Academics
HMS-HBS Joint Degree Program: Mission and Curriculum
Combining Expertise and Leadership: MD/MBA Program
In recognition of the critical need for leaders educated in the intellectual disciplines and practices of medicine and management, Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Harvard Business School (HBS) established the MD/MBA program and enrolled its first students in the fall of 2005.
The program's mission is to develop outstanding physician leaders, skilled in both medicine and management, to take positions of influence through which they will contribute substantially to the health and well-being of individuals and society.
Structured to be completed in five academic years, the MD/MBA program educates prospective leaders of a wide range of health care organizations, such as those that finance and deliver health services as well as those that develop and market pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and other health-related products. Participants are strongly encouraged to enter and complete a medical residency, or other kind of postgraduate clinical training, upon graduation from the joint degree program. MD/MBA graduates are expected to provide the informed leadership necessary for innovation and progress at the intersection of medicine and business.
Curriculum Overview
The curriculum of the MD/MBA program is rigorously grounded in fundamental management concepts — including strategy, economics, finance, marketing, operations, and more — and the core science disciplines of medicine, such as anatomy, biochemistry, genetics, physiology, and related studies. Further, the MD/MBA is designed as an integrated curriculum, rather than simply a sequence of MBA classes added to the standard medical education. The opportunity to combine these disciplines drives the enthusiasm of faculty and the ambitions of degree candidates.
The typical candidate is expected to follow the sample schedule outlined below:
Year 1 at HMS
Harvard Medical School
Pre-Clinical Courses: The Human Body, Chemistry & Biology of the Cell, Integrated Human Physiology, Pharmacology, Genetics Development & Reproductive Biology, Immunology, Microbiology, and Infectious Diseases
Additional Courses: Patient-Doctor I, Introduction to Health Care Policy, Clinical Epidemiology, Social Medicine, Medical Ethics and professionalism, and Introduction to Health Care Management
Summer Internship in Business Management
Following the first year, students are required to complete an internship/field experience in health-related management arranged in consultation with and mentored by HBS and HMS faculty. Students with sufficient management experience prior to beginning the program may be exempt from this requirement.
Year 2 at HMS
Harvard Medical School
Fall & Spring Semesters
Human Nervous System & Behavior
Pathology
Human Systems I & II
Patient-Doctor II
Psychopathology
Preventive Medicine & Nutrition
Health Management Seminar
Summer
Begin HMS principal clinical experience
Year 3 at HMS
Harvard Medical School
Fall & Spring Semesters
Principal Clinical Experience
Patient-Doctor III
Medicine and Management
Summer
HMS Clinical Rotations
Year 4 at HBS
Harvard Business School
Fall Term
Finance I
Financial Reporting and Control
Leadership and Organizational Behavior
Marketing
Technology and Operations Management
Spring Term
Business, Government and the International Economy
Strategy, The Entrepreneurial Manager
Finance II
Leadership and Corporate Accountability
Read more about HBS Required Curriculum courses
Summer
HMS Primary Care Clerkship
HMS Clinical Rotations
Year 5 at HMS and HBS
Harvard Medical School and Harvard Business School
Fall & Spring Semesters
HBS: 18 credits of Elective Curriculum courses; typically 6 semester-long courses
HMS: Remainder of Elective Courses
Students can opt to spend a full semester of electives at each school separately or to spend both semesters taking classes at both schools.
