Comparison
of the
Executive
Master's
Curriculum
to MBA
The
field
of health
care
and
public
health
is a
growing
but
increasingly
challenging
sector.
Professionals
who
will
be confronting
caring
for
a rapidly
aging
population
and
dealing
with
the
threats
posed
by natural
disasters
and
pandemics
require
rigorous
training
that
incorporates
the
unique
aspects
of American
health
care
and
public
health—the
kind
of training
offered
in the
Executive
Master’s
Program
at the
University
of Michigan
School
of Public
Health.
Our
program
parallels
in important
ways
a traditional
MBA
program,
with
the
difference
that
each
course
is designed
to meet
the
needs
of future
professionals
in health
management
and
public
health.
For
example:
- The
finance class
teaches
not
only
for-profit
financing,
but
prepares
students
for
careers
that
include
jobs
in
not-for-profit
firms
and
the
public
sector.
- The
accounting class
devotes
less
time
to
such
matters
as
inventory
management
and
more
time
toward
accounting
requirements
of
Medicare
and
Medicaid.
- The
economics sequence
recognizes
that
understanding
today's
health
environment
requires
analytic
tools
that
go beyond
standard
economic
theory. It
therefore
supplements
standard
economics
with
the
economics
of
health
care
and
public
health.
- The Operations Research and Control Systems course emphasizes the application to health and health care of techniques and approaches such as total value analysis, queuing, and computer simulation.
Rather
than
offer
classes
pertinent
to other
economic
sectors
but
of little
pertinence
to health
care,
such
as international
business,
our
curriculum
includes
specialized
courses
that
teach
topics
necessary
to be
at the
leading
edge
of health
management
and
policy.
These
include
courses
in:
- The
history,
structure,
and
operation
of
the
United
States
health
care
system.
- Major
public
health
issues
and
challenges.
- The
unique
legal,
regulatory,
and
reimbursement
environment
of
public
health
and
health
care.
- The
politics
of
health
policy.
- How
quality
is
conceptualized
and
measured
in
health
care.
Because
of its
health-oriented
focus,
the
Executive
Master’s
Program
provides
students
with
the
working
knowledge
they
need
to be
effective
managers,
analysts,
and
leaders
in the
field. Curriculums
that
offer
only
a few
courses
specific
to health
care,
as typical
MBA
programs
do,
are
not
sufficient
to capture
all
the
information
that
distinguishes
health
from
other
sectors.
The
faculty
who
teach
in the
program
are
nationally
and
internationally
recognized
leaders
in the
field. They
are
authors
of several
textbooks
and
editors
of leading
journals. They
sit
on national
and
international
advisory
boards
and
consult
with
a wide
range
of private
and
public
organizations. It
is one
reason
our
program
is recognized
as the
leader
among
all
health
management
programs
in the
U.S.,
including
those
based
in business
schools.
