The DDS/MBA joint degree program is designed to provide dental school graduates with business and management skills necessary to successfully manage dental practices, larger businesses or non-profit organizations, and their personal investment portfolios. This four year program allows students to complete the first year of the program exclusively at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and to complete the DDS curriculum and the 56-unit University of San Francisco (USF) MBA program simultaneously in the remaining three years. DDS students may apply to the Part-Time MBA program during their first year at the UCSF School of Dentistry. All MBA courses are offered during the evening at USF (within 10 minutes of the UCSF campus).

The USF Part-Time MBA requires 28 units of foundational core courses to build business understanding and 28 elective units of cutting-edge, specialized topics allowing flexibility and customization suited to your professional and personal aspirations. With a strong emphasis on teamwork, the program helps you develop innovative and practical approaches to solve a wide variety of managerial problems. The program will enhance your leadership talents, improve your technical knowledge, and increase your awareness of global issues and opportunities. A key attraction of the Part-Time MBA is the opportunity to study with other working professionals from many of the Bay Area’s major companies.

Meeting two or three evenings per week, the 56-unit program can be completed in less than 36 months. Areas of emphasis include finance, entrepreneurship, international business, and marketing. Courses follow a cohort model during the first half of the program, providing opportunities to build lifelong friendships and professional career networks. A dynamic and engaging August Kickoff starts the USF MBA experience.

DDS/MBA students should apply to the USF MBA programs in the first year of dental school. To facilitate taking required classes in the summer for the MBA program, you will be given priority access to San Francisco Bay Area dental externships. Students enrolled in the concurrent programs will be required to maintain satisfactory academic progress, demonstrating good academic standing in both the DDS program and in the MBA program.

Benefits

The program is designed to prepare graduates for leadership positions in a variety of organizations and fields, such as: research, academia, consulting, dentistry, medicine, pharmaceutical, product and device manufacturing, biotechnology, insurance, and health care administration. The program will equip students with entrepreneurial skills needed to run a successful business and permit them to interact with MBA students from business and other disciplines.

The program aims to:

• Provide an understanding of fundamental business concepts applicable to any organization
  
  
• Provide specific analytical business skills
  
  
• Develop leadership and organizational skills
  
  
• Refine written and oral presentation skills
  
  
• Provide opportunities to deepen knowledge in specific business areas of entrepreneurship, finance, international business, management, marketing, and telecommunications
  
  
• Provide interaction with business professionals in a multinational, multicultural learning environment
  
  
• Expose students to topics that specifically pertain to the interaction of business and the health professions

Overview of USF

The University of San Francisco was founded in 1855 and is one of 28 Jesuit Universities in the United States. The mission of USF is to educate minds and hearts to change the world. This is accomplished through a strong commitment to academic excellence, ethics, and development of the whole person. The USF learning experience is characterized by strong commitment to the needs of individual students, excellent teaching-oriented faculty, small class sizes, and a rich set of extra-curricular activities.

The Masagung Graduate School of Management offers the Master's of Business Administration (MBA) degree; the program is accredited by the AACSB, the highest accreditation in the MBA field.

Enhancing Learning
There are numerous additional programs that supplement the academic curriculum to enhance the learning of MBA students.

• The Executives in Residence program brings in partners in major law firms, partners from venture capital firms and CEOs, who hold two-hour open office hours to meet with students to discuss business ideas, and share their insights on careers.
  
  
• The Business Incubator, which opened in 2005, is a program and facility that assists students in exploring new ideas, building business plans and launching business ventures.
  
  
• USF offers international study tours, which are faculty-led tours with small groups of students. These study tours travel to Europe, Asia or South America to and interact with universities and companies abroad.

International Business Plan Competition
One of the world's premier graduate university Business Plan competitions, the USF International Business Plan Competition is held each. Graduate Students worldwide are invited to submit business plan proposals for participation. Participants vie for cash prizes of approximately $25,000, and the opportunity to offer their Business Proposal before Leading Silicon Valley Venture Capitalists and Chief Executives. Judges from our previous competitions have included venture capital partners with: Benchmark Capital, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, Garage Technology Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, and many more. Many past participants have gone on to receive funding and launch their businesses.

Student Clubs and Associations
MBA students have the opportunity to participate in a variety of clubs. Examples include the Finance Club, Marketing Club, Entrepreneurship Club, International Club and Net Impact Club. They are also members of the Graduate Business Association, which meets weekly to develop ideas on how to create events and programs to enhance social and career exploration for students. The MBA Alumni Society is very active and hosts events such as the Executive Luncheon Series and mentoring opportunities.

Executive Lecture Series
The Executive Lecture Series includes prominent business, community and governmental speakers who share their experiences and insights with MBA students. The events include time before and after the formal comments for informal networking and discussions. Past speakers include John Hummer (Partner, Hummer Winblad Venture Partners), Chuck Smith (CEO, SBC West), Charles Geschke (Chairman and co-founder, Adobe Systems), Willie Brown (former Mayor of San Francisco), Paul Otellini (CEO of Intel Corporation and USF alumnus), Bill Reid (CEO, Mechanics Bank) and Sabrina Simmons (Treasurer, The GAP).

The core curriculum integrates global, ethical, leadership, and communication perspectives while also providing functional and analytic abilities needed for business success. Through the use of case studies, guest speakers, computer simulations, and faculty-student interaction, these core themes merge with course content to provide a stimulating, real-world classroom experience. For more information, please click here.

Admissions for DDS/MBA Students

The requirements for admission to the concurrent DDS/MBA program for any currently enrolled UCSF Dental Student are as follows:

• Transcript from the accredited undergraduate institution where you received your college degree
  
  
• Transcript showing successful passing of coursework to-date from UCSF School of Dentistry
  
  
• Online Application form (click here), including two personal essays and resume
  
  
• Application Fee, $55
  

Click here for the application schedule, including deadlines.

Program Cost and Financial Aid

The cost of the MBA program is approximately $65,000. Please click here for the most current USF MBA tuition rate. The primary contact for financial aid for the DDS/MBA program is the UCSF financial aid office. Students who are unable to complete the MBA program by the time they have graduated from the DDS program may obtain financial aid through USF.

Application Process and Learning More

Click here for the application form for the USF MBA program.

To visit the USF campus for campus tours, class visits, etcetera, please click here.

To speak with an USF MBA Admissions staff, please call (415) 422-2221 or e-mail mbaadmissions@usfca.edu.