MD/MBA
DUAL DEGREE PROGRAM AGREEMENT
Effective November 1, 2008, the School of Medicine and the Darden School of Business
will offer a dual degree program in which a student may obtain both the M.D. and the
M.B.A. degrees in 5 years instead of the 6 years that would be required if each were
taken separately.
1. RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVE – To allow students to gain expertise and receive
degrees in Medicine (M.D.) and Business (M.B.A.).
2. ADMINISTRATION OF THE PROGRAM – A Program Committee administers the
dual degree and is composed of Meg G. Keeley M.D., Assistant Dean for Student Affairs
from the School of Medicine and Philippe L. Sommer, Director of Entrepreneurship
Programs from the Darden School of Business, as designated by the respective Deans.
3. ADMISSION TO THE PROGRAM – The student is obligated to secure separate
admission to both the School of Medicine and the Darden School of Business.
Application to one school may be made prior to entrance to the other, or while the
applicant is a first, second or third year student in the School of Medicine. In either case,
the applicant will be held to the same standards as any other applicant, and the fact that
he or she is a candidate for the dual degree program will not be considered in the
admissions process. Once admitted independently to each school, the student may make
application to the Program Committee for admission to the dual degree program.
Admission to the dual degree program will be judged according to criteria which it is the
responsibility of the Program Committee to develop and will not be guaranteed by virtue
of acceptance at both schools.
4. CURRICULUM – The curriculum is outlined in the table below.
The following table reflects the breakdown of where the students will spend their time
during the 5 years.
Fall
Spring
Summer
Year 1
SOM
SOM
Year 2
SOM
SOM
*
Year 3
SOM
SOM
*
Year 4
Darden
Darden
SOM *
Year 5
Darden
Darden / SOM
*Students will spend the summer of years 2-4 in the SOM.
School of Medicine:
Number of Credit Hours Required: The SOM does not use credit hours for courses. The
SOM does aggregate credits for the 4th year Electives Program. The courses from the
Darden School are medically-related courses. The students in the dual degree program
must successfully complete 4 of these courses to receive credit towards completion of
their Electives Program.
Detailed Curriculum Description (see Appendix I)
Darden School of Business:
Number of Credit Hours Required: 52.5
Detailed Curriculum Description (see Appendix II)
5. REGISTRATION, TUITION AND FEES –
During the first three years in Medical School, the participant is treated as a regularly
matriculated student at the Medical School. During the first year in the Darden School of
Business, the participant is treated as a regularly matriculated student at the Darden
School. During the summer between his/her 4th and 5th year, the participant will be
matriculated in the School of Medicine. During the first semester of his/her fifth year, the
participant is treated as a regularly matriculated student at the Darden School and during
the second semester of his/her fifth year, the participant is treated as a regularly
matriculated student at the School of Medicine
The participant will be charged the tuition and fees of the school he/she is registered in.
Unlike other school of medicine students, he/she will be charged tuition and fees for the
summer session between his/her 4th and 5th year. Also, during the second semester of
his/her fifth year, the participant will be charged a separate SOM tuition and fees which
blends both SOM and Darden tuition. The SOM will reimburse Darden for the 3rd
quarter of the 5th year when the participant will be registered in the School of Medicine
and taking classes in the Darden School.
6. CHANGE OF STATUS – At any point in the program, the participant will be
permitted to terminate plans for a combined degree and to continue toward a single
degree at either school. He or she will then be required to satisfy the normal requirements
for the school he or she has chosen, which may include credit for some of the work done
in the other school as determined by the appropriate officials of the school in question.
7. FINANCIAL AID –
 Financial aid will be administered by the financial aid offices of the school the
student is registered in.
 Unlike other Darden students, participants in this dual degree program are only
eligible for 3/4ths of a merit scholarship in their 5th year, appropriated to the 3
quarters in which they will be taking Darden coursework.
