Jefferson's MD/MBA program- highly regarded?

[snorebel]

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Is Jefferson Medical College's MD/MBA route considered a good program? I am probably going to Jefferson and I am wondering if the MD/MBA track at Jeff is worth it. Otherwise, I could wait until later in my career to get the MBA. I know the program has been around for a while, but I am unsure of its quality, mainly because Widener (the school that grants the MBA) is not all that great. Thanks!

 

[Shredder]

hmm i havent heard of that place. then again i just go by word of mouth and US news. i guess it depends on what you want to do with your mba; i hear in the business world that a sub top 25 mba doesnt help too much. in some circles its even said to be top 10. in more healthcare oriented areas it may not matter a lot, as the knowledge may make more difference than the name.

 

[PhD2MD]

hmm i havent heard of that place. then again i just go by word of mouth and US news. i guess it depends on what you want to do with your mba; i hear in the business world that a sub top 25 mba doesnt help too much. in some circles its even said to be top 10. in more healthcare oriented areas it may not matter a lot, as the knowledge may make more difference than the name.

No its not good. The MBA is through Widener University which is in the ghetto and is one of the worst schools in the area. Save you money and go elsewhere later.

 

[mward04]

Is Jefferson Medical College's MD/MBA route considered a good program? I am probably going to Jefferson and I am wondering if the MD/MBA track at Jeff is worth it. Otherwise, I could wait until later in my career to get the MBA. I know the program has been around for a while, but I am unsure of its quality, mainly because Widener (the school that grants the MBA) is not all that great. Thanks!

I was actually deciding between Jeff and elsewhere and I chose elsewhere because of a higher quality MBA. However, I think Jeff has a number of advantages:

• Great integration with the MD-don't underestimate the importance of this

• David Nash is a great person to have on your side and he has a number of connections

• You are in Philly which has a number of MD/MBA programs, companies etc-great networking opportunities

You also have to look at what you plan on doing with the MBA. Are you going to be an MD first or an MBA first? If you are doing the former, Jeff will be a good school for you. If you want to go work on Wall St. doing iBanking, then Widener might hurt you. I would talk to Dr. Nash if you plan on leaving right after Med School because he will give you good advice.

The one other concern I have about the Jeff MD/MBA program is that the MBA is done after the second year. If you have no experience, doing an MBA after your second year diminishes the value of the dual degree in the sense that you can't contribute as much to the classroom nor will you get as much from the classes.

Hope this helps.

 

[mshheaddoc]

I know people seem to knock widener but their healthcare MBA isn't a bad deal. Another option you might want to ask (I know students who have done it in various schools) is ask if there are any other colleges you can affliate yourself with for joint degree. I know some did that with MD/JD, DO/MBA, DO/MPH, and MD/MBA. There are some good colleges in the area that have excellent healthcare geared MBAs. Additionally, no offense to anyone, but having your MBA and "where" its from isn't that big of a deal. Try to contact someone that is in the program (through TJU) and see what their feedback is. This might help you evaluate. Its more important about your MD than your MBA, at least that is my opinion because there are some good "budget" schools that you can get a good education from.

mward - question though, when do most do their MBA in a joint program? I was only aware of after 2nd or 3rd year as the most common. When do you think is the best time?

 

[mward04]

mward - question though, when do most do their MBA in a joint program? I was only aware of after 2nd or 3rd year as the most common. When do you think is the best time?

most do their MBA after 3rd year. I think this is typically the best time, if you do it doing med school. You've got a year under your belt, you're basically done with med school and you know what you want to go into.