Title:Dual M.D. degrees offer preparation, practical skills

Graduating medical school means earning an M.D., but there are also options to earn concurrent degrees with Georgetown’s dual degree program. Medical students can earn a dual degree with the following university programs: master’s in business administration (MBA), liberal arts degree in Ethics and Professionalism (MALS), or an advanced philosophy degree (master’s or doctorate). There are also dual programs with the Biomedical Graduate Education program.

Some programs, like the popular M.D./MBA, can be applied for concurrently, while others, like the M.D./MALS, can be completed separately. Some degrees require the GRE, but others, like the M.D./Ph.D., do not, unless concentrating in the bioethics track. Notably, accepted M.D./Ph.D. students receive a full tuition scholarship and stipend for the duration of their studies.

The dual M.D./M.S. also offers further degree specification options: Biohazard Threat Agents & Emerging Infectious Diseases, Physiology and Biophysics, and Systems Medicine.

Todd Waldman, who has directed the M.D./Ph.D. program since 2010, estimates the program has graduated around 100 trainees since it began in 1989.

There are advantages to pairing a medical degree with another program, Waldman says, in particular if students are looking to prepare for a career in biomedical research.

“While an M.D./Ph.D. is not required for this kind of career, it does give you an impressive and quite useful depth of training both as a physician and a scientist,” Waldman says. “This can be really helpful when designing studies and experiments, and is also practically useful in terms of getting jobs and research funding.”

The dual M.D/MBA is intended for students interested in health care management. Students are enrolled fully in School of Medicine classes for the first three years, then switch to the McDonough School of Business for year four. In the final year of the program, students go to the McDonough School of Business to complete the elective courses and the MBA program’s signature Global Business Experience, a unique opportunity to travel abroad and consult with executives from multinational organizations.

“Georgetown McDonough trains its students to have an analytical and problem-solving mindset, which coupled with the leadership and teamwork training are incredibly helpful in bringing solutions to the table in an ever-changing healthcare industry,” shares Mark Matza (M’14, MBA’14).