Isenberg Online MBA American College of Physician Executives

Are you an ACPE member? The Isenberg Online MBA at the University of Massachusetts Amherst offers physician executives the flexibility to pursue your studies completely online without sacrificing academic challenge and rigor. With this specialized degree, students learn up-to-date knowledge and skills for today's complex healthcare environments. The AACSB-accredited degree is delivered with the same curriculum and accomplished faculty as our onsite classes, and it has no residential requirement.

Isenberg has partnered with the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE) to offer you an exclusive educational opportunity. Thanks to your affiliation with ACPE, you are eligible for the following benefits:

• 10% discount on all Isenberg Online MBA courses
• Exempt from foundation courses
• Exempt from elective courses
• Waiver of GMAT/GRE
• Automatically earn transfer credits for your ACPE prerequisite curriculum coursework
• A dedicated advisor specifically trained to work with ACPE students

Your ACPE affiliation enables you to earn your degree more quickly. You can transfer 9 credits from your completed ACPE prerequisite curriculum and apply them directly to your 43-credit MBA.

Learn more here.

Winter 2011 Isenberg Part-Time MBA Elective Course Registration Now Open

Winter 2011 Isenberg Part-Time MBA Elective Course Registration Now Open to All Students

Classes begin: December 20, 2010

View Winter 2011 MBA Elective Courses
Go to: www.isenberg.umass.edu/mba

The Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst offers exciting and challenging Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree programs to meet your educational, career, and lifestyle goals; Full-Time MBA, Part-Time MBA, and an Online MBA options.

The Part-Time and Online MBA program is a flexible 37-credit program and is one of the most efficient ways to advance your business knowledge and skills while balancing the demands of an ongoing career. Students can take as few or as many courses in a given semester and the Part-Time Online MBA program can be completed in as little as 11 months or up to a maximum of 4 years.

Talking about MBAs for MDs on ReachMD

Over the weekend, I attended the Association of MD/MBA Programs 8th Annual Conference in Boston. Business skills are becoming more pertinent to healthcare all the time. How much business training do you need? Would you get an MBA?

You can listen to me talking about MBAs for MDs on ReachMD by clicking here.

54 vs. 37 credits for an MBA

To get an MBA from Temple University Fox School of Business, you need to complete 54 credits. Similarly, to get an MBA from Drexel University LeBow School of Business, you need to complete 51 credits.

Now, to get an MBA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst Isenberg School of Business, you only need to complete 37 credits of coursework. Why the difference of credits? Each of these business schools are accredited by the AACSB, so we know that they're delivering quality education. What's interesting about the UMass Amherst program is this: their full-time MBA is 55 credits, but the part-time MBA is only 37 credits. Here's the catch. If you didn't take many business courses during your undergraduate studies, you'll need to take "Foundations of Business" as a pre-requisite for the part-time MBA program. Alternatively, you can opt out of the Foundations of Business by following the ACPE (American College of Physician Executives) curriculum.

The best MBA program for physicians that is 100% online

If you're looking for an online MBA program that is 100% online (i.e., no on-campus residency required), then my #1 recommendation would be the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. I'm not being paid to write this. However, keep in mind that I received my MPH (master of public health) from the UMass Amherst, so I may be a bit biased.

Here are the reasons why I think this is the #1 online MBA program for physicians:

• The UMass Amherst Isenberg School of Management offers physicians two options in which to learn the "language of business" by completing their Online MBA. Option #1 includes a partnership with the American College of Physcian Executives (ACPE). 
• It is relatively inexpensive compared to many other MBA programs. These days, many physicians are struggling with reductions in reimbursement, so cost is very important!  The MBA program is a 37-credit program that is accredited at the highest standards by AACSB. The cost would be approximately 37 x $750 per credit = $27,750 (but there are additional fees and tuition increases due to inflation, so let's just say it's approximately $30k).
• This program is very flexible (which has its pros and cons). However, for a super-busy physician who wants to maintain sanity (and perhaps even a family life), flexibility is key. The program is self-paced - you choose how many or few courses to take in a given semester. You have 4 years to complete the degree but many finish in 2-2.5 years. Some other online MBA programs require that you must complete the program in 2 years because you're in a cohorted program.
• You can take up to 2 courses before you matriculate into the program. This allows you to "test the waters" so that you can determine whether the online MBA experience will work for you. Plus, you can knock off 2 courses from that list of 14 courses, so now you can actually get up to 4 years to complete 12 courses instead of 14 courses.
• GMAT requirement is waived for physicians holding US earned medical degrees or ECFMG certification. (this is not a unique feature to this program)
• 29% of students in the Isenberg Online MBA program are physicians. Some MBA programs are exclusively for physicians, and this has its share of pros/cons depending on how you plan to leverage your MBA when you graduate.

