

Rick James, MD -> can you clarify how you made that happen? thx

I'm also curious -- I sent a PM to Rick James, MD so hopefully he can cast some light on the subject.

My experiences have been similar to yours -- I spoke with someone at Dartmouth/Tuck, and she said that to her knowledge they had never had a transfer MD/MBA but would not categorically oppose it -- but you'd have to apply through the regular MBA program and then petition to be placed in the accelerated track. Cornell's website says they do accept transfers into the accelerated program but I haven't spoken with anyone there specifically about the MD/MBA.

HBS and Kellogg both said absolutely not. When I called Wharton, I was told to e-mail June Kinney (Asst Director who runs the HCM program), so once I have a chance to do that I'll post the results here -- but my guess is that they will also give me a no.

I'd love to hear from Rick James, MD or anyone who has experience applying to complete an accelerated-track MBA as a transfer student. It seems to be a rare enough phenomenon that most of the places I called had trouble giving me a straight answer. Also, I'm going to be attending the Kaplan-sponsored B-school forum in Atlanta on August 6th -- so I'll report back once I get a chance to speak with a few schools at that forum. On the off chance that anyone is attending (or thinking about attending) the same gathering, feel free to shoot me a PM and I'd love to meet up.

 

[exeunt]

i've been told that if your medical school already has a joint program with another mba program, it will be more difficult to gain acceptance to an outside joint mba program. does anyone know if this is true?

 

[GOMPLAYER]

does anyone have an update to this thread?

 

[MIAYO]

Bump

I'm also curious

 

[JohnCarterIIIDO]

Update: My personal experience -

My school does have a joint medical/MBA program but I chose to do my MBA at a different school..... as long as the business school doesn't care and you meet their criteria then you'll be fine, I did it because the b school I am now at has a better reputation than my school's

I started business school during the summer before 1st year, when I was deciding what school to go to, most of the business schools were really excited about having a medical student and willing to be really accommodating of my schedule..... the top 5 B school in my area was not willing to take me nor did they have the flexible class schedule to accommodate a medical student (I had the gpa/gmat but did not have the experience they were looking for and I would conflict with their own MD/MBA program) but there were a few other highly ranked programs that more or less took me on the spot

in my opinion though, the education you get is not all that different between school # 1 and school # 100..... the reputation is great for getting you in the door at businesses early in your career but after about 5 years of working in business it becomes about how you perform..... for instance the University of Wisconsin graduated just about as many of the current Fortune 100 CEO's as University of Pennsylvania (17 vs 20 respectively)

 

[wilberforce72]

Can anyone shed more light on this? Starting med school this year and would like to know how I can start planning for possible MBA since my school does not offer it.

 

[sanityonleave]

Update: My personal experience -

I started business school during the summer before 1st year, when I was deciding what school to go to, most of the business schools were really excited about having a medical student and willing to be really accommodating of my schedule..... the top 5 B school in my area was not willing to take me nor did they have the flexible class schedule to accommodate a medical student (I had the gpa/gmat but did not have the experience they were looking for and I would conflict with their own MD/MBA program) but there were a few other highly ranked programs that more or less took me on the spot

Do you mind naming names, so to speak? I've been having to go to each school individually and ask about transfer MD/MBA candidates, since it's rarely done and almost nobody has it listed on their website. It would be incredibly helpful for you to list the schools that said they would be open to this sort of candidate.

in my opinion though, the education you get is not all that different between school # 1 and school # 100..... the reputation is great for getting you in the door at businesses early in your career but after about 5 years of working in business it becomes about how you perform..... for instance the University of Wisconsin graduated just about as many of the current Fortune 100 CEO's as University of Pennsylvania (17 vs 20 respectively)

You may very well be right (I'm not an expert), but I'll say that is not the feedback I've gotten from several med/business folks with whom I've spoken. If you look at lists of physician executives and then Google the names to see where they went to school, there's a huge variety of medical schools but a majority went to a top name business school. It's not at all impossible to go to a lower-tier business school and still use the degree for anything, but the reputation of a very good school gives you a huge leg up. YMMV -- I'm also doing the MD/MBA because I'm interested in hospital administration, so that may be an area that selects more for B school pedigree than other MD/MBA applications.

