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I am currently a senior at Simpson College, and I am looking at graduate schools to apply to for next fall. I came across a program that offered a joint MHA/ law degree and another that offered a joint MBA/ law degree, and I am extremely interested in learning more about these programs. Can anyone explain to me what kind of careers I would be able to pursue with a combination of degrees like these or where I could find more information about these types of careers.

Also, can anyone give me advice about which degree is better for a healthcare administrator, an MBA or and MHA? I have heard support for both sides, I'm just not sure which one would be better for me to pursue.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Dear  Stacey:

There is a useful discussion of which degree to consider on ache.org at http://www.ache.org/CARSVCS/whichdegree.cfm.  However, it does not address the matter of joint MHA/ law or MBA/law degrees extensively.  While it appears having a joint degree may offer flexibility, based on anecdotal evidence obtained via contact with joint degree holders, it appears the flexibility is over the longer run.  That is, one can start in one profession and move to another more easily than one can find a position that actually allows one to employ both professional degrees in one job.    It is not impossible, but those who have contacted the ACHE career center have not shown that kind of good fortune.   To start as an attorney, passing the bar is a serious issue and waiting until years after completing law school to try seems another way of validating the wisdom in the statement “the law is a jealous mistress.”  Presently, reports suggest that being a new lawyer may not be particularly differentiating…the supply is such that they are regarded as commodities…. and that salaries for new attorneys may not be attractive unless coming out of a prestigious school and going into an even more prestigious firm.  Even in such large firms there are reports that new lawyer work has been pulled out of the high cost East Coast cities to be handled by new lawyers in the firms’ smaller offices in smaller Midwest cities.   This discussion may not resolve your decision but it should give you meaty issues to consider.   In any event, research well how the graduates of the MHA, MBA or combined degree programs have fared and try to speak with actual recent graduates to gather evidence of what their employment experience has been and how helpful they found their alma maters and their credentials in launching their careers.