 Participants are eligible for ½ a semester of medical school financial aid in the last
semester of their fifth year but will have full access to medical school loans.
 The summer session at SOM will be considered a trailing semester for financial aid
purposes.
 Students receive UFAA forms for the coming academic year based on the school
they are registered in currently. Therefore, Darden and SOM financial aid offices
will ensure that MD/MBA students who will switch registrations 4 times during
the program receive and complete the correct UFAA forms. This will be
coordinated between both offices in the business practices for Financial Aid
meeting.
8. EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES – The participant will be eligible to participate
in the extracurricular activities of both schools to the extent time permits.
9. GRADING STANDARDS – The participant is required to meet the grading standards
of both schools independently to remain in good standing. Each school retains the right
to drop students from its degree programs following its usual academic standards and
procedures. Problems which arise in translation of different grading scales resulting from
the dual degree program will be dealt with by the Program Committee. Grades will be
recorded on the student’s transcript under the system in effect at the school in which the
course is taken.
10. FACULTY ADVISORS – The School of Medicine faculty advisor is Dr. Meg
Keeley, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs. The Darden School of Business faculty
advisor is Philippe Sommer, Director of Entrepreneurship Programs.
Approved: 1/27/2009; SOM course update 8/29/2013
Appendix I
First 18 months in the School of Medicine
FOUNDATIONS OF MEDICINE
CELLS, TISSUES AND MECHANISMS OF
DISEASE
CLINICAL PERFORMANCE
DEVELOPMENT I
CLINICAL PERFORMANCE
DEVELOPMENT II
CLINICAL PERFORMANCE
DEVELOPMENT III
EXPLORATORY-1 (Social Issues in
Medicine)
INTEGRATED SYSTEMS I
INTEGRATED SYSTEMS II
Clerkship Training- in the School of Medicine
MEDICINE
OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY
PEDIATRICS
SURGERY
PSYCHIATRY
FAMILY MEDICINE
EMERGENCY MEDICINE
PERI-OPERATIVE AND ACUTE CARE
MEDICINE
NEUROLOGY
MED 6712
MED 6714
MED 7718
MED 7719
MED 7720
MED 6513
MED 7729
MED 7730
MED 8642
MED 8646
MED 8648
MED 8650
MED 8652
MED 8656
MED 8657
MED 8651
MED 8672
Year 4 (spring/summer) and Year 5 in the School of Medicine:
GERIATRIC MEDICINE
MED 8643
ELECTIVES PROGRAM
MED 9670
DXRX: HEALTH CARE POLICY
MED 9680
Appendix II
Year 4 in Darden:
Management Communication
Global Economies & Markets
Financial Management & Policies
Accounting for Managers
Marketing
Operations Management
Leading Organizations
Decision Analysis
Business Ethics
Strategic Thinking and Action
first-year elective*
first –year elective*
first-year elective*
Year 5 in Darden:
Innovation
Emerging Medical Technology
Survey of the Healthcare Sector
Darden Business Projects – Consulting
Darden Business Projects – Venturing
Darden Business Projects – Case Development
Biomedical Discovery in the 21st Century: Innovation,
Entrepreneurship, and Social Responsibility
GBUS 721
GBUS 723
GBUS 725
GBUS 727
GBUS 729
GBUS 731
GBUS 734
GBUS 735
GBUS 738
GBUS 740
ENTRE 884
ENTRE 8345
GEN 8402
895A-C
895D-E
8952-3
PHS 681/581
A number of courses at the Law school are appropriate. For example:
Themes In Biomedicine: The Future Of Health Care Reform (Yr) (Section
0001)
Food And Drug Law (Section 0001)
Germs and Justice: Law and Disease
A multi school independent study: “Independent Study in Biomedical Innovation,
Design, and Commercialization”. This is a joint project of Darden, School of
Architecture, School of Nursing and Biomedical Engineering.
All non-Darden courses taken for Darden degree credit would require the
approval of the Darden second-year coordinator.