Robert Pohl came to California in 1994 with five years experience at an international freight business and an undergraduate degree in English. Pohl realized that he needed a business education and looked into local graduate programs. He saw that the University of San Diego offered a joint program that led to graduate degrees in business and law.

“I figured what’s one more year (of study)?” says Pohl, who earned a master of business administration and a juris doctor degree from USD. Pohl worked while earning those degrees and a third degree, a master of laws. “It was very challenging. I was totally focused on getting the degree and doing the best job. I didn’t decide to do an LLM until after law school,” says Pohl, who graduated from USD in the summer of 1996.

Now he works as a senior tax analyst at KPMG in Los Angeles. The position involves business relocation and expansion, with Pohl’s focus on state and local taxes and tax incentives.

Multiple degrees provide additional job skills. For example, Pohl says he got more of a tax perspective than he would have with just an MBA. USD is among the schools offering programs that combine an MBA with a graduate degree in another discipline such as nursing or Latin American studies.

Why go for two degrees? Isn’t an MBA enough?

A joint degree gives the business professional the upper hand in a competitive work force, says Stephani Richards-Wilson, assistant director of USD’s graduate business programs. A dual degree program also can save a student time and money.

Courses from one degree program may be applied to the other; requirements for one degree may be modified because of the courses needed for the other degree. For example, San Diego State University’s MBA program consists of an average of 49 units. The master of arts in Latin American studies is a 30-unit program. SDSU’s combined MBA/MALAS is a 70-unit program, says Ken Marino, associate dean of the College of Business. He and Tom Davies, director of Latin American studies, are faculty advisers for the combined degree.

SDSU has offered an MBA/MALAS for approximately seven years, says Davies, who set up combined programs with LAS and other departments such as the School of Public Health. He maintains that San Diego’s proximity to the border means that graduates should at least know Spanish.

Although a thesis is optional for the MBA program, it’s required for the MALAS. Topics for the combined degree included the Ecuadorian construction industry and the feasibility of setting up heavy equipment. The emphasis is on business issues in a Latin-American context, says Marino. The combined business degree draws a small number of students, generally from Latin American countries. Davies says the majority of students in the combined degree program come from the business school. “The students do really well,” Davies says. “They’re tremendously dedicated.”

USD offers a program combining the International Master of Business Administration with a law degree, and a graduate business degree and a master of science in nursing. Richards-Wilson says the joint law and business degrees are scheduled in “an accelerated manner.” Students can apply up to 12 units (four courses) toward both programs. Students also may study abroad and earn course credit.

USD developed the MBA/MSN program in 1984, because of “changing roles and responsibilities of nurse administrators as a result of deregulation and competition in the health care industry,” says Richards-Wilson. The joint program “prepares nurse leaders with a unique blend of nursing, administration and business skills. Graduates pursue senior management or administrative positions in hospitals, corporate offices, ambulatory care agencies, long-term care facilities, the health policy arena and entrepreneurial ventures.”

The University of Phoenix also offers an MBA/MSN program. The program, started locally about a year ago, reflects a nationwide trend, says Bruce Williams, UOP San Diego campus director. “Nurses came to us and suggested” the combination, he says.

Because of changes in the health care field, nurses have returned to campuses to earn MBAs, says Jean Pickus, chair of the San Diego Nursing and Health Science Department.

“Traditionally, nurses know a lot about patients,” she says. “But not a lot about business.” About 35 students are enrolled in the combined degree program. “It’s a very popular program. It leaves the option for nursing, teaching and health care administration,” Pickus says.

Nurses aren’t the only health care professionals embarking on dual-degree programs. The University of California at Irvine offers an MD/MBA program so that physicians are better trained in business, says faculty adviser Dr. Maria Chandler.

“Who better to read the industry?” Chandler asks. “I got my MBA after I was in practice. I had to do a lot of backtracking — it was no fun.” The combined degree gives perspective on business and medicine, she says of the 15 or so MD/MBA programs across the country offering that combination.

At UCI, students generally complete three years of medical school and then attend classes through the university’s Graduate School of Management. After two years of MBA studies, the student finishes the final year of medical school. Another option is three years of medical school, one of MBA work and a final year combining both disciplines. Each quarter the student studies either business or medicine. This program is shorter because the student loses vacation time, Chandler says.

The dual program draws about five students a year. Chandler expects enrollment to be higher in the future. “It’s really uncovered some superstars in the College of Medicine,” she says. “One student has an alternative care Web site. Other students launch businesses during graduate school. That’s what health care needs.”

The dual degree has drawn some criticism from older members of the medical community. “I understand where they’re coming from,” Chandler says. “Not all (medical students) need to go, but those with talent should go. These students would make perfect surgeon generals.”

Not all combined programs involve an MBA degree. Chapman University offers programs for working professionals that combine human resources and organizational leadership, says program coordinator Mimi Murray. Students can earn a master of science degree in human relations and a graduate certificate in organizational leadership. The other option is to earn a master of arts degree in organizational leadership and a graduate certificate in human resources.
“We saw the business professional sometimes deciding between which degree to take,” Murray says. “This program allowed the HR professional to anchor a value-driven operating philosophy in their department. The (organizational leadership) candidate has the opportunity to achieve a pretty thorough overview of HR.”

“We found these programs meshed naturally,” says Christine Cecil, organizational leadership program chair. She says many human relations students are interested in transforming their environment. Organizational leadership focuses on transforming possibly more than one environment. Studying organizational leadership can help in areas of human resources such as the dynamics of how people are paid, Cecil says.

She says the program encourages collaboration across electives and a balance of subjects. Organizational leadership draws on disciplines including business, history and literature.

Prospective students can expect to see more combined degree programs in the future. Marino says SDSU is preparing to offer an MBA/JD degree. USD is considering other joint degree programs, says Richards-Wilson.

Some graduate students aren’t waiting for the establishment of joint degree programs. They’re working on dual majors, says Williams of University of Phoenix. He’s seen students study for an MBA and an MA in organizational management. “They’re really enthusiastic about a second degree,” he says. “They say, ‘I want the added exposure.’”
Business people should consider returning to school for one or more graduate degrees, advises USD alumnus Pohl. “I highly recommend going back.”