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No Growth in Joint MBA Programs One of the most prominent examples of cross-disciplinary busi- ness education is the joint MBA degree program, which is offered in conjunction with schools of medicine, law, engineering, or other professional schools. According to AACSB International's annual Busi- ness School Questionnaire (BSQ), the number of joint programs at a controlled subset of 76 schools peaked at 158 in 2008–2009, up from 148 in 2006–2007. But since then, that number has returned to pre-recession levels. In 2010– 2011, these schools reported 146 joint MBA programs, which represented 6.3 percent of all MBA programs reported to the BSQ. A controlled subset of 19 schools provided data that show that although enrollments in joint programs have stayed fairly steady, the number of joint degrees con- ferred to graduates at these schools is declining—from 180 to 101, down nearly 44 percent since 2006– 2007. That's been the case even as the number of general MBA enroll- ments and degrees conferred has steadily increased at a controlled set of 326 schools. These numbers could make sense in light of the recession, according to staff on AACSB's JOINT MBA PROGRAMS Academic Year Number of Schools Reporting 2006–2007 19 2007–2008 19 2008–2009 19 2009–2010 19 2010–2011 19 Enrollments 480 399 392 432 484 Degrees Conferred 180 143 135 152 101 Knowledge Services team. For exam- ple, lack of growth in joint MBA pro- grams could be due to simple supply and demand. Many people who find themselves out of work pursue general MBA programs, rather than specialized MBAs. Joint programs generally are more popular among a small number of students fresh out of their undergraduate studies who want additional degrees linked to their MBAs. Since 2006–2007, fewer stu- dents enrolling in joint programs are actually earning joint degrees. This could be caused by differ- ent factors. For instance, some schools' graduation dates might not follow a two-year schedule, or more students may be taking longer to finish their programs because of financial concerns. With more professional schools offering multidisciplinary courses, joint MBA degrees may be becoming less neces- sary for students, according to AACSB. If students in medical or law schools, for example, can take business courses in their curriculum, they may not see the need to pursue MBA/JD or MBA/ MD degrees, which add greater challenge to an already rigorous course of study. GENERAL MBA PROGRAMS Number of Schools Reporting 326 326 326 326 326 Enrollments 69,864 74,586 77,335 79,864 82,319 Degrees Conferred 27,259 27,466 27,472 30,026 32,074 Of schools reporting joint MBA degrees in 2010–2011: 23 offer an MBA/MD 63 offer an MBA/JD 11 offer an MBA/MEng 7 offer an MBA/MHA 12 offer an MBA/MSN 11 offer an MBA/PharmD These numbers have stayed effectively steady since AACSB's 2006–2007 BSQ. Degree designations are as follows: MD=Doctor of Medicine JD=Juris Doctor MEng=Master of Engineering MHA=Master of Health Administration MSN=Master of Nursing PharmD=Doctor of Pharmacy 26 March/April 2012 BizEd COMPARED TO NEIL BRENNAN