MBA or MPH: Navigating the Best Path for a Successful Healthcare Career

The Master of Business Administration, or MBA, is one of the most popular and versatile graduate degrees in the world.  First introduced at Harvard University in 1908, today’s MBA is designed to give students a generalist view of management in the business world while also offering a wide array of elective courses in specific subject areas.  In addition to the soft skills developed via networking in the program, students will graduate from MBA programs with a solid foundation in the various aspects of running a successful enterprise.

Today’s MBA graduate degree also allows students to complete the degree full-time, part-time and even online in certain cases, giving the flexibility needed to work and learn at the same time.

As business sectors grow and evolve, so have the specialties available in MBA programs, giving students even more options to customize their career trajectories.  Programs are typically divided into two parts: core classes and electives.

While each program varies slightly, most core competencies in an MBA program require courses in:

Once you complete these competencies, you can choose to remain on a generalist track or pursue electives in a specialty area.  Current programs offer specialties ranging from finance to human resource management, but an increasingly popular option in the health sector is a specialty in healthcare administration and management.

Healthcare administration and management is an ideal option if you want to utilize your management skills in a healthcare setting. You will study subjects like healthcare policy, health economics, health communication, and digital health transformation, all with the goal of understanding the various factors that can affect how a healthcare entity functions. Rather than managing the operations of a traditional corporation, management in a healthcare setting tacks on the added layer of complexity that comes with keeping a high quality of care for patients.  

MBA graduates are well-equipped to enter the workforce in lucrative positions in banking, consulting, and management. For healthcare-focused graduates, senior management positions such as Director of Operations and hospital administrator are all viable options.

The Master of Public Health, or MPH, is a graduate degree that prepares students for work in the public health field.  Covering a variety of health subjects, an MPH prepares you to examine the social, economic, and environmental factors that affect the health status of a population, then develop programs, interventions, and health communication to improve or safeguard the health of that population.

While all programs differ slightly in structure, MPH programs typically offer a core curriculum, followed by a specialty in the field.  Core competencies for the degree can include courses in:

After completing these core courses, you should have a clear picture of how health policy shapes society and vice vera.  Once you move into a specialty area, you can focus on one area of interest and conduct research in the field as part of their degree.  While the typical specialty offerings for an MPH focus on the one of the core competencies listed above, programs can also offer even more precise areas of study.  Columbia University, for example, offers one of the more specialized programs in the country that requires you to choose both a specialty and a professional certificate area for additional curation of public health knowledge.  Professional certificates offered include health communication, public health data science, and food systems and public health, to name a few options.     

MPH graduates are equipped to work in a variety of settings, including government, non-profit organizations, research institutions, private industry, and hospitals.  For those with a specialty in health administration or health policy and management, positions in healthcare are a natural career path.  With a unique combination of healthcare systems knowledge and management skills, MPH graduates are prepared to step into leadership positions and increase access to quality healthcare in a strategic development role.

While an MBA and MPH are both excellent graduate degrees to pursue for healthcare jobs, it’s important to realize they present very different perspectives within the health system.

An MBA is management and finance focused.  As discussed in the introduction to this article, healthcare is a business, and a very lucrative one at that.  In 2022, it was estimated that U.S. healthcare spending comprised about 17.3% of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product.  Running the business of healthcare, and managing it effectively for longevity, falls more in the purview of an MBA graduate working in healthcare.  As an MBA graduate, you can expect to spend most of your career thinking about health economics, strategy, and financial analysis for continued success of healthcare institutions.

An MPH is more focused on population-level interventions and research.  While MPH graduates are certainly prepared to manage programs and think strategically, that strategy is more focused on the patient-side of the industry.  Rather than thinking about health economics, MPH professionals are thinking more about adding to existing public health knowledge and devising interventions that maintain the health of the population.

Both graduate degrees offer unique perspectives and, in practice, are two sides of the same equation.  While the MBA degree places greater emphasis on the financial management and success of a healthcare institution, an MPH degree focuses more on patient access to healthcare and wellness initiatives.  Ultimately, these two disciplines work in coordination more often than is typically acknowledged.  Without patients or access to healthcare, there is no continued success of a healthcare institution.  Conversely, without a successful healthcare institution, patients will never have access to care.

MBA and MPH curricula have different approaches to discussing healthcare, but their goal is ultimately the same: provide continued access to quality healthcare that safeguards the long-term health of the population.

Deciding whether to pursue an MBA or an MPH can be a difficult decision to make.  Both graduate degrees offer unique perspectives that will undoubtedly contribute to a more holistic understanding of the healthcare industry.

If you’re stuck or are equally interested in either degree, consider the following criteria when making you decision:

Regardless of the program you choose, make sure that it’s accredited and recognized nationally.  When applying, start early and allow yourself time to consider all your options.  

If you just read through the previous section and are no more convinced of which option is right for you, then you’re in luck. In recent years, many universities have begun offering dual degree MBA/MPH programs!

An MPH/MBA dual degree program is a unique track that allows students to complete both programs in less time.  Typical MPH/MBA programs will take 3 years and provide graduates with the cross-disciplinary skills to successfully run a healthcare business.

Yale University was the first university in the country to offer the MBA/MPH program, recognizing the related nature of the two degrees.  Providing access to both the Yale School of Management and Yale School of Public Health, the curriculum paces students to explore both areas of study simultaneously.

UC Berkeley offers a similar program that can be completed in 2.5 years.  Working across Berkeley Public Health and Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley's program also requires students to complete two full time internships during summers, giving practical experience in the field.

Both the MBA and MPH degrees offer unique perspectives on the healthcare industry.  While the MBA is management-centric, the MPH will give you more experience in research and population health management.  If both degrees sound fascinating, some universities even offer dual degree programs to complete both degrees in less time.

Regardless of which degree path you may choose to pursue, both options provide insight that will launch you successfully into a career in the healthcare sector. This article only skimmed the surface of information about these programs, so continue your own research, reach out to people in your network who have completed these degrees, and don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions as you decide which program is right for you.