Does accreditation matter?

[Archdelux]

Hi,

I think I read a post on here that mentioned that any MD/MBA school that doesn't require the GMAT is not accredited.. is this true? If so, is it a big deal? I am looking into the Tufts program..will it matter in the long run if the Tufts program is not accredited? Additionally, Tufts does not have a business school, so would the degree be awarded from Tufts even though it doesn't have a stand-alone program? Will this fact affect anything, or is the Tufts program just as good as any other?

Thanks!

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[cleansocks]

Hi, I'm a 3rd yr md/mba at Tufts. To answer your Tufts specific question, you receive an MD/MBA from Tufts specifically, as they organize the curriculum that is indeed outsourced to other business schools.

Accreditation is probably important to a few individuals, but not most. I have worked for a couple of medically oriented businesses and it never came up during the interview or thereafter whether or not my program was accredited. Same is true for others in my class. Some well-respected schools are not accredited, while some that garner little respect are.

If your goal is to work for some kind of J&J-like company aftewards, I agree that you need to seek a school that is prized in the business world, accredited or not.

However, if your goal is to remain a physician while pursuing medically-related business ventures (angel investing, venture capital, private practice, joint ventures with medical associates, general equity placement in securities, hospital admin, etc), then your future associates will respect your dual degree and rely upon name-recognition from both a medical and business perspective. Therefore an MD/MBA from Tufts or another medically well respected institution will be well-received. Tufts medical specifically is known for having strong dual degree programs, which helps as well.

Second, if you want to remain a physician, try figuring out whether or not you will be able to squeeze in 2 yrs for a program renown in the business community. Consider residency, loans, family, etc. From my perspective, it would be extremely difficult to be a physician while pursuing a full MBA.

I have found my experience to be very rewarding, and plan to pursue the ventures I list above.