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some other urban area, the nuts and bolts are basically going to be the same as they are in Waco, Texas. The delivery sys- tems are similar, though the finance systems differ. In the health economics class, we will be doing a lot of microeco- nomic and macroeconomic evaluations, and in the macro part we will be comparing systems." Once students graduate, they enter a wide variety of fields, Organizational Update such as managing physician practices or hospitals, consulting, running IS departments in health care facilities, and market- ing health care services. "We see the same typical career pro- gression we see with other MBAs, where they move up beyond being managers to being VPs, COOs, and CEOs within organizations. They need that MBA to propel them- selves to the next level," says Werschmidt. Benign Growth While a number of b-schools around the world already offer solid health care programs, the field itself is growing rapidly enough to ensure that other schools will begin looking at offering a similar concentration. "I think the future for these kinds of programs is relatively bright," says Cohen. "In many parts of the country, and certainly here in Boston, health care is still an engine that is driving the local economy. Given that health care makes up one-seventh of the national economy, it's still a growth industry." Schools might consider these recommendations before needs are, then tailor the curriculum to those needs. Also, Sumner says, determine how much to invest in the health care program and whether to make it a concentration, a major, or going forward: ■First, analyze the local market to see what the health care functional area. Health care is unique." ■ Make the program flexible to accommodate working professionals. "If they want to come in from 6 to 9 at night, nurses, administrative personnel, and representatives from HMOs and pharmaceutical companies. "The advisory board can give you ideas about new directions in health care so that you should try to organize that," says Schofield. ■ Institute a board of advisors that includes physicians, requirement. If you don't have the resources for an internship program, says Sumner, "decide how else you can facilitate the process of helping your students find positions in the field." you see new areas for adding electives," Bhat says. ■ Consider establishing some kind of field experience wagon, Schofield cautions. "And don't underestimate how complex it is," she adds. "Don't treat it just like any other a full-fledged degree. ■ Don't start such a program just to jump on the band- Business schools aren't alone in looking to make health care settings more businesslike. In late 2001, a group of health care executives and existing health care organiza- tions founded the National Center for Healthcare Leadership (www.nchl.org), specifically to ensure high standards for training and recruiting today's health care administrators. According to Georgia State's Andrew Sumner, "The big corporations of the world, like GE, have high-level executive training. The military has its war col- leges. Because the health care system has been localized within hospitals for so long, there hasn't been a unified way to give administrators advanced career training except to identify the best and the brightest and give them an extra leadership push. NCHL has met with other organiza- tions to begin a dialogue of how to improve education." One of the sponsoring organizations for NCHL is the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (www.aupha.org), a not-for-profit association of university programs, faculty, practitioners, and provider organizations dedicated to continuously improving the field of health care. AUPHA is also affiliated with the Accrediting Commission on Education for Health Services Administra - tion (www.acehsa.org), recognized by the Department of Education as the only organization to accredit master's level health administration programs in the U.S. and Canada. A variety of master's level programs can be accredited through ACEHSA, and they may be housed in a wide range of uni- versity departments, from business to public health. alumni often act as guest lecturers, serve as preceptors during field placement sessions, or hire recent graduates. "Our alum- ni have been put to use every single day," Cohen says. "They are in some of the most responsible positions in the health care system, both regionally and nationally." Even as other MBA graduates struggle to find jobs in a ■ Maintain an extensive network of alumni. Boston's tough economy, administrators of these programs say they are still achieving virtually 100 percent job placement. As health care becomes an even bigger component of the economy, and as the field itself grows more complex, the need for these graduates will only increase. For this particular specialized MBA, the prognosis is excellent.■ z BizEd JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004 47