Nursing and Healthcare Management Coordinated Dual Degree

Through a special collaboration between Penn Nursing and The Wharton School, we offer a coordinated dual degree program that covers the rapidly changing reality of financing healthcare in the United States.

About the Program

The Nursing and Healthcare Management Program (NHCM) program is a five-year program, during which time students complete two degrees at Penn: a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Bachelor of Science in Economics with a concentration in Health Care Management and Policy. Students study simultaneously in both schools and graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Bachelor of Science in Economics. This program combines both excellent clinical skills as well as the critical knowledge necessary to understand and administrate in the health care field.

Program Information

Full-Time

Program Length

5 years

Financial aid available?

Yes

Start Semester

Fall

Learning Format

In-person

Program Details

Curriculum

We use a multidisciplinary approach that integrates nursing, business, and liberal arts. Students enrolled in the program have advisors at both Penn Nursing and Wharton, and complete this integrated academic and clinical program in five years. High school seniors can apply to the NHCM program as part of Penn’s undergraduate admissions process.

Your work will include science and clinical courses, along with general education courses in the Arts and Sciences. We designed the curriculum to boost expertise in patient care and deepen your knowledge of how to manage the way that care is delivered.

Program Content

  • General Education Requirements: Courses fulfilling requirements in economics, calculus, liberal arts, and a language.
  • Nursing Science Cluster: Courses covering chemistry, nutrition, anatomy and physiology, pharmacology and microbiology.
  • Nursing Clinical Cluster: Clinical core courses enabling students to learn about nursing in varied clinical settings through the course of a patient’s life.
  • Business Core Cluster: The Wharton core of courses providing a basic grounding in business skills.
  • Business Concentration Cluster: Courses in health care management and policy.
  • Program Breadth Cluster: Courses providing a broad-based perspective on the practice of both nursing and management.
  • Senior Capstone Course: A senior capstone course covering research methods as they pertain to health care case studies.

For more detailed information, click on the plan of study below that applies to your incoming class.

Students entering Fall 2021 or earlier

Students entering Fall 2022 or later

Students entering Fall 2023 or later

Requirements

To initiate an application, students must complete Penn’s Application for Undergraduate Admissions. Students can apply to the NHCM program when they submit their application for first-year admissions by selecting NHCM in the Penn Academics section “Primary School/Program to Which You Are Applying.” In addition to the Penn Writing Supplement the NHCM Supplemental Essay is required.

All NHCM applications are reviewed by the respective admissions officer for a specific region as well as the Nursing and Wharton liaisons. The admissions committee will be looking for a good fit between the applicant and the program. The supplemental essay gives applicants the opportunity to discuss the nature and extent of their specific interest in the program. Because of the highly selective nature of this program, students not selected to the NHCM program can be considered for admission to either the Penn Nursing or the Wharton School as a single degree candidate.

Cost & Tuition

Penn’s all-grant financial aid program applies to eligible students for the standard academic career of eight semesters. For the fifth year, financial aid resources are available, but will include student loans. Students should consult with Student Financial Services for more information on financing their Penn education.

Program Outcomes

Graduates of this program are poised to become leaders in healthcare and business environments, and are prepared for clinical practice and patient care management in hospitals, community settings, and group practice sites. They are also well-suited to positions as business and policy analysts as well as managers in such fields as pharmaceuticals, consulting, insurance, health care systems, nonprofits, and government organizations.

Penn Nursing is leading to healthier, more equitable future.

Ready to take the next step?