The Ohio State University

The Doctor of Medicine/Master of Business Administration (MD/MBA) combined degree program has been designed to prepare future physicians to meet the challenges of business administration and financial issues in the practice of medicine in physician offices, hospitals, health care systems and the biotechnology industry. The program combines the full resources of the College of Medicine as preparation for the practice of medicine, along with a nationally prominent program at the Fisher College of Business that gives the graduate a variety of financial, management and administrative skills.

Graduates of the program may choose to apply their degree through involvement in group practices, hospitals, health systems, managed care companies, biotechnology companies or consulting firms in administrative positions such as senior executives, medical directors or consultants.  Some students may simply value the additional understanding of the system-wide aspects of health care in a way that complements their own practice of medicine in private or academic settings.

The two degrees would normally require six years if taken separately, but efficiencies in scheduling and a slight difference in degree requirements mean that both degrees can be completed within five years of beginning study. Both degrees are received at the same graduation.  Both the MD and MBA degrees are fully accredited by their respective accrediting agencies.

Curriculum

Ohio State has long been known as an innovator in medical education, and the MD/MBA builds upon that experience to offer a rigorous but realistic program. Application to the combined program does not occur until the second year of medical school. In the typical case, after acceptance to the MD program, the student will begin medical school and complete the first and second years of the curriculum and step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). During the second year of medical school, a student interested in the MD/MBA program would take the GMAT exam and apply to the Fisher College of Business MBA program by the mid-January deadline in the MBA program rolling admission process. If accepted into the MBA program, the student would then compete for entry into the combined MD/MBA program on the basis of merit. Currently, the combined degree program is limited to five medical students per class.

Once accepted into the combined program, the student spends the summer after the Med II year enrolled in a two-month internship within The Ohio State University Medical Center and then enters the typical first year of the full-time MBA curriculum in the fall. At the completion of the MBA first year, the student rejoins the medical curriculum for the Introduction to Clinical Medicine clerkship and completes the remainder of the Med III clerkships. During the fifth and final year of the combined degree program, the student will complete seven months of Med IV rotations and the winter and spring quarters of the second year of the MBA program. The total time to complete the MD/MBA program is five years.

Time Table for Application

MD/MBA candidates should apply to the MBA program during Autumn Quarter of their Med II year (prior to the mid-January deadline for the MBA program rolling admission process). This includes the GMAT exam and the standard MBA program application, and paying an application fee to the University Admissions Office.

Sample Course of Study

MD/MBA students proceed through five years of coursework at The Ohio State University in the following order.

During Year 3, students will need to complete all first-year MBA core courses, which will constitute a total of 42 course hours. In addition to the core courses, students will be required to take 24 additional hours (combination of Years 3 and 5) of electives in a given major area as delineated in the MBA catalog. These must be MBA courses unless otherwise preapproved by the MBA program.

Admissions

Students who wish to pursue the MD/MBA must be admitted separately to each program. Students must be admitted to the Fisher College MBA program prior to acceptance in the combined MD/MBA program. Applicants interested in the combined MD/MBA program should contact the MBA Program Coordinator in the Fisher College of Business or the Associate Dean for Clinical Education in the College of Medicine with any questions or to request the additional application materials: