Earning an executive-style MBA is an investment of your time, finances, and—sometimes—travel. We know you are a busy physician who may benefit from consulting with our team to plan your path to the Physician MBA. We break down the cost of the Physician MBA: what’s included, and how to pay for it.
What’s included in the Physician MBA
Our program is the only MBA from a top-ranked business school designed exclusively for practicing physicians. The Kelley Physician MBA blends business acumen with real-world healthcare application. Your investment includes:
Physician-centered curriculum – Explore business disciplines through the lens of healthcare, with coursework specifically tailored for physicians in strategy, finance, operations, and leadership.
Professional certifications and immersions – Graduate with a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification and participate in unique experiences, such as a Washington, D.C. healthcare policy course and a leadership immersion week.
Physician leader networking – Build lifelong connections with peers from across the country and across specialties, creating a trusted network of physician executives and innovators.
Flexible structure – Balance your career and education with a blended format. We offer online courses paired with in-person sessions in Indianapolis once per quarter, which totals 31 total days.
CME credit each quarter – Earn continuing medical education (CME) credits that allow you to apply your CME funds towards tuition, helping offset program costs.
Executive coaching – Receive one-on-one executive coaching throughout the 21 months to support your personal leadership growth.
Compare our program to other executive MBAs and review all the costs included using our price comparison tool.
At $95,000 for the 21-month program, the Physician MBA is a substantial but high-return investment. By comparison, the average top-20 executive MBA program costs $175,000.
With a physician-tailored curriculum, the flexibility to continue practicing while you study, and outcomes that include accelerated promotions and expanded leadership opportunities, Kelley’s Physician MBA offers a uniquely high return on investment at a substantially lower cost.
How to pay for your MBA
Most of our students use a combination of funding sources to pay tuition for the Physician MBA Program. Tuition can be billed quarterly or monthly using:
CME credits are awarded for every hour you spend in class session. They are posted to your CME transcript each quarter. This allows you to reroute your CME funding to get reimbursed for your tuition in the program. The 21 months of this program span three calendar years, allowing you to apply three years’ worth of your CME funds to get reimbursed for tuition. This program is the only physician MBA offering CMEs each quarter, allowing you to fully leverage this funding resource.
CME credits are administered through Indiana University's Office of Continuing Education in Healthcare Professions. If your organization sponsors your CME activities, you can use these resources toward tuition for the Physician MBA. Tax benefits can apply for physicians in private practice. Discuss this option with your tax professional.
Many organizations offer tuition benefits of about $5,250 per year. Since this program spans three calendar years, employer tuition benefit has the potential to pay about $15,000 toward your degree.
As you invest in yourself, you are also improving the healthcare system around you. Review your employer’s tuition benefits, and talk with your leadership about sponsoring your degree based on the significant consulting benefits you will provide in return.
During this program, you analyze data from your organization and identify viable solutions to ongoing challenges. Your organization will experience a significant return on investment by financially matching the time and energy you are putting into becoming an expert, in-house consultant. Traditionally, such roles cost significantly more than the tuition for this degree.
Be sure to share these benefits with your employer so they understand what they will receive by investing in your education at Kelley. You will:
Earn a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification in process improvement.
Use analytics to solve real challenges.
Gain access to business leaders who share cutting-edge intel on healthcare issues across the industry.
Examine customer experience within your organization.
Study current financial statements.
Complete a process improvement project.
Propose a legal solution that could impact your organization.
Create an organizational change plan for driving transformation in your workplace.
Partner with an executive coach for 21 months to strengthen your leadership capabilities and create your own leadership plan.
Financing opportunities are available through federal and private loans. For questions about financial aid options, please contact Student Financial Services at gradaid@iu.edu or 317-274-4162. For the latest information on financial aid, visit the IU Indianapolis financial aid website.
We offer a limited number of partial tuition scholarships. All admitted Physician MBA students are invited to apply for the Physician MBA Tuition Scholarship. Applicants are reviewed on a rolling basis for possible scholarship, regardless of financial need, and will be notified of the decision within three to four weeks after receipt of application.
A Physician MBA Tuition Scholarship cannot be combined with any other Physician MBA scholarships.
Scholarships are awarded based on:
Academic performance
Professional performance and experiences
Personal achievements
Career achievements
Application strength
Geographic location
Organizational affiliations
Apply for the Kelley Physician MBA Tuition Scholarship.
Hall, Render, Killian, Heath & Lyman, P.C., a national health law firm, supports graduate fellowships for students studying in the Kelley Physician MBA Program. Through this fellowship, Hall Render continues its commitment to excellence in healthcare, marshaling talents of extraordinary students to serve patients in need. The Hall Render Fellowship is awarded annually to one outstanding physician based on their background, experience, and potential to be a leader in the healthcare industry. Preference will be given to students who work with an underserved population. Recipients receive $7,500 annually.
Only admitted physicians may apply, and applications are due by July 1. This fellowship is awarded by August 15.
The inaugural graduating class of the Kelley Physician MBA Program, the Class of 2015 established this scholarship to support physician leaders who are committed to transforming healthcare. The scholarship reflects the Class of 2015's commitment to advancing physician leadership and investing in the future of healthcare by supporting talented colleagues who share their dedication to improving the sytem.
One scholarship of $5,000 ($2,500 per academic year) will be awarded to a physician based on their background, experience, and potential to make a meaningful impact as a healthcare leader.
Only admitted students may apply. Applications are due by July 1, and the scholarship will be awarded by August 15.
Several of our physician students use GI Bill benefits to pay for this program. Military tuition benefits and support include:
Yellow Ribbon Program
Our participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program means you have no out-of-pocket costs if you have full post-9/11 benefits (Chapter 33). These benefits cover:
The entire cost of the program’s tuition and fees.
A monthly housing allowance of approximately $1,374 per month for the duration of the program. Our physician students use the housing stipend to cover their travel costs for monthly in-person class sessions.
Use the VA’s GI Bill® Comparison Tool to calculate available funding. Be sure to select the Indiana University Indianapolis campus in the pull-down menu, and choose “in-person classes” because 51% of your time is spent in the classroom.
Contact our Office for Veterans and Military Personnel at 317-278-9163 or gibenefi@iu.edu for assistance in getting started and working through the process efficiently.
Whether you have leftover funds from your children or you’ve invested in your own future training, you can use a 529 college savings plan to pay your tuition.
