Social impact programs have come a long way since I did my MBA internship in social entrepreneurship with Juma Ventures in San Francisco. This topic has become the cornerstone of many MBA programs, and each time I update this blog post, I am excited to add new schools to this list! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
While finance, marketing, operations, and organizational structure will always be the core of an MBA curriculum, many programs have leaned into weaving social impact into their core, while others have developed concentrations, pathways, or majors around social impact. Whether you want to pivot to social impact as a career or inject social impact into your future roles, here are some MBA programs that should be on your radar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Berkeley Haas is known to support social impact through its curriculum, experiential learning, and significant research. Haas\u2019s Social Impact<\/strong><\/a> career path includes classes such as \u201cLarge Social Change,\u201d \u201cApplied Impact Evaluation,\u201d \u201cSocial Investing,\u201d and \u201cNetworks for Impact: Social Innovation\u2019s Next Frontier.\u201d In each of the social impact electives, students are challenged to innovate and think through problems with a social impact lens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As Haas is known for its experiential learning, the Center for Social Sector Leadership<\/strong><\/a> offers , where students work with volunteer McKinsey & Company consultants to address strategy or organizational questions for nonprofit clients. Students also have social impact\u2013related opportunities through Net Impact<\/strong><\/a>, which the group\u2019s website describes as \u201ca community at Haas whose purpose is to help each member to explore, define, and progress toward the personal social impact they wish to achieve.\u201d And the Institute for Business & Social Impact<\/strong><\/a> involves more than 80% of full-time MBA students in classes such as \u201cClimate Change and Business Strategy\u201d and \u201cBusiness and Sustainable Supply Chains,\u201d while also housing the Center for Responsible Business<\/a> and the Center for Equity, Gender and Leadership<\/a>. Professors such as William Rosenzweig<\/strong><\/a> and Kellie A. McElhaney<\/strong><\/a> continue to deepen Haas\u2019s focus on social impact. Haas also offers a joint MBA\/MCS (Master of Climate Solutions)<\/strong><\/a> with the Rausser College of Natural Resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chicago Booth\u2019s Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation<\/strong><\/a> gives students a wide variety of resources and opportunities in social impact. Through the Edwardson Social Entrepreneurship Program<\/strong><\/a>, students can flex their social impact muscles in the Social New Venture Challenge<\/strong><\/a>, which can provide funding to start a venture with a social mission, or as a Tarrson Social Venture Fellow<\/strong><\/a>, where they could receive funding and advising on a startup working to solve a social or environmental problem. Students can apply to take courses such as \u201cNew Social Ventures\u201d and \u201cSocial Entrepreneurship and Innovation\u201d\u2014or the \u201cGlobal Social Entrepreneurship Lab,\u201d where they will work with a Partner Social Venture on a project for one semester. Students interested in the impact investing side of social impact can get hands-on experience through the Steven Tarrson Impact Investment Fund<\/strong><\/a>. and the Golub Capital Board Fellows Program<\/strong><\/a> allow students to practice what they\u2019ve learned with local Chicago nonprofits. And even as alumni, former students can stay involved through Booth Alumni Nonprofit Consultants<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tuck\u2019s Center for Business, Government & Society<\/strong><\/a> works to build solutions to global challenges through pathways to process, working to inspire students to be changemakers. Tuck GIVES (Grants to Interns and Volunteers for the Environment and Society)<\/strong><\/a> supports students who want to spend their summers working for a nonprofit or public sector organization. Students can gain hands-on experience with impact investing through the Tuck Social Venture Fund<\/strong><\/a>, which is student driven. Courses such as \u201cBusiness and Society\u201d<\/strong><\/a> and \u201cManaging for Social Impact<\/strong><\/a>\u201d help Tuck students build a toolkit to drive social change. Student clubs<\/strong><\/a> including Tuck Community Consulting, Tuck Sustains, and Net Impact help Tuck students engage outside the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Duke Fuqua School of Business<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n At Duke, the Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE)<\/strong><\/a> is the hub for everything social impact, including the Social Entrepreneurship<\/strong><\/a> concentration. Within this concentration, through courses such as \u201cFrom Social Entrepreneurship to Business for Good\u201d and \u201cSocial Venture Capital\u201d or the CASE i3 Consulting Practicum<\/strong><\/a>, students can gain a blend of learning and experience in social impact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Outside of the classroom, students might serve on the Fuqua Sustainable Impact Student Investment Fund<\/strong><\/a> to gain experience managing impact-oriented investment strategies or CASE Launch Pad<\/strong><\/a> to develop or launch a social impact idea of their own. Students might also participate in future social impact research by contributing to the vast CASE Knowledge Database<\/strong><\/a>. In their second year, students might consider becoming a CASE Fellow<\/strong> <\/a>or a CASE i3 Fellow<\/strong><\/a> (or both!) to gain practical experience in developing programs in impact investing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Georgetown University McDonough School of Business<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Through Georgetown\u2019s Business for Impact<\/strong><\/a>, students work to help people and the planet. The school offers a Certificate in Sustainable Business<\/strong><\/a>, within which students might take such courses as \u201cEnvironmentally Sustainable Operations and Business Models\u201d and \u201cUnderstanding Social Innovation.