Georgetown McDonough MBA Launches Certificate in the Business of Healthcare

As the U.S. healthcare system experiences unprecedented changes marked by rising medical expenses and costs of prescription drugs, federal regulations, and technological disruptions, Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business is launching an MBA Certificate in the Business of Healthcare to prepare graduates to tackle critical issues and inspire forward-thinking solutions to the healthcare system.

The certificate will be taught in person and is open to Full-time, Flex MBA, and Flex MBA Online students starting in the spring of 2024. It will equip students to lead at the intersection of business and medicine and understand the changing pressures of healthcare in the United States.

“Over the past few years, we have been sorely reminded of how much our health can impact the prosperity of our nation,” said Paul Almeida, dean and William R. Berkley Chair. “Through this new certificate, our MBA students will be uniquely prepared to lead change at the intersection of business and medicine in a way that ensures both businesses and the people within these systems can thrive.”

The certificate was created as a result of demand from students, alumni, and the broader business and healthcare communities. Drawing from McDonough’s location in Washington, D.C., students will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the government landscape to examine how business and policy interact within the companies, products, and services that operate local and national healthcare markets.

“Now more than ever, our nation needs business-minded healthcare professionals to lead change,” said Sandeep Dahiya, Akkaway Professor of Entrepreneurship and academic director of the certificate. “The MBA Certificate in Healthcare will provide greater context of how business interfaces with key subsectors of healthcare, such as hospitals, physicians, insurance companies, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and healthcare IT firms, and demonstrate how students can address the complexity of this system to propose solutions and better support the patients and communities with which they serve.”

The MBA Certificate in the Business of Healthcare includes a 10.5-credit sequence of MBA core and elective courses to develop a strong foundational understanding of the theoretical and applied aspects of healthcare. Upon graduation from the MBA Program, students will receive a notation on their official university transcript along with a certificate of completion.

All students will enroll in the core Structure of Global Industries course and the Business of Healthcare elective, and then they will have the opportunity to choose six credits from a series of healthcare electives – both within the McDonough School of Business and from a list of healthcare courses offered across the university.

MBA students will be able to take courses toward the certificate starting in January 2024. For more information, visit the MBA Certificate in the Business of Healthcare page.