News Releases

USM Muskie School and USM School of Business Announce Joint Degrees Program

March 29, 2007

Portland, ME - Beginning in the fall of 2007, the USM Muskie School and USM School of Business will offer a three-year joint degrees program so that students can earn both a Master in Business Administration and a Master of Science in Health Policy and Management in a shorter period of time. This will be the only program of its kind in northern New England.

 "More and more, health care employers are seeking managers who have business skills in addition to particular knowledge of the unique challenges facing the American health care system," said Gino Nalli, chair of the Muskie School's Health Policy and Management (HPM) program. "We're pleased to be able to respond to the demands of this rapidly growing industry."

This joint degrees program is available on a part-time basis, accommodating the working professional with late afternoon and early evening classes as well as distance education formats. Students will complete at least 62 credits of graduate work at both the USM School of Business and the USM Muskie School of Public Service. If a student were to complete each degree separately, an additional 24 credits would be required.

The HPM program at the Muskie School is a nationally accredited, two-year master's degree program that prepares students for careers in health policy research and management of health care organizations. The program features national, state and community-based research opportunities with faculty who work in the School's Institute for Health Policy. The Institute is a nationally recognized center for health policy and services research with an estimated $6 million in annual grants and contracts.

The School of Business' Master in Business Administration is designed for students who wish to advance their careers and contribute to their company. Partnering with the business community, the program emphasizes the skills needed to inform and guide organizational change. Students in the program develop cross-functional business solutions to "real world" problems, and cultivate a broad critical perspective, interpersonal skills, and the analytical tools of management. The program also emphasizes an appreciation of the international and ethical contexts of professional practice.  The USM School of Business is nationally accredited by AACSB International.

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