A dual master’s degree in business administration and public health will be offered next fall through the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
The degree, designed for students who desire specialized expertise and training in public health management and administration, was approved by the Board of Regents on Friday. Graduates will be equipped to work in a variety of arenas, including commercial or industrial employment, hospitals, insurance companies, universities and several others.
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“Approval of the dual degree MBA/MPH program marks an important milestone in the relationship between the campuses,” said Ayman El-Mohandes, M.B.B.Ch., M.D., M.P.H., dean of UNMC’s College of Public Health.
Lex Kaczmarek, director of UNO’s MBA program, said she expects to admit five students the first year, with up to 10 students the following years.
“This type of degree provides our students with important skills that will help them manage organizations in the public and private sector,” she said.
UNMC/UNO joins 11 other universities that offer the dual MBA/MPH degree in the United States: Boston University, Columbia, Emory, Johns Hopkins, UCLA, University at Buffalo, University of Arizona, University of Illinois-Chicago, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, University of Texas, and Yale.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median compensation for medical and health services managers was $84,270 in May 2010. The BLS forecast is that employment opportunities for this group are expected to grow by more than 16 percent through 2018. Graduates of this dual degree program would be in prime position to fills these types of jobs, Kaczmarek said.
The American Public Health Association job bank lists more than 30 positions in public health that require or prefer an MBA degree, and the Academy Health job bank lists more than 35 positions in management and administration of health organizations as of April 2012.
Students will be able to earn the dual degree in a shorter amount of time than it would take to earn both degrees separately. The dual degree requires 66 credit hours, while the total credit hours for both degrees, if earned separately, would be 81 hours.