The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) Haslam College of Business and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) College of Pharmacy collaboratively offer a dual degree program leading to the conferral of the Master of Business Administration and the Doctor of Pharmacy degrees. This program is a unique partnership and collaboration of two components of the statewide University of Tennessee System that combines the strengths of two nationally highly-ranked programs. The dual program saves the student approximately 18 credit hours over the time that would be required to earn both degrees independently.

The establishment of the dual program addresses the critical need for the pharmacist executive who is trained in business fundamentals with the analytical, technical, management, and economic decision-making skills to operate within the contemporary economic and health care environments. The objective of the dual degree program is to prepare graduates to take leading management roles within a variety of health care sectors related to administrative decision-making on the use of medicines. The career opportunities for the successful graduate include management and ultimately leadership positions in institutional pharmacies as part of healthcare-systems, retail pharmacies with corporate management, pharmacy benefit management companies, third-party health care payers, managed care organizations, state and federal governments, the pharmaceutical industry, and pharmaceutical consulting firms among others. The advantage for the business-skilled pharmacist is the blend of pharmacotherapy insight with the business acumen to contribute and make informed economic decisions on medicines.

Option Available

Business Administration — Course Only without Comprehensive Exams 

Campus Code

Knoxville Campus

Admissions Standards/Procedures

• Application Process
  • Applicants for the dual Pharm.D. – MBA program must make separate applications to and be accepted by the UTHSC College of Pharmacy and UT Office of Graduate Admissions for the Master of Business Administration.
    • The admissions requirements for both programs must be satisfied in order to participate in the dual-degree program.
  • The applicant must be accepted by the UTHSC College of Pharmacy in the Pharm.D. program and complete at least two semesters of the curriculum.
    • At least one semester before the student intends to begin MBA courses, the student pharmacist should declare his or her interest in applying to the dual degree program, fulfill the admission requirements for the UT MBA program, and submit an application for admission.
  • After the MBA application deadline of February 1, applications by United States citizens and permanent residents will be considered only as space allows.
  • Candidates for the dual degree program who are enrolled in the UTHSC Pharm.D. program must
    • possess an undergraduate degree, complete their second through fourth years of the Pharm.D. program at the College’s Knoxville campus, and
    • take the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) to be considered for admission.
• Student Advising
  • Students accepted for both the Pharm.D. and MBA programs will be assigned to an advisor from the Pharm.D. program and another from the MBA program to guide decisions on elective courses in both curricula.
  • These advisors will be responsible for course approval and supervision of the student’s progress through the dual program.

Academic Standards

• The dual degree candidate must satisfy the academic standards required by both individual programs: the UT Haslam College of Business Full-Time MBA program   and the UTHSC College of Pharmacy PharmD program.

Credit Hours Required

172 graduate credit hours

Required Courses

• Haslam College of Business Courses (30 credit hours)
  • ACCT 505  
  • ACCT 506  
  • BULW 505  
  • BZAN 505  
  • BZAN 506  
  • ECON 505  
  • ECON 506  
  • FINC 505  
  • FINC 506  
  • MGT 505  
  • MGT 506  
  • MARK 505  
  • MARK 506  
  • SCM 505  
  • SCM 506  
  • STAT 505  
  • BUAD 515  
  • BUAD 516  
  • BUAD 517  
  • BUAD 518  
• Pharmacy Degree* (142 credit hours)
  • Credit hours specified by the UTHSC PharmD program

Additional Course Requirements

• The dual degree program can be accomplished within five years with the PharmD degree awarded first followed by the MBA degree.
• *Of the 142 credit hours required for the Doctor of Pharmacy degree, a minimum of 9 credit hours must be from approved electives dealing with healthcare management and policy offered by either the UTHSC College of Pharmacy or the UT Haslam College of Business.

Non-Course Requirements

• Graduation Requirements
  • The dual degree candidate must satisfy the curricular and graduation requirements of the UTHSC College of Pharmacy and the UT Haslam College of Business.
  • Since the dual degree program is a two-step program, students who withdraw from the dual degree program before completing both degrees can still graduate with the Pharm.D. degree provided that the graduation requirements are satisfied.
  • Credit toward graduation for courses taken in the MBA program would qualify for credit toward the MBA degree; however, additional MBA coursework is required for the MBA degree if the student does not complete the Pharm.D. – MBA program.
• Career Placement
  • Graduates of the Pharm.D. – MBA program will be counseled on career opportunities by the collaboration of advisors, faculty and program directors of both programs to make students aware of job opportunities, strategies for successful employment and career development.