Top 10 Nonprofit MBA Programs
If you want a job that doesn’t just pay the bills but impacts the world, then working for a nonprofit corporation is the way to go. The nonprofit sector is the third-largest segment of the U.S. workforce, according to Fast Company, employing more than 13.7 million people at 1.8 million agencies. It accounts for a total of 10% of the nation’s workforce with assets reaching nearly $3 trillion.
And nonprofits are a growing industry. According to Nonprofit HR, in 2015, 50% of nonprofits were hiring compared to just 34% of for-profits. Even better, nonprofit wages increased by 29% between 2000-2010 and are continuing to rise. The average nonprofit manager makes between $50,000-$75,000 a year and executive positions pay between $75,000-$150,000 according to Johns Hopkins University.
So, how can you stand out in such a competitive career-field?
Earning an MBA is a good place to start. A Nonprofit MBA will give you the leadership skills, business savvy, and expertise you need to succeed in the nonprofit sector. To learn more about using your MBA for a nonprofit career, take a look at our blog Should MBAs Work in the Nonprofit Sector. Then, choose the right program.
The Top 10 MBA Programs for a Career in the Nonprofit Sector
According to a ranking by U.S. News & World Report, the top ten programs for nonprofit MBAs are as follows.
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Yale University
Ranked as the top business school for an MBA with a nonprofit focus, the Yale School of Management excels thanks to its integrated MBA curriculum. Between 5-10% of Yale’s MBAs have gone into the public or nonprofit sectors over the past five years, far more than other b-school grads. In fact, in 2015, 4.4% of graduating MBAs from the Yale School of Management entered the nonprofit sector.
To prepare students for this career, students can take a variety of nonprofit focused classes, such as:
- Energy, Climate Change, and Public Policy
- Environmental Politics
- Faith and Globalization
Students can also attend a range of conferences focused on nonprofits including the Yale Philanthropy Conference, which provides a unique perspective of the critical management issues facing the nonprofit field, or the Economic Development Symposium, which discusses pressing economic development issues. There are also clubs such as Global Social Enterprise, Nonprofit Board Fellows, and Outreach Nonprofit Consulting, which are ideal for students entering the social impact field.
Coming in at number two on the list, Harvard Business School placed 4% of its graduating class in the nonprofit/government sector. Part of these statistics are thanks to the unique offering of a Joint Degree Program for MBAs interested in a career spanning business, government, and nonprofit organizations. The Master of Business Administration/Master of Public Policy (MBA/MPP) and the Master of Business Administration/Master of Public Administration-International Development (MBA/MPA-ID) programs are designed for students looking to lead in public, nonprofit, and private sectors.
Harvard also offers the Social Enterprise Initiative, which aims to educate, support, and inspire leaders in all areas to tackle the world’s toughest challenges. The initiative uses business practices and managerial disciplines to drive social change in the nonprofit, for-profit, and public sectors. MBA students are encouraged to integrate social enterprise skills into their curriculum, internships, career development programs, and more. Specifically, MBAs have opportunities to include elective courses and experience field-based learning in the field of social enterprise.
Finally, there are a number of ways to pursue an interest in nonprofits as a Harvard MBA. Students can participate in:
- Board Fellows and Social Enterprise Consulting Club: The Club admits first and second-year students to work directly with local nonprofit organizations.
- Independent Projects: Completed for credit, these projects can take a variety of formats and allow for a charitable focus.
At Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, 6% of graduating MBAs in 2015 entered the nonprofit and government industry. That’s thanks in part to the 18 electives that MBAs can use to broaden their knowledge. Students can participate in everything from politics and public policy classes to classes on public management and leadership, which can be used for the nonprofit industry.
MBA students at Stanford can also gain unique nonprofit experience through opportunities outside of the classroom.
- Center for Social Innovation: The mission of the Center is to bring social and environmental change through research, education, and experiential learning.
- Challenge for Charity (C4C): C4C is a nonprofit organization that encourages students to get philanthropically involved in the school and compete against other West Coast business schools.
Outside of the MBA, Stanford uniquely offers the Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders. The program is a ten-day residency designed to further professional development of leaders in the nonprofit sector. MBA professors teach the classes, and the program draws on the cutting-edge research and teachings offered by Stanford.
The Haas School of Business Full-Time MBA program offers a Social Sector Leadership concentration. The concentration, alongside the Center for Social Sector Leadership, has the goal of inspiring and preparing students to achieve social impact. The coursework for a nonprofit emphasis includes practice, research, and learning in fields such as:
- Social entrepreneurship and social impact
- Nonprofit consulting
- Board governance and leadership
- Strategic management of nonprofits
- Financial management
Also, Haas School students receive hands-on work through nonprofit and public issue cases, as well as five unique experiential programs including but not limited to:
- Social Sector Solutions: A partnership with McKinsey & Company that places students into consulting teams and assigns actual projects on real nonprofit organizations.
- The Berkeley Board Fellows: A program that places MBAs as non-voting members on nonprofit boards of directors for leadership experience.
The Haas School also offers students career advice and opportunities in the nonprofit sector as well as two Fellowships for MBAs pursuing opportunities to achieve a social impact. Finally, there are five unique outside-the-classroom opportunities for students to seek involvement in the nonprofit sector including the Haas Impact Investing Network and the Global Social Venture Competition.
At the Kellogg School of Business, the Center for Nonprofit Management Programs is what helps the program stand out. The Center is led by top Kellogg faculty and offers 15 different programs and experiences for executives to gain more experience and skills in the nonprofit field. Students can deepen their knowledge in areas such as Nonprofit Finance, Strategic Leadership, Successful Fundraising Strategies, and Innovation in Nonprofit Organizations.
For MBAs, there are various options available.
- Social Impact Pathway: MBAs can choose to follow the Social Impact Pathway during their program, which helps students gain the skills they need to work in business, government, and nonprofits.
- Public-Private Interface (KPPI): MBAs can also participate in the KPPI initiative, which disseminates knowledge for leaders and managers in the public and nonprofit sector.
MBAs can also participate in teaching cases that feature nonprofit organizations or join entrepreneurship and innovative initiatives for nonprofits. There are also various clubs including the Kellogg Impact Consulting Club, which matches MBAs with Chicago nonprofits, and Net Impact, which is a student-led organization focused on bridging business and social impact.
The Kellogg Board Fellows Program is a student-led program that pairs students with Chicago-area nonprofits and allows them to serve on their board of directors for 14 months. The program’s goal is to produce strong, socially responsible leaders in the nonprofit community by providing MBAs with real-world experience.
Other Top Nonprofit MBA Programs
Other top programs include:
Duke University (6)
Columbia University (7)
University of Michigan—Ann Arbor (8)
Fordham University (9)
University of California—Los Angeles (10)
About the Author
Kelly Vo
Kelly Vo is a writer who specializes in covering MBA programs, digital marketing, and personal development.
