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The mission of the UC Irvine School of Medicine's MD/MBA Program is to train a select group of physicians in the aspects of business.
With this speciality training, these physician leaders will benefit the healthcare industry in a wide variety of fields, such as biotechnology, hospital administration, health information technology, entrepreneurial ventures, legislation and policy, medical research, managed care, academia, pharmaceuticals and more.
Our MD/MBA graduates also will be able to lead our community and the healthcare industry to meet the incredible challenges we face: providing patients with quality care that is financially and ethically responsible.
View a welcome message from MD/MBA Program Director, Kyle Paredes, MD, MBA ›
The UC Irvine MD/MBA joint degree program is aimed at individuals who are exceptional in ability and motivation and who seek a career as physicians with major responsibility for administration and management in healthcare organizations and institutions.
Students in this program pursue a combined curriculum for an MD degree from the UC Irvine School of Medicine and an MBA degree from the UC Irvine Paul Merage School of Business.
The UC Irvine program was founded in 1998, making it one of the oldest MD/MBA dual-degree programs in the United States. Since that time, UC Irvine has taken a national leadership role in the development of physician leaders.
Interested students apply to the program during their second year of medical school. A variety of related opportunities are offered to students prior to that time. No previous business study or work experience is necessary to apply.
"An MBA degree has a tremendous potential to help in your career both as a resident and later as a physician leader," says Dr. Zeev N. Kain, professor in the UC Irvine School of Medicine's Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Care. "As a resident you will have more opportunities to be exposed to leadership positions in your department and use your knowledge to improve hospital processes. As a physician, this additional degree will help you to open new windows and opportunities either in running your practice or to be part of a hospital or university administration."
Students in the program complete a five-year combined curriculum leading to an MD from the UC Irvine School of Medicine and an MBA from the UC Irvine Paul Merage School of Business. The total number of units required to graduate from each program separately are satisfied by completing the MD/MBA program. Students begin the MBA program in the fall of their fourth year. The fourth and fifth years of the program are divided across both schools.
Quarter School Year |
Summer |
Fall |
Winter |
Spring |
1st year | MD | |||
2nd year | MD | |||
3rd year | MD | |||
4th year | MD | MBA | MBA | MBA |
5th year | MD | MD | MBA | MD |
Interested students apply for the dual-degree MD/MBA program at UC Irvine's School of Medicine in their second year of medical school, after their admission and matriculation to the UC Irvine School of Medicine. A program information session is scheduled each year for current medical students who are interested in the MD/MBA Program.
During the first year of medical school, all students are encouraged to take the Business of Medicine course, which will expose them to several relevant issues and help refine their interest in the program. At the end of the first year, students should indicate their interest in the MD/MBA program to Dr. Maria Chandler.
Selection process
Admission to the MD/MBA program is competitive and not all medical students who apply are accepted. Once the application materials are submitted, they are reviewed by the MD/MBA Admissions Committee. This Committee consists of representatives from both schools, who review each application thoroughly and score each candidate. Candidates are evaluated based on medical school academic performance, letters of recommendation, essays and résumé, which seek to elicit information about personal accomplishments, demonstrated leadership skills, managerial potential, motivation and ability to pursue a rigorous management graduate program. Completion of three years of medical school training in good standing and passage of USMLE Step 1 serve as a waiver for the GMAT admissions examination usually required for application to the MBA program. Finally, students are notified of their acceptance into the program in the spring of their second year, pending passage of the USMLE Step I.
Application checklist
Please submit the online application and all supporting materials by March 15. Supporting materials can be mailed to or dropped off at the following address:
The Paul Merage School of Business, UC Irvine
Full-Time MBA Program, SBI 4500
Irvine, CA 92697-3125
The following are examples of requirements for receiving your MBA: 11 are core courses and the remainder are elective courses; four quarters in residency at UC Irvine. MD/MBA students carry over 16 units; a grade point average minimum of 3.75 must be maintained.
