MD/MBA Dual Degree

Take charge of your career. Adding an MD/MBA dual degree to your plan of study opens more doors, from the moment you apply for your residency and at every career step after.

Benefits

The MD/MBA emphasizes business skills intended to broaden your career perspectives as an emerging physician leader.
The need for physician leaders is clear at this challenging time in history. Supply chain logistics, crisis management, strategy, managing people in organizations, innovation and disruptive technology–business skills like these will be more critical to the next generation of physicians than ever before.
The MD/MBA opens doors for physicians interested in executive management positions, venture capital opportunities and consulting.
A Kelley MBA gives you a new level of confidence. It gives you the knowledge, skills and experience to translate your MBA to any health care role–not just one rooted in clinical care.
Name recognition: Kelley is a world-class business school. The Evening MBA is the top-ranked part-time MBA in the state, and No. 11 in the US. You’ll earn a well-respected degree that can set you apart during residency matching and make you more competitive.
Kelley curriculum blurs the line between classroom and workplace. Our hands-on projects will have you working with businesses in central Indiana.
Recognized faculty are known for keen business acumen, highly engaged teaching and cutting-edge industry research.

Ragan Brackett, MD, MBA ’16

“Because of my Kelley MBA, I can sit confidently at a table with board members and know that I deserve a seat here. It’s intimidating to go from being a first-year resident to suddenly being in charge of a team. I’ve seen doctors struggle with that. My MBA experience helped me to appreciate what it’s like to work on a team and to be an effective leader. It’s one way I continue to apply my MBA to my medical career.”

Read Ragan's story

José Mitjavila, MD, MBA ’19

“I pursued the Kelley MBA to fully understand how the health care system operates and also to position myself for health care administration at some point. Being in that space allows you to affect positive change for patients on a larger scale.”

Read José's story

Core Curriculum

Build skills in several core areas: operations, management and entrepreneurship, accounting, finance, marketing, data analytics, economics, and organizational behavior. This prepares you to think about and approach problems differently, translating to quality patient care and better health care outcomes.

Learn more about the Kelley Evening MBA

Plans of Study and Timeline

The MD/MBA is open to students currently in Phase 1 Year 2 or in Phase 2.

You may choose between two plans of study: the one-year expedited model or the traditional two-year model.

Both plans require 42 credit hours of MBA coursework and feature the same Kelley rigor, learning, objectives and outcomes. The plans differ in timeline, content focus and application process.

Questions	One-Year Expedited Plan	Two-Year Traditional Plan
What is the entry point?	After Phase 1 or Phase 2 (i.e. after years 2 or 3). Start classes in May.	After Phase 2 (i.e. after year 3). Start classes in August.
Program length?	One year (May-May). The Evening MBA uses an academic quarter calendar (not semesters), so you’ll be at Kelley for four quarters.	Two years (August-May). The Evening MBA uses an academic quarter calendar (not semesters), so you’ll be at Kelley for seven quarters.
Simultaneous Kelley coursework and IU School of Medicine coursework?	No. You'll step out of School of Medicine coursework for that year and take only MBA coursework in that time.	Yes. You’ll pursue clinical rotations and MBA coursework simultaneously for two years. Your advisors in both schools will work with you to arrange your schedule to meet the needs of both degrees.
How many MBA credit hours will I take at a time?	9-12 per quarter. Quarters are 11-12 weeks long.	6-7.5 per quarter. Quarters are 11-12 weeks long.
I did the Scholarly Concentration in Business of Medicine. Can I do this plan?	Yes. Two of the Kelley courses you completed for the concentration transfer into the MBA, making your MBA course load a bit lighter and cheaper.	Yes. Two of the Kelley courses you completed for the concentration transfer into the MBA, making your MBA course load a bit lighter and cheaper.
I did not do the Scholarly Concentration in Business of Medicine. Can I do this plan?	Yes	Yes
Does this add an extra year to my time to graduation?	Yes	Yes
Do I need to live in Indianapolis?	Students on this plan will have class in Indianapolis several times weekly (6-8:40 p.m.) and online classes.	Students on this plan will have two to four week-long or weekend intensives in year 1. All other times, you’ll have class once weekly in Indianapolis (6-8:40 p.m.) and online classes.
What application materials are required?	Expedited application process: submit online application, personal statement, resume. Detailed instructions available.	Traditional Evening MBA application process: submit online application, personal statement, resume, transcripts, two letters of recommendation, and current GMAT/GRE score. Detailed instructions available.
Who will my classmates be?	You’ll be part of a cohort of other MD/MBA students. Some classes you’ll take primarily with other health care professionals, many of whom are future physicians like you, while other classes you’ll take with all Evening MBA students (mid- career business professionals in all fields).	You’ll be part of a cohort of other Evening MBA students (mid-career business professionals in all fields, including some in health care). You’ll get to learn from their broad range of expertise and their years of experience in various industries.
Elective courses?	Fewer MBA electives available (because there are fewer quarters in which to take them = fewer choices)	All electives available
Will my classes be health care focused? Is there a quality difference between the two plans?	In this plan, you’ll take more health care focused classes. Same Kelley Evening MBA rigor, learning objectives and outcomes, but your content in some classes will be health care related. This will provide you an MBA experience with deeper but less broad content. This isn’t better or worse than the two-year plan, it’s just a different focus.	In this plan, you’ll take health care focused classes along with Evening MBA courses. Same Kelley Evening MBA rigor, learning objectives and outcomes, but your content will be health care and general business related. This will provide you an MBA experience with more breadth but less specificity of content. This isn’t better or worse than the one-year plan, it’s just a different focus.
Which plan is best for me?	Only you can decide. We suggest speaking with your IU School of Medicine advisor. One major factor in your decision should be whether you want to do both MD and MBA coursework simultaneously or prefer to focus on them at different times.

Cost and Financial Information

Tuition and fees are due quarterly, and payment plans are available
Eligible for 529 College Choice Savings Plan
Tax break for tuition, fees and book expenses

For questions about financial aid, contact Jose Espada, director of financial aid, at jespada@iu.edu or 317-274-1967.

Explore program costs

Application Process

The application process and timeline is different for the two plans.

One-Year Expedited Plan

Applications open: January 2024
Application deadline: April 1, 2024

Application materials required: online application, resume or CV, personal statement. For detailed application instructions, please email Janelle Cissell at cissellj@iu.edu.

We strongly encourage students interested in either plan to attend an online information session to learn more about the MD/MBA.

Two-Year Traditional Plan

Applications open: January 2024
Priority application deadline: April 1, 2024
Final application deadline: July 12, 2024, or whenever the cohort is full, whichever comes first.
Admissions decisions delivered on a rolling basis within two weeks of admissions interview
Student decision deadlines set on a rolling basis, typically within two weeks of admissions decision delivery.

Application materials required: online application, resume or CV, personal statement, transcripts from all colleges/universities attended, valid GMAT or GRE score, two letters of recommendation, admissions interview. For detailed application instructions, please email Janelle Cissell at cissellj@iu.edu.

We strongly encourage students interested in either plan to attend an online information session to learn more about the MD/MBA.

Questions?

If you have additional questions about the MBA, please contact Janelle Cissell, associate director, Emerging Graduate Programs, Kelley School of Business at cissellj@iu.edu or 317-278-6280.

For questions about financial aid, contact Jose Espada, director of financial aid, jespada@iu.edu or 317-274-1967.

For questions about IU School of Medicine enrollment during dual degree, contact Marti Reeser, associate dean, at dreeser@iu.edu or Abby Klemsz, assistant dean, at aklemsz@iu.edu.