Certificate in the Business of Healthcare

Preparing Evening & Weekend MBA students to be leaders in the business of healthcare.

The Certificate in the Business of Healthcare allows students to receive foundational exposure to the entire healthcare ecosystem while tailoring their courses to their desired future career goal within the sector.

In order to qualify for the certificate, students must take at least 4 healthcare specific credits according to the distribution described below. At least 3 of these credits must be in excess of the minimum degree requirements for a student’s MBA. This requirement would have the following implications across the program:
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  • Traditional E&W: You are required to complete a total of 4 healthcare-specific credits, which contribute to a minimum of 23.5 total Kellogg credits over the course of your MBA.
  • Accelerated Option: You must complete 3 additional credits to your minimum Kellogg credit requirement as listed on your CAESAR Degree Progress Report. 
  • Note: Any current E&W student, regardless of their start date, may officially declare and pursue the certificate starting the Fall quarter. However, this option may not be financially possible for students who rely on financial aid to cover their tuition, especially if they are about to complete their minimum degree requirements. Any E&W student on financial aid (including private loans) must meet with a financial aid counselor to determine impact on financial aid eligibility.  

Financial Aid eligibility

  • E&W students must proactively verify their financial aid eligibility for the completion of the certificate with their respective financial aid office (finaid@kellogg.northwestern.edu). The certificate must be officially declared before its completion and the completion of the minimum required degree requirements for financial aid eligibility.

Required curriculum

All students must take: 

STRT-443-0 Healthcare Strategy (either in the 10-week or “Deep Dive” format)


Students must take at least three credits from the following list:

IN-DEPTH COURSES

STRT-444-0 Healthcare Economics

HCAK-470-0 Biomedical Marketing

HCAK-931-0 Pharmaceutical Strategy

HCAK-960-5 Value Creation and Capture in Biopharmaceuticals

HCAK-970-5 Digital Health

HCAK-975-5 Digital Health for the Entrepreneur

HCAK-985-5 Growing & Sustaining Success in Biopharmaceutical Firms

STRT-441-0 Intellectual Capital Management
HCAK-941-5 Using Analytics to Create and Capture Value in Healthcare

HCAK-951-5 Managing Health Care Services in a Value Based Setting

HCAK-935-5 Strategy and Execution for a Successful Healthcare Delivery System

HCAK-980-5 Value Creation & Capture in an Evolving Healthcare Market

HCAK-973-5 Create & Capture Value in the Chinese Healthcare Market

INTL-473-0 Global Initiatives in Management (GIM) (Innovations & Developments in Healthcare Financial Services with Andrew Sykes, Winter 2025)

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING COURSES*

HCAK-611-0 Medical Technology Financing and Commercialization

SSIM-673-5 Medical Technologies in Global Public Health 

STRT-947-0 Healthcare Strategy Consulting Lab

HCAK-616-0 NUVention Medical Innovation

HCAK-937-0 Entrepreneurship Innovation Lab

HCAK-957-5 Health Systems Management: A Practicum Course with Northwestern Medicine

HCAK-627-0 Forging and Funding Health Care Startups

HCAK-973-5 Create & Capture Value in the Chinese Healthcare Market

  

*With the approval of the Director of HCAK, students may complete one credit through an independent study.