HMS and HBS Joint Degree Program
Included on this page:
- Vision and Mission
- Student Profiles
- Curriculum
- Sample Schedule
- Admission
- Financial Aid
- FAQs
- Contacts
Vision and Mission
In recognition of the critical need in today's world for leaders who are educated in the intellectual disciplines and practices of medicine and management, Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Harvard Business School (HBS) established a joint MD/MBA program and enrolled the first group of 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.
This program, structured to be completed in five calendar years, will educate prospective leaders of organizations that deliver and finance health services, as well as those who develop and market pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and other health-related products.
Student Profiles
Read how students in the MD/MBA program combine what started as a passion for practicing medicine with a growing desire to do that and so much more—to conduct research, manage hospitals, shape public policy, launch health care-related entrepreneurial ventures, balance medical needs with economic realities, reduce costs to patients while increasing quality, and apply engineering to medicine to produce the very best medical devices. For additional MBA profiles and first-person accounts of a typical 24 hours, read our MBA Student Profiles.
Jordan Amadio
Jordan Amadio
Home town:
Cazenovia, New York
Undergraduate school:
Princeton University
Lucasz S. Babiarz
Lucasz S. Babiarz
Home town:
Lancut, Poland; Glen Cove, New York
Undergraduate school:
Johns Hopkins University
Maya Babu
Maya Babu
Home town:
Eagan, Minnesota
Undergraduate school:
University of Minnesota
Jordan Bohnen
Jordan Bohnen
Home town:
Toronto, Canada
Undergraduate schools:
University of Toronto, Harvard College
Bobby Daly
Bobby Daly
Home town:
Darien, Connecticut
Undergraduate school:
Stanford University
Andrew Dervan
Andrew Dervan
Hometown:
South Pasadena, California
Undergraduate institution:
Yale University
Michael Farias
Michael Farias
Home town:
Bromall, Pennsylvania
Undergraduate school:
University of Pennsylvania
Vivek Garg
Vivek Garg
Home town:
Sparta, New Jersey
Undergraduate school:
Yale University
David Gellis
David Gellis
Home town:
Newton, Massachusetts
Undergraduate school:
Harvard College
David Lee
David Lee
Home town:
Cerritos, California
Undergraduate school:
Harvard College
Antonio Perez
Antonio Perez
Home town:
Union City, New Jersey
Undergraduate school:
Harvard College
Evan Rachlin
Evan Rachlin
Home town:
Great Falls, Virginia
Undergraduate school:
Harvard College
Jason Sanders
Jason Sanders
Home town:
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Undergraduate schools:
University of Oklahoma, Oxford University
Sophia Virani
Sophia Virani
Home town:
Searingtown, New York
Undergraduate school:
Harvard College
Zayed Muhammed Yasin
Zayed Muhammed Yasin
Home town:
Scituate, Massachusetts
Undergraduate school:
Harvard College
Krishna Yeshwant
Krishna Yeshwant
Home town:
Chicago, Illinois
Undergraduate school:
Stanford University
Curriculum
The five-year MD/MBA program will integrate the curricula of both HMS and HBS and will be rigorously grounded in the concepts and practice of medicine and management. The program provides opportunities for students and faculty to merge these disciplines through new coursework and scholarly pursuits.
Typically, entering students will spend the first three years at HMS, completing preclinical and clinical requirements, along with courses in healthcare policy and management and a four- to eight-week management internship in the summer following the first year.
The fourth year will be spent at HBS, completing the requirements of the first-year core business curriculum.
The fifth and final year is spent completing electives at both HMS and HBS in a sequence independently determined by each student. Once a student has been admitted to and enrolled in the joint MD/MBA program, the student must complete both degrees successfully in order to achieve graduation from Harvard.
Sample Schedule
The typical candidate is expected to follow the schedule outlined below:
| YEAR 1 at HMS |
|---|
An Integrated, Year-long Curriculum:
|
YEAR 1 Summer-Business Internship (4-6 weeks)
In the summer following the first year, students will be required to complete a 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 medical school may be exempt from this requirement.
| YEAR 2 at HMS |
|---|
|
* The Health Management Seminar is a year-long series of seminars required in both year 2 and year 3 covering a range of topics related to managing in a healthcare environment and the unique challenges facing leaders in that environment. This is a non-credit requirement of the joint degree program.
