LEWISBURG, W.Va. — The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine and the University of Charleston are pairing up for the launch of a new dual degree program combining both doctorate and business administrative opportunities for students.
WVSOM President James Nemitz joined UC President Marty Roth Monday for a ceremonial signing of a memorandum of understanding.
The new partnership will allow WVSOM students to supplement their Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O) degree with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree through UC. The program will last for five years and Nemitz said it’s an opportunity that’s relevant to students, as an MBA seems to be in-demand on the WVSOM campus.
“I can’t think of a better one to offer our medical students, you know, when you poll medical students usually the number one degree they want other than their medical degree is an MBA, and I think that’s becoming increasingly important,” said Nemitz.
The program will be used in numerous ways for students pursuing nursing degrees, RAD Tech, pharmaceutical, and physician assistant degrees.
While it makes the first dual degree program between the universities, Roth said UC has been collaborating with WVSOM for many years, and the new partnership will be bolstering their relationships as well as allowing them to address a major need within the healthcare system.
“This is just the next chapter in us having a thriving relationship with a common purpose, to try to address the acute shortage of healthcare professionals in the state of West Virginia,” said Roth.
The program will allow WVSOM students in their second year begin taking classes toward the MBA at UC and complete the program from start to finish within a 10-month timeframe.
Roth said students in the program will be able to take classes ranging from healthcare economics, policy, ethics, and informatics to get a full understanding of healthcare management.
“This will really give students the opportunity to learn about the industry of healthcare from an economic and policy standpoint at a very high level, and work down into understanding the things that are required to being an effective industry leader or manager,” he said.
Roth went on to say that the partnership helps complete the series of opportunities UC is offering in the healthcare profession.
“Being able to partner with a world-class osteopathic school allows us to round out the portfolio of opportunities our students have either directly or indirectly,” Roth added.
The program will soon accepting enrollment for its July 2023 start date. All of the classes through the program will be available online and interested participants can find out more by visiting the school’s websites.