 

[sanityonleave]

Can anyone shed more light on this? Starting med school this year and would like to know how I can start planning for possible MBA since my school does not offer it.

I'd love for others to weigh in as well. I'm starting my application process (I'm currently a rising 3rd year), so I'll share my experience so far:

Almost no one advertises that they take transfer MD/MBA candidates (the notable exception being Cornell), so you'll have to go school by school and ask. Here's my list so far:

Absolutely not:
HBS
UPenn
Northwestern
UChicago
Georgetown
Duke

Maybe:
Dartmouth
UVA

Yes:
Vanderbilt
Cornell


In addition to the fact that many schools are not open to the idea, a significant number of schools have their MD/MBA program structured so that you not only do a year between 3rd and 4th year but also do some parts of the program during the 2nd half of M4 (which is mostly vacation anyway) -- which would be nearly impossible to schedule away from your home institution. Thus, those programs are essentially a no unless your home institution is incredibly helpful/flexible.

I went ahead and took the GMAT because some programs require it even for the dual degree candidates (it's really easy... study for two weeks and take it, compared to anything medschool related it's no sweat).

If anyone at all out there has been through this before or has feedback please post and enlighten us. This is a very frustrating process to go school by school (especially since many of them give vague answers, at least at first), so any feedback would help tremendously. Thanks!

 

[RadicalRadon]

I'd love for others to weigh in as well. I'm starting my application process (I'm currently a rising 3rd year), so I'll share my experience so far:

Almost no one advertises that they take transfer MD/MBA candidates (the notable exception being Cornell), so you'll have to go school by school and ask. Here's my list so far:

Absolutely not:
HBS
UPenn
Northwestern
UChicago
Georgetown
Duke

Maybe:
Dartmouth
UVA

Yes:
Vanderbilt
Cornell


In addition to the fact that many schools are not open to the idea, a significant number of schools have their MD/MBA program structured so that you not only do a year between 3rd and 4th year but also do some parts of the program during the 2nd half of M4 (which is mostly vacation anyway) -- which would be nearly impossible to schedule away from your home institution. Thus, those programs are essentially a no unless your home institution is incredibly helpful/flexible.

I went ahead and took the GMAT because some programs require it even for the dual degree candidates (it's really easy... study for two weeks and take it, compared to anything medschool related it's no sweat).

If anyone at all out there has been through this before or has feedback please post and enlighten us. This is a very frustrating process to go school by school (especially since many of them give vague answers, at least at first), so any feedback would help tremendously. Thanks!

I think it may depend on the structure/reputation of your medical school. I know a couple students at Duke Med who have done MBAs at HBS, Wharton, etc. Others have also gotten an MPP from the Kennedy School at Harvard. Not sure why they're flat out saying no to you.

 

[Doc89]

Well first of all you can do a full-time 2 year MBA at any school! And from what I've heard most medical schools will grant you the 2 year leave of absence if you can make a good case for it. As for the accelerated dual-degree programs, I haven't found a single one that will allow you to be in the accelerated program if you don't go to the affiliated medical school.

If your want a full list of programs take a look at this http://www.mdmbas.com/ForProspectiveStudents/ProgramsandRankings/

Hope this helps!

 

[mclysek]

Any updates on schools that do this? I read in these forums that Duke allows you to complete an MBA if you are at another school. Does anyone know the specifics about this?

 

[Got Em]

Any updates on schools that do this? I read in these forums that Duke allows you to complete an MBA if you are at another school. Does anyone know the specifics about this?

No. Duke allows you to finish the 2 year program in about 1.5 years because they let you overload on classes. You can't just join the MBA part of their MD/MBA program without going to Duke.

Almost no top IVY schools will let you do this, unless if you want to do a regular 2 year MBA at their school, while on break from your own institution.

Cornell and Northwestern have 1 year tracks. Cornell's require you to have a masters/doctorate in science, while northwestern expects you to have a business degree.