By Becca Broaddus
Business skills are valuable in other areas of study like law, engineering and information systems. In its effort to cultivate principled leaders and serve the global marketplace, the Hankamer School of Business offers joint degree programs to assist students in his or her chosen field of study.
Joint degree programs lead to the simultaneous award of the MBA degree and a second degree, upon completion of degree requirements for both programs. The Hankamer School of Business offers six joint degrees, which are:
- MBA/Juris Doctor (MBA/JD)
- MBA/Master of Divinity (MBA/MDiv)
- MBA/Master of Engineering (MBA/ME)
- MBA/Master of Information Systems (MBA/MSIS)
- MBA/Master of Social Work (MBA/MSW)
- MBA/Master of Healthcare Administration (MBA/MHA)
The joint degrees are possible with the relationship between the Hankamer School of Business and Baylor Law School, Truett Seminary, the School of Engineering, the Information Systems Department, the School of Social Work and the Army-Baylor University Graduate Program at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio.
The newest joint degree offering at the School, the MBA/MDiv, became available in fall 2013. It is a joint offering between Baylor Business and Baylor University’s Truett Seminary. It links the faculties, resources and education to offer students an education that prepares them well for a multitude of leadership opportunities. As religious institutions continue to morph into complex organizations, and nonprofits continue to proliferate, the constituencies of such institutions are seeking qualified, competent and well-educated individuals to lead them.
“The joint degree is making me a better pastor as I see my church in new ways,” MBA/MDiv candidate and pastor Rich Lubbers said. “While seminary is good for providing a basis for both preparing for and executing what is most visible that happens on Sundays and Wednesdays, the MBA has helped me with the days in between.”
The MBA/MSW degree program is the second most recent addition to the joint degree offerings in the School. Beginning in fall 2012, the joint offering between Baylor Business and the School of Social Work started preparing graduates to assume higher positions of authority and responsibility within their respective organizations.
“The joint MBA with social work and a master’s of divinity are mission- consistent,” Gary Carini, associate dean for graduate business programs and Management professor, said. “The degree offerings meet students’ missions of serving others, but with an additional deep dive into their organization and the business side of not-for-profit organizations through skills like teamwork, managing people incentives, etc.”
For more information about the joint degree programs offered by Baylor Business, visit baylor.edu/business/mba/jointdegrees.
Baylor Business Review, Spring 2015