DePaul University and Rush University Medical Center have formed a new educational alliance that will link two of their highly-ranked degree programs for the benefit of Chicago professionals who seek to become leaders in the growing health care, biotechnology and pharmaceutical fields.

Beginning in fall of 2008, the institutions will collaborate to offer students a master of business administration (MBA) from DePaul’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business and a master of science in health systems management (M.S.) from Rush ’s Department of Health Systems Management. DePaul’s part-time MBA program is rated among the top 10 and Rush’s M.S. in health systems management placed among the top 25 in U.S. News & World Report’s 2008 national graduate school rankings.

The program pairing comes at a time when employment for medical and health services managers is expected to grow faster than average – 18 to 26 percent – through 2014, as the health care industry continues to expand and diversify, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“As career opportunities increase for health care managers and the industry becomes more business-focused, professionals in this field are realizing that they need to be educated in both health care and business administration,” said Associate Professor of Management Marty Martin, who teaches in DePaul’s program. “This dual degree program links management education from two prestigious institutions to provide the exact skills needed for health care leaders to succeed.”

“The two degrees are an ideal combination for students seeking to be fully competent in the management of health services delivery and gain more in-depth analytical business skills and specialization,” said Rush’s Health Systems Management program director Daniel Gentry. “Our two nationally ranked programs compliment each other very well. This arrangement will produce future leaders for the health care management field in Chicago and across the nation.”

Students in the three-year MS/MBA program will spend two years completing 28 courses and a master’s project at Rush’s College of Health Sciences, located in the Near West Side medical district. In their final year, they will take nine DePaul courses at the university’s business school, which offers classes on Loop, Des Plaines, Rolling Meadows and Naperville campuses.

The Rush portion of the program focuses on topics that include health care finance, governance and leadership, information systems, strategy, quality, managed care, human resources and law. The DePaul courses delve into economics for decision-making, business condition analysis and strategic analysis, as well as a range of business electives that suit the professional goals of students.

“Graduates will be well prepared for leadership positions in a variety of organizations, from hospitals and medical groups to companies in the medical equipment, pharmaceutical or biomedical industries,” Martin said. “Financial analysts for private equity firms also could benefit from this program, since about 40 percent of initial public offerings involve health care-related firms.”

Gentry added that “these combined degrees in health systems management and business administration strengthens and reinforces the competencies and skills of graduates and expands their possibilities of entry level positions and career advancement in the future.”

While total enrollment for the new program is designed to be selective – eventually to number between 20 and 30 students – the partnership may open the doors for additional educational, research and service collaborations between DePaul and Rush, according to Dan Koys, associate dean of DePaul’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. For DePaul, the collaboration also enhances existing health care-related offerings, which include a recently revamped MBA concentration in health sector management, undergraduate and graduate programs in nursing, and masters degrees in public health and health law.

Prospective students for the Rush MS / DePaul MBA program must apply and be accepted to both programs. For more information about DePaul’s MBA program, contact Robert Ryan, assistant dean of the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business, at (312) 362-8810 or rryan1@depaul.edu. For more information about the M.S. degree in health systems management program at Rush University, contact Mary Odwazny, program manager, at (312) 942-7168 or mary_c_odwazny@rush.edu.

A world class leader in patient care and health sciences education, Rush University Medical Center is shaping the future of medicine and health sciences education through its practitioner-teacher model, which fully integrates classroom learning with practical experience. Rush University is composed of the College of Nursing, Rush Medical College, the College of Health Sciences, and the Graduate School.

Offering highly respected, practical, flexible programs of business study, DePaul University’s College of Commerce encompasses the university’s undergraduate program and Kellstadt Graduate School of Business, which have a combined enrollment of more than 6,500 students.

Editor's Note: For interviews, contact Robin Florzak, DePaul University Media Relations, 312/362-8592, rflorzak@depaul.edu, or Mary Ann Schultz, Rush University Medical Center, (312) 942-7816, Mary_Ann_Schultz@rush.edu.