YEAR 3 - Begins During Summer Following Year 2
| YEAR 3 at HMS |
|---|
|
YEAR 3 Summer—Complete Core Clinical Rotations
| YEAR 4 at HBS | |
|---|---|
| Fall | Spring |
| Finance 1 | Business Government and the International Economy |
| Financial Reporting and Control | Strategy |
| Leadership and Organizational Behavior | The Entrepreneurial Manager |
| Marketing | Negotiation |
| Technology and Operations Management | Finance 2 |
| Step 2 U.S. Medical Licensing Exam | Leadership and Corporate Accountability |
YEAR 4 Summer—"Medicine and Management" required rotation (two months)
This new, two-month, hospital-based required rotation will address "linked" clinical and managerial issues. The goal of the rotation is to allow students to combine experience in an HMS teaching hospital setting with an HBS management field experience.
| YEAR 5 at HMS and HBS | |
|---|---|
| Fall | Spring |
| Electives at HMS and HBS | Electives at HMS and HBS |
Students can opt to spend a full semester at each school or spend both semesters taking classes at both schools.
Admissions
Applicants to the joint MD/MBA program must complete the application requirements of both HMS and HBS separately, applying to each school and checking the "joint program" box provided on each of the applications. In addition, applicants will be asked to complete a separate, brief essay to the joint program describing their interests at the interface of medicine and management that should be submitted on both applications. Based on the rigorous nature of the MD/MBA program, selected candidates must be outstanding with respect to the admissions criteria of both HMS and HBS and be admitted to each school independently. Please note that your application and/or its status may be shared with the partner school.
Applicants will be required to meet either the Round 1, Round 2, or Round 3 application deadlines of HBS and the standard November 1 application deadline of HMS. Neither school will give preference to joint degree candidates in the admissions process; however, as part of the selection process, particular emphasis will be placed on the strength of an applicant's stated goals and interests related to the mission of the joint degree program.
Students who are currently enrolled in the first year of the master's degree program at HMS or HBS and are interested in pursuing both MD and MBA degrees are advised to contact the MD/MBA Program's leadership for guidance. These students will need to submit an application to the other degree program and, if accepted, will be offered many of the resources and opportunities available to students who have been admitted concurrently to both programs. Students who are beyond their first year in the MD Program will not be considered for the joint MD/MBA Program.
Once a student has been admitted to and enrolled in the joint MD/MBA program, the student must complete both degrees successfully in order to achieve graduation from Harvard.
Financial Aid
In years 1, 2, and 3 of the MD/MBA program, a student will be registered at HMS pursuing core medical requirements and will be charged the prevailing HMS tuition and fees. The student will apply to the HMS Financial Aid Office for financial aid in these years and will be subject to standard HMS financial aid policies.
In year 4, the student will be registered at HBS pursuing the MBA required curriculum and will be charged the prevailing HBS tuition and fees. The student will apply to the HBS Financial Aid Office for financial aid in year 4 and will be subject to standard HBS financial aid policies. In addition, MD/MBA students who borrow under the CitiAssist Loan Program for the MBA portion of their education are eligible for deferment of loan repayment during medical residency.
In year 5, when the student is enrolled in both HMS and HBS curricula, the student's primary school of enrollment will be HMS, and the student will be billed the prevailing HMS full-year tuition and fees. The student will apply to the HMS Financial Aid Office for financial aid.
To view a sample student budget for 2006/2007 HBS, please see below:
- Sample student budget for HBS student for academic year 2006/ 2007
Frequently Asked Questions
What background is required to apply to the joint MD/MBA Program?
Applicants must meet the separate requirements of HMS and HBS, to which they are to apply independently. There are no additional prerequisites in order for an applicant to be considered for the joint program.
How long will it take to complete the joint program?
The program is structured to be completed in five years for most students who are admitted to the program and who follow the program's prescribed curriculum.
If I am currently a student at either HMS or HBS, and have completed a portion of the requirements towards the MD or MBA degree, can I apply for admission to the joint MD/MBA program?
