MSW/Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Students earn a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from the Brown School and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the John M. Olin School of Business. The program of study requires 100 credit units taken over the course of three years: 48 units are taken at Brown, and 52 units are taken at Olin. The joint degree is compatible with each of the MSW concentrations at the Brown School.
The program's basic goal is to prepare students for advanced professional practice supported by in-depth management and leadership knowledge and skills. The joint-degree program prepares students who seek or who will return to middle- or senior-level management positions in nonprofit, government or for-profit organizations as well as students who are interested in such areas as performance management, quality improvement, nonprofit consulting, capacity building, fundraising, organizational development, corporate social responsibility, social entrepreneurship and private practice.
The experience at Olin School of Business starts off with a required six-week summer global immersion program in Washington, D.C., Barcelona and Shanghai. Students are “on the road,” gaining a better understanding of the context in which businesses operate and how businesses adapt to these differences. By the end of this summer semester, students will have completed 16 credit units of the 52 units required from Olin for the MBA. In addition to this unique experience, students are able to build their MBA curriculum around five career platforms: Consulting; Corporate Finance & Investment; Entrepreneurship; Marketing; and Operations & Supply Chain Management. Additional subspecializations are also offered.
Students enroll for approximately three semesters in social work and approximately three semesters in business. Students who choose the accelerated Olin option complete the MBA in one calendar year. Because of the global summer semester, students are strongly advised to begin in business and complete their MBA before beginning their MSW. Learn more by visiting the Olin Business School website.