Your Master Guide to MBA Dual Degree Programs
What are Dual Degree MBA Programs?
If you’re an MBA candidate with an interest in a specialized field, you may want to explore a dual degree. Dual degree programs allow you to earn two Master's degrees simultaneously, which makes them a great way to balance your business education with a complementary specialization and widen the net for your career.
For example, you could be interested in a career in both law and business – possible career pathways include in-house corporate practice, international business law, politics, or academia. A dual degree would allow you to gain expertise in both fields and build a stronger, wider network of professionals across industries and functions.
Many top business schools offer interdisciplinary study options in partnership with other universities. Note that dual degrees are different from joint degrees. These terms are often used interchangeably, but there’s a significant difference!
A dual degree means pursuing two degrees at two different parent institutions. For example, Wharton offers a dual degree MBA in public policy in partnership with the Harvard Kennedy School. On the other hand, a joint degree means pursuing two degrees at the same parent institution. For example, Wharton offers a joint degree MBA with the MA program in international studies from Penn’s School of Arts & Sciences (part of its parent UPenn).
SWC consultant Nanako Yano is a graduate of the HBS MBA and HKS Master in Public Administration-International Development (MBA/MPA-ID) joint degree program. Her MBA class of approximately 900 only had 25-30 other students who were also enrolled in a joint degree with HKS. At other schools like Stanford GSB, this number is much higher; generally, about 20% of the GSB MBA class opt for a dual/joint degree.
Types of Dual Degree MBAs
Some popular dual degree programs that applicants pursue include:
JD/MBA: This program combines an MBA with a Juris Doctor (law) degree. Career pathways include corporate law, investment management, venture capital, or banking.
MD/MBA: This program combines an MBA with a Doctor of Medicine degree. Career pathways include healthcare or hospital administration, healthcare consulting, pharma, private practice ownership, or nonprofit management.
MPH/MBA: This program combines an MBA with a Master of Public Health degree. Career pathways include public healthcare, consulting firms, physician group practices, hospital systems, pharma, or healthcare banking organizations.
MS/MBA: This program combines an MBA with a Master of Science degree in a variety of technical fields such as engineering, computer science, or data science.
MA/MBA: This program combines an MBA with a Master of Arts degree in fields such as education, international relations, economics, and other humanities fields.
MPP/MBA: This program combines an MBA with a Master of Public Policy degree. Career pathways include social entrepreneurship, government and non-governmental organizations, nonprofits, and public sector roles in highly regulated industries like finance or energy.
Why should you pursue a Dual Degree MBA?
Dual degree MBA programs are increasingly popular among applicants due to the following advantages they offer over traditional MBA programs:
Deeper expertise and a broader skill-set: This one’s obvious! An interdisciplinary education in two distinct fields can deepen your subject knowledge, build a highly transferable skill set, and allow you to draw important links between your interests. This helps students approach problems from different perspectives and develop innovative, integrated solutions: a key skill in today’s competitive business environment.
Career Opportunities: Double the degree, double the value you offer to an employer. The varying labor market demand for skills across disciplines makes candidates with dual degrees especially attractive to employers. By specializing in two fields, you’ll have an edge over your peers in today’s tough job market and stand out as a versatile, adaptable professional. Depending on your career interests, you can position yourself in a convenient way. If there’s a sweet spot in between, point to the unique education and background you bring.
Efficiency: Dual degree MBA programs typically take 2-3 years to complete, compared to 4-5 years if you were to pursue two separate degrees.
Stronger Network: Nanako mentions that for most MBA candidates, grad school is the best way to expand their network. With a dual degree program, you’ll have 2 school networks to tap into. Alumni networks are also huge, and you have double the resources and access to career development offices. As an HBS alum, Nanako continues to receive support from its alumni career advising office. In addition to connecting with diverse professionals and industry leaders, you’ll also have more internship and externship options, which means twice the experiential learning you’d get from an MBA.
Cost of a Dual Degree MBA
MBA dual degrees are not for everyone. There are several factors to consider before taking the plunge, including time management, the intensive workload across both degrees, and cost.
Let’s start with the time commitment. For a dual degree program, you will need to apply and be admitted to two separate schools at your target universities. You’ll also need to manage your time during the program, as staying in school for an extra year or two can be demanding.
Then, consider the opportunity cost of giving up potential earnings, given that full-time graduate school students are unlikely to work full-time as well. A T20 MBA by itself can run you well over $100,000 - $150,000 in tuition and expenses. Add another degree, and your financial liability can increase significantly.
According to Fortune, “passion is a variable that can’t be overlooked”. If you are considering a dual degree, you need to ensure that you can commit to the demands of both programs. However, there are several ways to manage these challenges; many schools offer tuition discounts or scholarships for students enrolled in dual/joint degree programs. See how Nanako received an (almost) full-ride scholarship to pursue her joint MPA-ID/MBA degree at Harvard.
Application Requirements for Dual Degree MBA
Typically, business schools only offer dual degree programs in combination with their full-time MBA programs (not part-time programs). To be enrolled in a dual degree program, applicants must be accepted to both schools. In other words, you need to be admitted to both the MBA and its partnered program through each school's normal admissions process. However, this may differ in specific cases, like Stanford GSB, where applicants to the MPP/MBA dual degree don’t need to apply separately to each program. Check your school website to understand your dual degree’s individual requirements and eligibility criteria.
Once admitted, students are responsible for coordinating with both schools and their designated faculty advisors to ensure that all credit requirements for their dual degree are met.
Top Business Schools With Joint/Dual Degree MBA Programs
1. Harvard Business School
Master of Public Policy + MBA
Master of Public Administration-International Development + MBA
JD/MBA
MD/MBA
DMD/MBA
MS/MBA: Engineering Sciences
MS/MBA Biotechnology: Life Sciences
2. Stanford Graduate School of Business
Stanford GSB allows students to pursue a Master’s degree of their interest that is not represented in their pre-existing joint/dual degree programs:
JD/MBA
MA Education/MBA
MPP/MBA
MS Computer Science/MBA
MS Electrical Engineering/MBA
MS Environment and Resources/MBA
3. The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania
Wharton Lauder, MBA/MA
MA/MBA (partnered with the School of Advanced International Studies of The Johns Hopkins University)
JD/MBA
MBA in Health Care Management
MPA/MBA and MPP/MBA (partnered with Harvard Kennedy School)
MBA/DMD
4. The University of Chicago Booth School of Business
JD/MBA
MBA/Master of Arts in Eastern European and Russian Eurasian Studies
MBA/Master of Arts in International Relations
MBA/Master of Arts in Middle Eastern Studies
MBA/MD
MBA/Masters Program in Computer Science
MBA/Master of Public Policy
MBA/Master of Arts in Social Work, Social Policy, and Social Administration from Crown Family School
5. Columbia Business School
MBA/MS in Urban Planning
MBA/DDS
MBA/MS in Industrial Engineering
MBA/MIA
MBA/MS
JD/MBA
MBA/MS in Nursing
MBA/MD
MBA/MPH
MBA/MS in Social Work
MBA/MA in Private School Leadership
Interested in a dual degree MBA? Book a chat with our expert team of consultants to discuss your application.
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