Dual Degree Programs at Questrom
Are you considering a dual degree program at Questrom? Many of our students do! Learn more about the experience from three students in different dual degree programs.
Masters in Digital Innovation (MSDi)
Emily Rackleff
Social Impact MBA + MSDi
Highlights: As someone coming from a nontechnical background, the MSDi degree has added credibility and expertise to my career story and helped me pivot into my target role doing technology consulting for nonprofits. Employers and people outside of Questrom are curious about the MSDi and it has sparked conversations and opened doors I might not otherwise have had. Graduating with the MSDi, I feel much more equipped to manage the technical aspects of a client engagement and know that I can lead a project to make sure both business and implementation needs are fully met.
Challenges: There is so much to learn in such a short period! I wish there had been more time to absorb some of the key information, and there are concepts, like user experience, that I wish we had been able to go deeper on. That said, I do appreciate that I will graduate in two years with two degrees.
Tips for future students: While it is not a requirement, I wish I had done some more prep work to learn the R and python languages. The program isn’t designed to make you fluent in any one language–you’re not going to graduate and become a software engineer–but I do think I would have been able to engage more fully with some of the exercises and projects if I had a basic working knowledge in advance.
Masters in Public Health (MPH)
Jillian Yee
Health Sector Management MBA + MPH
Highlights: For someone interested in the healthcare space, this is such an interesting and applicable combination of degrees. I have really enjoyed my courses for both programs- they often approach the topic of health and care in different perspectives from one another as we dive into questions concerning the cost, quality, and access of care delivery. The way the program is structured, you have a lot of flexibility with your concentration for the MPH. My class of dual MBA/MPH’ers has nine second year students and we span across five different concentrations depending on our individual interests. Aside from the course content, I also love being part of so many different communities. In addition to my dual community, I also have the HSM community, the broader MBA community and the MPH community as well. We have so many amazing people here at Questrom, it has been a fantastic experience getting to know them in so many different capacities.
Challenges: It’s a lot of content to condense into two years. The advisors to the two programs have worked very hard to try to cut overlap between the core classes to give us as much freedom with our classes as possible. That being said, you do have to be fairly selective and definitely plan ahead with your course schedule because there will be a lot that you will want to fit in, and unfortunately probably more than you will have time for.
Tips for future students/something you wish you knew: Communication between the two components of the degrees can be a bit of a struggle sometimes. The dual MBA/MPH class a year above mine was wonderful and took a lot of time to help us navigate the transition- from classes and instructors to good places to study on the Medical Campus. As the current second years, my class has tried to pass on the same legacy to the current first year duals. The second years when you start will be your greatest resource; get to know them and ask them as many questions as you can think of.