Board of Regents Approves Dual Master's Degree in Nursing, Business Administration

The fully online program consists of 57 credit hours

August 12, 2020

Written by: Glenys Young

This story was originally published and produced by Texas Tech Today.

TTUHSC school of nursing student

The Texas Tech University System is making it easier for nurses interested in health care administration to get the business knowledge they need to be competitive.

The Board of Regents on Thursday (Aug. 6) approved the creation of a fully online, dual-degree program through which students can simultaneously earn a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Nursing and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Texas Tech University's Jerry S. Rawls College of Business.

"We are excited to partner with the School of Nursing to offer this dual degree," said Margaret L. Williams, dean of the Rawls College of Business. "Not only will nurses benefit from the management and leadership training provided through the MBA courses, but our MBA students also will be enriched by the perspectives of these essential health care professionals.

"Health care is big business within the U.S., and when nurses understand what they do within that context, their decision-making will be better for the patients they serve, their organizations and their own career development."

The idea for a dual MBA and MSN has existed for decades, and several such programs exist in Texas. As the School of Nursing receives requests for the degree every year and has previously been forced to turn away such applicants, Dean Michael Evans is glad to now offer the dual degree.

"The School of Nursing is grateful for the collaboration with the Rawls College of Business on this dual degree, which is an important addition to our graduate programs," said Evans, a registered nurse and TTUHSC interim provost.

The program consists of 57 credit hours, 27 from nursing courses and 30 from business.

Texas Tech University System

TTU System

Established in 1996 and headquartered in Lubbock, Texas, the Texas Tech University System is a $2 billion higher education enterprise focused on advancing higher education, health care, research and community outreach. Consisting of four universities – Texas Tech University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Angelo State University and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso – the TTU System collectively has approximately 55,000 students, 17 campuses statewide and internationally, more than 300,000 alumni and an endowment valued at over $1.3 billion.

During the 86th Texas Legislature under the leadership of Chancellor Dr. Tedd L. Mitchell, legislative funding and authority was provided to establish a new Texas Tech University veterinary school in Amarillo and a new dental school at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso. This will be the state’s first veterinary school in more than a century and first dental school in over 50 years. The addition of these two schools makes the Texas Tech University System one of only nine in the nation to offer programs for undergraduate, medical, law, nursing, pharmacy, dental and veterinary education, among other academic areas.