Sample Course Requirements for MBA Degree |
||||
|
Fall | Winter | Spring | Summer |
4th year | 200 - Intensive 209A - Finance 201A - Statistics 205 - Marketing 203A - Accounting |
207 - Info Tech 204A - Microecon 202 - Org. Behavior Elective Elective |
208 - Ops. Mgmt. 210 - Strategy Elective Elective Elective |
Medical School |
5th year | Fall | Winter | Spring | Summer |
Medical School | 4 Electives | Medical School | Residency |
Full course descriptions are available at the Paul Merage School of Business website.
School of Medicine 3rd year requirements |
|
Rotation |
Weeks |
Inpatient Medicine |
8 |
Ambulatory Medicine |
4 |
Surgery |
8 |
Ob/Gyn |
6 |
Pediatrics |
6 |
Psychiatry |
6 |
Family Medicine |
4 |
Radiology |
2 |
Clinical Foundations III | 2 |
Neurology | 4 |
Elective/Vacation | 4 |
Total 3rd year Requirements |
54 |
Vacation |
2 |
School of Medicine 4th/5th year requirements |
|
Rotation |
Weeks |
Senior Sub-I (Med, Peds, Surg) |
4 |
ICU (PICU, SICU, MICU) |
4 |
Emergency Medicine |
2 |
Clinical Foundations 4 |
2 |
|
|
Total Required Courses (above) |
12 |
Total Additional Electives |
20** |
Total 4th /5th year Requirements |
32** |
**MD/MBA Students receive 4 weeks of SOM elective credit for 2 business school healthcare elective coursework. Normally, MD students complete 24 weeks of electives (20 must be clinical) in their 4th year, for a total of 36 weeks in the 4th year.
School of Medicine Electives
Business School Electives
Thirty-six units of elective courses apply toward the 76 units required for the MBA degree. Students select electives with respect to their educational and career goals and interests.
Functional areas include:
Elective courses develop additional depth in a discipline or interdisciplinary area, or specialized competence in the use of a particular set of technical tools and methods.
Business School Healthcare Electives (Subject to change and availability)
The following is a sample of healthcare-related courses previously offered at the business school:
Merage MD/MBA program alumni are taking their knowledge to positions of influence across the country.
Here's what a few of them have said about the program:
Eric K. Wei, MD, MBA
Assistant Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine
Keck School of Medicine of USC
Assistant Medical Director – Emergency Department
LAC+USC Medical Center
Clinical Faculty – Department of Emergency Medicine
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center
Brian Potts, MD, MBA, was accepted into his first choice of emergency medicine residency programs and is now an emergency physician at a major medical group in the Bay Area. “One of the key reasons that they hired me” was “what I could bring to the table with my background in business.” He has since advanced to leadership positions within the group and says he uses “leadership skills developed through the MD/MBA program on a daily basis.”
Mario San Bartolome, MD, MBA, received the residency of his choice in Family Medicine at Long Beach Memorial in Long Beach, Calif. He also credits his MD/MBA training also in being hired afterward as the assistant director of community medicine and states “I believe that having an MBA was a factor that led to my position as a faculty member at a residency with responsibilities that also included coordinating practice management and technology.” He has also been able to co-found multiple small businesses, including nonprofits.
At UC Irvine's Merage School of Business, there are several collaborative opportunities available that allow you to customize your education.
They include centers for:
As the health care industry undergoes dramatic changes, the Merage School’s Center for Health Care Management and Policy is a source of important knowledge and information for those who are leaders and those who want to move into leadership roles. The mission of the Center for Health Care Management and Policy is to build stronger ties with the health care community in Orange County and beyond. In so doing we aim to raise the level and profile of health care policy at The Paul Merage School and at University of California, Irvine more broadly. The Center’s current activities are in two main areas: (1) organizing conferences and other events to disseminate research findings and to promote discussion of health policy issues and (2) contributing to the health care focus within UCI’s MBA programs. We expect our activities to grow dramatically in the next five years in an effort to achieve our vision of increased engagement in the health care policy space.
At the School of Medicine, the Center for Health Policy Research is lead by Sheldon Greenfield, MD, MPH, Donald Bren Professor of Medicine. His area of expertise is healthcare quality assessment, applying quality of care standards to physician performance and doctor/patient relationships.