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Joint & Dual Degrees

A Personalized Experience

Why choose only one path when you can have the flexibility of two? At Tippie, this is the kind of creativity we encourage. With top-tier graduate schools in every major area of study, The University of Iowa offers an outstanding opportunity to combine degrees.

If you are interested in graduate degrees in both business and another field, you may complete degree requirements more quickly by enrolling in one of our combined degree programs. Choose from excellent graduate schools in medicine, law, and health administration. If the established programs do not match your needs, just ask—if we can, we'll help you build a program tailored to your personal interests.

To enroll in a combined degree program, you need to apply to and be accepted by both programs—the Tippie School of Management and the other program in which you are interested. Details on when to apply are below.

Joint Degree Programs:

In addition to the programs listed above, we may be able to tailor other combined degree programs. These situations require prior approval of the Director of Student Services and other stakeholders. Contact us to get started.

Joint Degree Tuition Cost

As a member of a joint degree program, you would pay only one program's tuition; the greater of the two programs' tuition costs. For JD/MBA and MD/MBA, you'd pay the non-MBA tuition. For MHA/MBA, you'd pay MBA tuition.

MHA/MBA

The MHA/MBA is a three-year combined degree program in health administration. It's ideal to start the joint degree at the same time you start the MHA program, but you may also start the joint program in your second year of the MHA program.

MHA/MBA students cannot declare an MBA "major", but they can earn minors in the major areas of study or certifications in Lean or Six Sigma if they choose to. The first year of the joint program is entirely focused on MHA courses (two courses count for MBA credit). The second year is primarily MBA courses while the third year is a combination of both.

The joint degree program requires completion of 75 credit hours, including:

Core requirements for each program
4 credit hours of MBA elective coursework
4 credit hours of electives from the Health Management and Policy program
37 total MBA semester hours and 38 total College of Public Health (MHA) semester hours
A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater is required to graduate.

MHA/MBA students pay the higher of the two programs' tuitions, which in this case is the MBA program's tuition. View a sample plan of study for the MHA/MBA program.

The College of Public Health website provides more information and admission requirements for the MHA program.

When to Apply to Tippie - MHA

We recommend applying after being admitted to the MHA program. If you are applying late in the MHA admissions cycle, you can apply to MBA and MHA simultaneously, though we may delay your admissions decision until one is made in MHA Admissions. We can accept your GRE score in lieu of the GMAT.

JD/MBA

This combined degree program is a four-year degree. You complete the first-year courses required in each program during the first two years of study. Typically, you complete the required law courses the first year and the required MBA courses the second year, but you could start with MBA courses in year one if you wish.

JD/MBA students pay the higher of the two programs' tuitions, which in this case is the law tuition.

View a sample plan of study for the JD/MBA.

The College of Law website provides more information and admission requirements for the JD program.

When to Apply to Tippie - JD

If you intend to start with law courses, you can apply to the MBA program during your first year of law school. We recommend taking the GMAT or GRE before you start law school to allow adequate time to study without impacting your studies. If you intend to start with MBA courses, apply during the admissions cycle immediately preceding your desired start date (September-July). We can sometimes accommodate a joint degree that starts in the third year of law school; contact us to determine if this option is a possibility for you.

MD/MBA

The MD/MBA combined degree is a five-year program. You complete the required first- and second-year courses in the MD program, while the third year consists of MBA courses. Remaining requirements for each degree are completed during the fourth and fifth years of study.

MD/MBA students pay the higher of the two programs' tuitions, which in this case is the medical school's tuition.

View a sample plan of study for the MD/MBA.

The College of Medicine website provides more information and admission requirements for the M.D. program.

When to Apply to Tippie - MD

You can apply immediately after being accepted into the MD program. Alternatively, you can wait until your first or second year of the MD program -- it's your choice. We recommend taking the GMAT or GRE before starting your MD to avoid trying to balance studying for the test and your MD coursework.