Cone Health and the UNC Greensboro Joseph M. Bryan School of Business and Economics are making it easier for doctors to earn MBAs.
Physicians increasingly work for health systems or other organizations, and many seek leadership positions where a business background is important. “Physicians are taught the nuances of diagnosing and treating diseases during medical school and residency training, but business skills are not often as emphasized,” says Dr. Brian Boies, chief academic officer, Cone Health. “This partnership provides them with those skills in a way that we think will work well with a physician’s busy schedule.”
The new UNCG MBA partnership reduces the class load and cost to physicians at Cone Health. Cone Health sees the partnership as a demonstration of how it values physicians and hopes it helps to recruit and retain medical staff.
It takes 45 credit hours to earn a traditional MBA at UNCG, and this partnership reduces that to 33 credit hours. Cone Health offers a tuition reimbursement program that reduces the overall cost of the degree. The degree can be earned in as little as 2 years and at max 5 years; and can be completed both in-person and online for in-state students.
“Our goal has always been to provide a flexible yet rigorous MBA that meets the needs of busy professionals and provides a tremendous return on investment. This exciting partnership allows us to deliver a robust and efficient MBA experience without compromising quality. We are thrilled a local health care system like Cone Health wants to engage with our innovative curriculum to equip physicians with essential business and leadership skills,” said Bill Brown, Bryan School Associate Dean and Professor.
With more than 3,000 successful alumni, the UNCG MBA has been named the No. 1 part-time MBA in North Carolina by Fortune and one of the Top 50 online MBA programs in the U.S. by The Princeton Review.
Traditional exams such as the GMAT and GRE are not needed to enter the UNCG MBA program. The first class of physicians starts this fall.