\u201d As an Impact Fellow<\/strong><\/a>, students pick an area of focus across Community Finance<\/a>, Community Conservation<\/a>, Community Infrastructure<\/a>, and Corporate Impact<\/a>. To gain hands-on learning, students might participate in the Anacostia Social Impact Fund<\/strong><\/a> or a Corporate + Community project<\/strong><\/a>. Outside of the classroom, students might join Net Impact<\/strong><\/a> or the Georgetown Energy and Cleantech Club<\/strong><\/a>. As with anything at Georgetown, the global focus of the impact is clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n NYU Stern\u2019s Center for Sustainable Business<\/strong><\/a>, Business & Society Program<\/strong><\/a>, and Center for Business and Human Rights<\/strong><\/a> offer innumerable resources and opportunities for students who want to explore social impact. Through Stern\u2019s Social Enterprise<\/strong><\/a> Area of Interest, students can dive into specializations such as Sustainable Business and Innovation or Leadership and Change Management\u2014to customize their coursework to their specific impact-focused career goals. Classes such as \u201cInternational Social Impact Strategies\u201d and \u201cExamining the Nonprofit Capital Market\u201d give students a toolkit to solve problems with social impact in mind. Outside of the classroom, students can take on real projects affecting New York City through Stern Signature Projects<\/strong><\/a> or invest in innovative and socially sustainable businesses in the NYU Impact Investment Fund<\/strong><\/a>. Students can also get involved in social impact\u2013focused clubs such as the Social Impact and Sustainability Association<\/strong><\/a>. Professor Tensie Whelan<\/strong><\/a> has contributed her years of expertise and continues to be a cornerstone of Stern\u2019s sustainability resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oxford Sa\u00efd stands out in Europe for its social impact focus through the Skoll Centre<\/strong><\/a>. Through programs such as Impact Lab<\/strong><\/a>, students gain experiential opportunities to build a future in social impact at larger organizations, as an entrepreneur, or globally. Skoll\u2019s theory of change focuses on global impact. Skoll Scholars<\/strong><\/a> can earn full course funding to focus on a career in global social change. Map the System<\/strong><\/a> is a learning program and global competition that pushes students to think holistically about long-term solutions and supports Said\u2019s research in systems-focused change making. Classes such as \u201cGlobal Opportunities and Threats<\/strong><\/a>\u201d and \u201cCapitalism in Debate<\/strong><\/a>\u201d help Sa\u00efd students think differently about existing norms and challenge them to envision a different future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stanford GSB\u2019s Center for Social Innovation<\/strong><\/a> is geared toward building leaders for change. The Certificate in Public Management and Social Innovation<\/strong><\/a> helps students build a curriculum to bring about social impact change in their specific way. Through the Social Entrepreneurship Program<\/strong><\/a>, students can gain support and resources to start their own social venture. And through the Stanford GSB Impact Fund<\/strong><\/a>, students can try their hand at impact investing. Students also can apply to the Social Management Immersion Fund<\/strong><\/a> to be sponsored to work with nonprofits, governmental agencies, and social-purpose businesses. As a leading research institution in social impact, Stanford GSB allows students to collaborate with the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wharton continues to build its social impact presence around its strong finance reputation. Through the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Initiative<\/strong><\/a>, Wharton adds new majors focused on social impact. Depending upon their career goals, students can choose from the majors Business, Energy, Environment and Sustainability<\/strong><\/a>; Environmental, Social and Governance Factors for Business<\/strong><\/a>; and Social and Governance Factors for Business<\/strong><\/a>. The MBA\/MES (Master of Environmental Studies) dual degree<\/strong><\/a> is also available. Students can get involved in the Wharton Climate Center<\/strong><\/a>, the Impact Investing Research Lab<\/strong><\/a>, the Political Risk & Identity Lab<\/strong><\/a>, or the Zicklin Center for Governance & Business Ethics<\/strong><\/a> to collaborate with other students and professors on research in these important socially focused areas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Outside of research and the classroom, students can gain hands-on learning on the financial side of social impact through Turner MIINT MBA Impact Investing Network and Training<\/strong><\/a>, Wharton Impact Venture Associates<\/strong><\/a>, and the Turner Impact Portfolio Challenge<\/strong><\/a>. Or they can put their heads together on a Wharton Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Integration Project<\/strong><\/a>, where students conduct consulting projects with companies and organizations and focus on existing real-world projects related to ESG issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yale School of Management (SOM)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In light of Yale SOM\u2019s mission to educate leaders for business and society, the school has embedded social impact in its culture since its inception. The Program on Social Enterprise, Innovation, and Impact<\/strong><\/a> looks to make connections across people and programs to innovate on building a more equitable, sustainable, and inclusive world. The Meng Impact Investment Fund<\/strong><\/a> is a student-run investment fund that offers students the opportunity to drive investments in sectors based on student interest. Sectors of focus in recent years have included climate, education, workforce development, financial inclusion, and health care. Courses such as \u201cGlobal Social Entrepreneurship<\/strong><\/a>\u201d and \u201cSocial Innovation Starter<\/strong><\/a>\u201d help students explore issues ranging from nonprofit management and public policy to environmental stewardship and business ethics. Social Impact Lab<\/strong><\/a> is a weekly speaker series that brings in leaders across mission-driven organizations to offer students insights into the challenges they are facing. Students also could get involved in the Yale Economic Development Symposium<\/strong><\/a> or the Yale Philanthropy Conference<\/strong><\/a>. Yale SOM leans into the environmental side of social impact through the Yale Center for Business and the Environment<\/strong><\/a>, the joint MBA\/Master of Environmental Management or Master of F<\/strong><\/a>orestry<\/strong> degree, and the Yale Business and the Environment Club<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nChicago Booth School of Business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Dartmouth Tuck School of Business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
NYU Stern School of Business<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Oxford Sa\u00efd<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Wharton School<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n