Pennsylvania’s UScienses Now Offering Medical Cannabis MBA

The University of Sciences in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is now offering a Master of Business Administration for medical cannabis education, the Philadelphia Enquirer reports. The program, offered by the USciences Substance Use Disorders Institute, is the first MBA program of its kind in the nation.

Andrew Peterson, executive director of the USciences Substance Use Disorders Institute, told the Enquirer that the program is “concentrated on the pharmaceutical and health care industries, where medical cannabis fits very nicely.”

The institution is partnering with Denver, Colorado-based Franklin Biosciences to help develop the program. Franklin operates Beyond/Hello medical cannabis dispensaries in Pennsylvania.

“We’ve already gotten interest from existing students. I don’t think we’ll get hundreds enrolling at the start, but we’ll get a good class. We usually enroll about 15 to 20 people in these classes. I think we’ll hit that target.” – Peterson, to the Enquirer

USciences will offer four classes online including Introduction to the Medical Cannabis Industry; Finance and Regulation of the Cannabis Industry; Cannabis Marketing and Sales; and a course wherein a team of students will create a project, write a business plan, or develop a product.

Each two-credit course costs about $2,000 and registration has already started.

USciences is the latest traditional higher education institution in the U.S. to offer a cannabis-centric degree program or course. Last month, the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy announced it will offer a master’s degree program in medical cannabis, while the University of Connecticut said it would bring a cannabis horticulture class online after the on-campus version overenrolled.