UC San Diego to Offer Nation's First Concurrent Oceanography Ph.D. and MBA Degree

Ph.D. to Come from Renowned Scripps Institution of Oceanography, MBA from the Rady School of Management

Media Contact: Keri Peckham, Rady School, 858-534-0855 or kpeckham@ucsd.edu
Cindy Clark, Scripps, 858-534-3624 or scrippsnews@ucsd.edu

February 13, 2008

The University of California, San Diego, today announced the launch of a concurrent Ph.D./MBA program, to begin in 2008. This is the first concurrent degree program in the country to combine a Ph.D. in oceanography and an MBA.

This collaboration between the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Rady School of Management will enable students to pursue a Ph.D. at Scripps and an MBA at Rady in a coordinated, concurrent program. The concurrent Ph.D./MBA program was developed for students interested in careers where the combination of scientific expertise and management knowledge is particularly important.

“UC San Diego is committed to investing resources across disciplines to create a new educational model,” said UC San Diego Chancellor Marye Anne Fox. “Offering the nation’s first concurrent oceanography Ph.D. and MBA degree is an example of two graduate schools collaborating to provide a one-of-a-kind opportunity for students.”

“The concurrent Ph.D./MBA program offers unique educational value for our student population,” said Scripps Director Tony Haymet. “It combines the strengths of Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Rady School of Management, allowing us to provide a learning environment for students with special interests in ocean and earth science, climate and energy and technology transfer.”

A planning grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation was established in 2005, because of the importance of training leaders who are knowledgeable in both science and management to help preserve the environment. The grant enabled Scripps Oceanography and the Rady School to engage in market research, with faculty, alumni, prospective students and outside experts. There was also interest from prospective students and potential employers in a coordinated program building on strengths of the two schools.

“The research showed that the focus on discovery and impact in both the Rady and Scripps programs would be mutually beneficial for students,” said Rady School Dean Robert S. Sullivan. “This will be a model for other joint Ph.D./MBA programs across the campus. Both schools look forward to welcoming these innovation-driven students to UC San Diego.”

The program structure enables students to craft a program timeline that incorporates their programs at Scripps and Rady. Students will work with faculty advisors in both schools to develop linkages between their Scripps oceanography research programs and the Rady capstone project, Lab to Market, which focuses on the movement of innovations developed through research into the commercial marketplace.

Concurrent degree students will be admitted to Scripps Institution of Oceanography through the normal admissions process. Upon entering Scripps, students may apply to the Rady School in the year preceding their desired commencement of MBA study. These students will need to fulfill requirements in applying for the Rady MBA, including the taking the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT).

After the first MBA year, students will complete an independent study project supervised jointly by Scripps and Rady that will contribute to their doctoral dissertation and the Rady capstone project. In the second MBA year, students undertake normal Rady curriculum including the capstone project, and complete the MBA requirements at the end of the winter quarter.

Upon completion of the MBA requirements, the student will return to Scripps to resume studies and complete the Ph.D.

About Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Scripps Institution of Oceanography, at the University of California, San Diego, is one of the oldest, largest, and most important centers for global science research and graduate training in the world. The National Research Council has ranked Scripps first in faculty quality among oceanography programs nationwide. The scientific scope of the institution has grown since its founding in 1903 to include biological, physical, chemical, geological, geophysical, and atmospheric studies of the earth as a system. Hundreds of research programs covering a wide range of scientific areas are under way today in 65 countries. The institution has a staff of about 1,300 and annual expenditures of approximately $140 million from federal, state and private sources. Scripps operates one of the largest U.S. academic fleets with four oceanographic research ships and one research platform for worldwide exploration.

About the Rady School of Management

The Rady School of Management at UC San Diego educates global leaders for innovation-driven organizations. A professional school within one of the top-ranked institutions in the U.S. for higher education and research, the Rady School offers a Full-Time MBA program, a FlexMBA program for working professionals, undergraduate and executive education courses. Our lineage includes 16 Nobel Laureates (former and current faculty) and eight MacArthur Foundation award recipients. The Rady School at UC San Diego transforms innovators into business leaders.