The biggest question you need to ask is this: How do you plan to leverage your MBA? In other words, why are you pursuing an MBA?  An online MBA isn't for everyone. Distance learning has its share of challenges. You need moderate computer skills if you're going to take all your courses online.

I admit that at one time, I seriously thought I was going to pursue an online MBA. However, my reasons for pursuing an MBA have evolved, so now, I'm much less interested in online MBA programs and I am spending much more time researching executive MBA programs (which are often not 100% online and are generally much more expensive). I would not recommend an online MBA to most non-physicians, but physicians who decide to pursue an MBA often have different career goals in mind. Depending on your goals, an online MBA could make sense.

To learn more about the UMass Amherst Isenberg School of Management online MBA program, click here.

What's the value of an online MBA?

We see ads for online MBA programs everywhere, don't we? Do you know anyone who got an MBA online? I know several physicians who have received an online MBA from schools such as U Mass Amherst (Isenberg), Drexel University (LeBow), Penn State, and even the University of Phoenix. As distance learning options continue to expand, more physicians are taking advantage of MBA programs.

What motivates a physician to get an MBA? In my earlier post (see: What's the value of an online degree?) I mentioned some general principles regarding online degrees. However, the MPH is a unique degree for physicians since we already have a considerable amount of health knowledge. In contrast, many physicians have little structured business knowledge. Business courses were not mandatory if you were pre-med during college. Many physicians have never taken courses in economics (micro or macro), accounting, statistics, etc.

If you're a physician and you're seriously thinking about an online MBA, answer these questions:

• Why do you want an MBA?
• How do you plan to use your MBA? (many people don't know how to answer this question)
  

Many physicians seem to think that an MBA opens doors to non-clinical careers. That's partly true, but an MBA does not guarantee anything. An MBA is also not necessary, depending on the type of career path you choose.

Some pursue an MBA with hopes of career advancement. If you're working in a private office or hospital, an MBA may open up opportunities in medical or health care management. You may enjoy dealing with aspects of practice management.

Perhaps you simply want to gain head knowledge. If you lacked business education in college, maybe you want to take those fundamental courses like accounting, statistics, economics, etc.

Many physicians find themselves drawn to Executive or EMBA programs because they see themselves being entrepreneurs and they want to connect with other business leaders to learn from them (now I'm drifting away from online MBA programs, so let me get back on track).

Over the next few days, I will publish my thoughts regarding the "pros and cons to an online MBA."

UMass Amherst MBA in Medical Management

As a member of the UMass Amherst alumni network (I got my MPH through UMass Amhers), I'm going to put in a plug for the UMass Amherst MBA in Medical Management. You should know that the UMass Amherst Isenberg School of Management has a partnership with the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE). That's how they promote their Online Part-Time MBA with a Focus in Medical Management. Recently, I've had a growing interest in business school. How about you?

If you're interested in learning more, then click here.

The Isenberg Part-Time MBA Program ranked 5th in the Northeast and 29th in the Nation by BusinessWeek.

MBA Costs at U Mass Amherst Isenberg

As a member of the University of Massachusetts Amherst alumni association, I'd like to let people know about the Isenberg School of Business at UMass Amherst. They offer an flexible part-time MBA that is 100% online and is also endorsed by the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE). The Isenberg Part-Time MBA Program ranked 5th in the Northeast and 29th in the Nation by BusinessWeek. It is accredited by the AACSB and students even have the option of taking live courses on select UMass campus locations.

This is a 37-credit program that can be done over 4 years, but most students complete this program in 2 - 2.5 years while working full-time. If you've a physician and you've been thinking about pursuing an online MBA, this is one you should seriously consider. Each class will cost roughly $2,000 so that puts the entire program at roughly $25,000. At some universities, you'll easily pay over twice that amount to get an MBA.

So what are you waiting for? You can even take 1-2 classes as a non-degree student and then transfer those credits towards your MBA degree.