Many PharmD’s go back to school to get an MBA.  By earning the two degrees at the same time, you can:

• Double count courses to minimize the time and cost of dual degrees
• Use your summers to take MBA courses without overloading in fall or spring
• The additional cost is under $12,000

The dual PharmD/MBA program is ideally suited to obtaining the requisite skills needed to thrive in this environment. Earning both degrees simultaneously requires both minimal additional monetary outlay and minimal additional time.

You will earn both graduate degrees simultaneously within four years with course substitutions for electives between both programs. You will complete the PharmD/MBA Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience, which substitutes for one MBA elective.

Small classes guarantee you’ll receive individualized attention with support from accomplished faculty who deliver high quality courses based on real world experiences. Classes emphasize practical, hands-on applications that make your MBA work in any healthcare career path you choose. The majority of core MBA courses are completed in two summer terms, preventing additional burden during the completion of the PharmD curriculum, and a discounted tuition scholarship is applied to all MBA courses in summer terms.

The dual Doctor of Pharmacy/Master of Business Administration (Pharm.D./MBA) program educates students to assume responsibilities as managers, administrators, consultants, and executives in health care systems designed to provide health care to customers.

Career Opportunities

• Pharmaceutical industry
• Medical/hospital center administration
• Pharmacoeconomics
• Managed care
• Biotechnology
• Public health service (e.g., FDA, IHS, CDC)
• Professional associations (e.g., APhA, AMCP, ASHP)
• Outcomes research
• Monitoring clinical trials/project management
• Academic administration
• Retail pharmacy administration

Health care managers need a broad organizational overview to successfully plan, organize, lead, and control in the dynamic health care environment. They need to know how to motivate, lead, and work with others to accomplish organizational and personal objectives.

To this end, the program is directed toward providing the education students need to develop an understanding of the major functional areas in health care organizations, and to design strategic plans and policies to cope with the changing pharmaceutical and health care environments.

By combining a “generalist” business degree with a PharmD degree, students gain the requisite skills to do this and will realize significant additional career opportunities. The dual degree is designed to aid students who seek positions in administration and leadership that require a combination of patient care and management skills.

The Dual PharmD/MBA program helps you understand the major functional areas in health care organizations and to design strategic plans and policies to cope with the changing pharmaceutical and healthcare environments. We will also teach you how the success of future health care practitioners hinges upon the ability to manage and market health care services.

Course Requirements

Summer between P1 and P2 year – MBA foundation courses (as needed)

• ACCT 501: Foundations of Accounting (3 credits)
  • Equivalent to undergraduate Accounting I (3 credits) & II (3 credits)
• FIN 502: Foundations of Finance (1.5 credits)
  • Equivalent to undergraduate Introduction to Finance (3 credits)
• ECN 501: Foundations of Economics (3 credits)
  • Equivalent to undergraduate Principles of Macroeconomics (3 credits) & Microeconomics (3 credits)
• MKT 502: Foundations of Marketing (1.5 credits)
  • Equivalent to undergraduate Introduction to Marketing (3 credits)
• QM 502: Business Statistics (1.5 credits)
  • Equivalent to undergraduate Statistics & Data Analysis for Business (3 credits)
• QM 504: Foundations of Analytics (1.5 credits)
  • Equivalent to undergraduate Quantitative Methods (3 credits)

P2 Year – Spring Term

• ACCT 511: Accounting for Decision Making & Control (3 credits)
  • Substitutes for PHAR elective (3 credits)

Summer between P2 and P3 year

• MGT 513: Organizational Structure & Behavior (3 credits)
• MIS 514: Decision Sciences & Management Information Systems (3 credits)
• MKT 511: Marketing Management & Strategy (3 credits)

P3 Year – Fall Term

• FIN 517: Financial Management (3 credits)
  • Substitutes for PHAR elective (3 credits)

P3 Year – Spring Term

• SCM 530: Operations & Supply Chain Management (3 credits)
  • Substitutes for PHAR elective (3 credits)

Summer between P3 and P4 year

• ECN 516: Business Forecasting (1.5 credits)
• MGT 535: Human Resource Management/Employment Law & Ethics (3 credits)
• MGT 611: Integrative Management (3 credits)

P4 year – Fall or Spring Term

• PharmD/MBA Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (5 weeks)
  • Substitutes for MBA elective (3 credits)
  • Substitutes for PHAR Selective APPE (5 credits)

The Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy recruits faculty who are accomplished teachers, researchers, and clinicians.

You’ll enjoy close relationships with faculty who are caring, accessible and dedicated to preparing you for your role as pharmacist. During your first semester, you’ll partner with your own faculty adviser who will provide you with guidance for the duration of the program. While our faculty is actively engaged in research and scholarship, your education remains their number one priority.

Pharmacy Faculty 

Students interested in applying to the dual PharmD/MBA must be admitted and successfully complete one term in the Doctor of Pharmacy program prior to submitting an application to the MBA program.

Pharmacy Application Information

MBA Application Information

 

 

Students are reminded that the PharmD program and the MBA program have different degree requirements. Students are advised to familiarize themselves with these requirements and to discuss them with their School of Pharmacy PharmD/MBA Faculty Advisor or the School of Business.

• It is anticipated that students who are jointly enrolled in the dual PharmD/MBA program will complete both degrees within the four academic years of the PharmD program.
• The MBA portion of the degree must be completed within five calendar years of admission to the program.
• Students must complete the core 36 hour curriculum, which includes nine hours of PharmD courses accepted as MBA electives.
• Students must maintain an overall 3.0 GPA in both the PharmD and MBA programs. No more than two courses graded “C” can be counted toward the MBA degree, including the PharmD courses accepted as MBA electives.
• There are no “D” grades in the MBA program. If a student earns a grade of “D” in a PharmD course accepted as an elective, it will be treated as an “F” for purposes of the MBA program and will not be accepted for credit toward the 36 hour requirement of the MBA program.

What are my options in satisfying the foundation course requirements?

• Taking all of the foundation courses at Shenandoah University, where all courses are offered in the summer term between P1 and P2 year.
• Taking the equivalent undergraduate accounting, analytics, economics, and finance courses at a community college and the marketing course at a four-year college or university.

Please note: Your intentions must be discussed with the School of Pharmacy PharmD/MBA Faculty Advisor during the application process and approval must be granted by the School of Business prior to taking any external foundation courses.

Do I get a tuition break while pursuing the MBA degree?

Yes! Your only extra out-of-pocket expense occurs during the summer terms of the program. You will be responsible for the tuition cost associated with 18 of the 36 credit hours of core MBA courses and any required foundation courses. The remaining courses are included in your PharmD program tuition.

The MBA tuition will be discounted approximately 20 percent for students who participate in this program. Additionally, you are eligible to apply for a Graduate Plus Loan to cover both foundation and core MBA courses taken during Summer terms.

Do I get a break in the total credit hours required for each program?

Yes! Nine credit hours are substituted in each program. 3 MBA core courses substitute for 3 PharmD electives (9 credits), 2 PharmD courses substitute for 2 MBA electives (6 credits), and the P4 PharmD/MBA Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience (APPE) substitutes for the remaining MBA elective (3 credits).

How do I proceed?

1. Read the admission requirements located on the program overview page.
2. Email the School of Pharmacy PharmD/MBA Faculty Advisor to arrange a meeting to discuss details regarding the application.
3. Obtain course descriptions for any courses taken at other colleges/universities that may be considered equivalent to required foundation courses.