Incumbent HMS or HBS students who would like to pursue the additional degree should contact the MD/MBA Program for guidance, and then apply to the other school. Students who are accepted to both degree programs will have access to the curriculum resources offered by the joint program. However, it is likely that completion of the requirements for both degree programs will require additional time beyond the five-year time horizon.
What will be the tuition for the five-year joint program?
Students will pay regular tuition and fees to one school each year—either HMS or HBS—depending on the school in which they are registered during that particular academic year.
How can I find out more about the curriculum of the joint MD/MBA Program?
Please contact the admissions offices at either HMS (Admissions_Office@hms.harvard.edu) or HBS (admissions@hbs.edu).
How can I find out more about the requirements for admission and timetable?
You may contact the admissions offices at either HMS (Admissions_Office@hms.harvard.edu) or HBS (admissions@hbs.edu).
You can learn more about the HMS admissions process at Applying to HMS, or more about the HBS admissions process in the Admissions section of this web site.
MD/MBA Program Contact Information
Stan N. Finkelstein, MD
Director of Program Operations
MD/MBA Program
Harvard Medical School
25 Shattuck Street
Boston, MA 02115
For questions specific to HMS: Admissions_Office@hms.harvard.edu
For questions specific to HBS: admissions@hbs.edu
The discussion of race raised in an HBS case was so enlightening that our professor organized further conversation after class to talk about the history of race relations in the United States and what we could do to improve it. I came out of that class and thought, 'Today, my perspective is bigger than it used to be.'
After listening to so many viewpoints during case discussions, I realize I can't possibly know what to do in all situations. But that encourages me to dig deeper to understand why I do things the way I do. It's outstanding preparation for complex situations—a more effective business education than anything else I can imagine.
HBS is what you make of it. There are tremendous resources here: cases, classmates, and professors. You get all the tools you need to take your leadership to the next level.
I knew it would be a lot of hard work, but this is a place that surprises you. The students' diversity of experiences and specialties have really come out in the variety of cases we share. The case method is a model where students become the teachers. It makes students responsible for leading the class. I can't imagine a better way to develop leaders.
I just wasn't sure the case method worked. But now I can't imagine learning any other way, even with very technical material. Unlike a lecture-based education, you don't concentrate your preparations around exams; you're always preparing yourself with every case. You internalize more of the material than you realize.
Leadership can mean helping farmers protect their crops against midnight elephant raids, or cooperating with local chiefs to create hippo sanctuaries.
Decision-making is what the case method is all about. I come from a rigorous, data-driven environment where we always want perfect information. But in the case method, the protagonist doesn't have that luxury. You're forced to become comfortable making decisions in the face of uncertainty.
I've met people doing incredible things here. I don't have to have all the answers. But it's important to understand who has the answers and motivate them to move together in the right direction.
For me, the China immersion was all about taking initiative and leveraging resources to bring positive value to the HBS community.
This education is not a rubber stamp in finance or marketing, but a web of contexts and interests. You get a piece of international law, a piece of world history, lessons in macro-economics. You examine the social consequences of business. You get so much more than an MBA here.
I don't want to be a financial wiz, but an effective leader. People I've met at HBS have shown me that it's not about career, career, career, but ultimately about family, friends, and making contributions to the community.
HBS provides an amazing foundation in areas where I don't already have strength. Even though I've only worked for two years, the case method allows me to learn so much more in so many different areas. At HBS, I've learned about at least a hundred business models and fifty industries in the two hundred or so cases I've been immersed in so far.
I'm constantly impressed by the rigor of the program and the diversity and quality of people, of what they bring to the table. My section has been really encouraging, and I'm learning how to listen and contribute effectively.
With the case method you're always on the edge of your seat, living the art of the reasoned argument. Every time you speak, you're trying to persuade 89 other people. The ultimate compliment is when you're able to take the discussion into new territory.
My friendship with classmates is the most meaningful experience at HBS. The section helps seal a permanent bond among people from all over the world.
As a teacher, I place students at the top of my priority ladder. My mission is to enable them to develop and realize their potential as leaders. Helping them achieve that is a lifelong commitment and source of continual satisfaction. It's a privilege to interact with exceptionally bright students in a powerful and energizing process of mutual discovery and collective learning.
