Hey everybody... I am sourcing b-school options to start next year. Currently looking at Johns Hopkins and Yale. I am quite interested in going into nonprofit management after graduating, and I guess that both schools excel in this area. JHU's Health Care concentration is also very interesting to me, since I have worked in the health field and will most likely stay in the health field after I finish.

One thing that gives me pause is the idea that the Carey Business School seems to be offering an MBA only beginning recently, while Yale has an established MBA program. So I wonder if credibility is a factor, after I graduate and am applying for jobs.

I might also consider Boston University as a "safety" school.

I think the Johns Hopkins brand is more than strong enough in the healthcare industry, but Yale must be stronger and will give you more flexibility in your later career.

That's exactly right, Duncan: Carey places a large number (25 percent) of its grads from year to year into the healthcare industry. At Yale, it's more like 3-4 percent.

Yale does well, relatively speaking, at placing in nonprofits. For this field though, I tend to be partial to Brandeis' Heller MBA - especially for those who absolutely know that's what they want to do after graduating.

Also: I wouldn't be so worried about Carey only having offered the MBA for a few years. People know the JHU brand, and the business school is highly regarded by employers.

I haven't heard much about the Heller MBA. I will look into it though.

The Heller MBA is good but focused in a niche area. It's all about nonprofits. Which is great if that's what you know you want to do.

However, I'd caution that it can be constraining, and if you have any hesitation about staying in the nonprofit sector for the rest of your career, then you should consider one of the other programs you are looking at. Those will provide more flexibility, should you decide to go into something else besides the nonprofit sector. Plus, you'd have access to a more diverse set of recruiters with the Yale and Carey programs.

I agree with mba hipster - an MBA that's branded as a nonprofit degree might look a bit strange to people outside of the field. Say you decided that nonprofits aren't for you and want to get a job at Deloitte. The recruiters will look at that and really not know what to make of it. However, if you had Yale on your resume - they'll certainly know the brand, know the degree, and probably have already recruited candidates from the school.