Students have the opportunity to obtain a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) and Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree through a dual program offered by the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions and the Heider College of Business. This combined degree program pairs a rigorous academic curriculum with practical experience in business and pharmacy and can provide students with increased career opportunities in retail and healthcare facilities. The dual program allows both residential (on-campus) and distance PharmD students to complete an MBA degree during the time it takes to complete the PharmD program without imposing any stringent credit hour burdens on Pharmacy students. Students must apply to and be admitted separately by both the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions and the Heider College of Business’ MBA program. For individuals admitted to the School of Pharmacy for the fall 2014 term and after, an applicant’s PCAT score, their admission to the PharmD program and their cumulative PHA GPA, which must at least a 3.3, will be evidence of eligibility for admission to the MBA program, and they will not be required to take the GMAT exam. However, PHA students whose cumulative PHA GPA is below a 3.3 will be required to submit an acceptable GMAT score in order to be considered for admission to the MBA program. MBA admission decisions are based on the following factors: academic background, GPA (both undergraduate and PHA), work experience, and letters of recommendation. Interviews are not required as part of the MBA admission process. Applicants who wish to visit the campus are welcome to call to schedule an appointment.
Program Features
- A maximum of 6 hours of specified PHA coursework can be applied toward the 33 total hours required for the MBA degree.
- Campus-based MBA courses are only held in the evenings (Monday-Thursday) from 6:00-9:30pm and occasionally on Friday afternoon/evening and Saturday. A limited number of MBA classes are available online each fall, spring, and summer term. No online MBA classes are offered in the winter term.
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Students starting the PharmD program in August 2014 or after who have either obtained a bachelor’s degree or are P1 students, have completed a minimum of 90 credit hours and have a minimum 3.3 PHA GPA are eligible to apply to the MBA program after their first semester of Pharmacy School. The GMAT exam will not be required for these students provided they meet all of the criteria. NOTE: Under no circumstances will PHA students be allowed to enroll in any 700-level graduate business classes unless they have met the minimum credit hour, PHA GPA requirement and satisfactorily completed at least one semester of PHA courses.
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The combined degree may be completed in four years of full-time study. However, PHA students are not permitted to take any MBA classes during their first semester of enrollment in Pharmacy School due to the rigorous PHA schedule. PHA students may, with written permission of the School of Pharmacy, be allowed to enroll in MBA classes the second semester of their first year of Pharmacy School.
Requirements
PharmD: Students will complete all requirements for the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree. See those requirements here.
MBA:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| M.B.A. Requirements (33 credits beyond the Foundation) | ||
| The M.B.A. program is a customized program designed to offer either a general management education to students new to the study of business of an advanced and more specialized business education to students with a business degree and/or significant business experience. This customized program offers students the opportunity to develop a curriculum best suited to their backgrounds, skills, and career goals. | ||
| Foundation | ||
| Statistics is required for the M.B.A. degree. Students who have not taken an undergraduate statistics course will be required to either take an undergraduate statistics course or achieve a satisfactory score on a statistics competency exam administered for a fee through the Heider College of Business. Students who need to take statistics are expected to fulfill their outstanding deficiency at the beginning of their studies in order to advance to certain 700-level courses. Even though pharmacy students take a PHA statistics course (PHA 350) as part of the PharmD degree, they are not scheduled to take this course until their third year. Therefore, pharmacy students should plan on completing the online statistics tutorial within their first year in order to avoid any delays in completing the MBA degree. | ||
| Core (12 credits) | ||
| All M.B.A. students will complete the four core courses listed below that address business processes and skills fundamental to Creighton's Jesuit and values-based mission. Creighton's M.B.A. program emphasizes how business leaders apply sound and coherent ethical principles to serve its stakeholders and society for the common good. | ||
| MBA 771 | Leadership and Organizational Behavior | 3 |
| MBA 775 | Business Policy And Managerial Action | 3 |
| MBA 776 | Business, Ethics and Society | 3 |
| BIA 762 | Survey of Business Intelligence and Analytics | 3 |
| Functional Core (9-12 credits) | ||
| Students who are new to the study of business because they hold neither an undergraduate degree in business nor have extensive business work experience may be required to take some or all of the functional core classes. Taking these classes and the core M.B.A. courses will lead to a general competency in most areas of business. Students who hold undergraduate business degrees or have extensive business experience may elect to take one or more of these courses with the approval of the Graduate Business Program's office or may elect to move directly to concentration courses. | ||
| MBA 703 | Accounting for Managers | 3 |
| MBA 711 | Managerial Finance (or MIM Elective) | 3 |
| MBA 741 | Economic Analysis for Managers | 3 |
| MBA 761 | Marketing Management | 3 |
| Tier 2 Courses (9-24 credits) | ||
| All M.B.A. students will complete the balance of their 33 credits for the M.B.A. degree by taking advanced courses in the functional areas. These business courses cover advanced topics in all areas of business including accounting, finance, economics, business intelligence and analytics, marketing, and management. | 9 | |
| To ensure appropriate breadth and depth: 1) Students must take one course in each of three of five functional areas; 2) Students may take a maximum of three courses beyond MBA 771 in the management/leadership area; and 3) Students may take a maximum of four courses in any given functional area. A complete listing of courses included in each functional area is available from the M.B.A. Program Advisor. | ||
| Pharmacy students may transfer in a maximum of six hours of the PHA courses listed below toward the 33 total credit hours required for the M.B.A. degree, provided a grade of "B" or better is earned in each course. | ||
| Pharmacy Practice Management | ||
| Pharmacoeconomics | ||
| Community Management Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience | ||
| Organization Management Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience | ||
| Hospital Management Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience | ||
| Total Credits | 33 | |
See the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions or Heider College of Business Graduate Programs office for complete details and requirements.