Top 10 MBA Programs in Human Rights

The NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights was setup in 2013 in New York City. The first center dedicated to human rights at a business school, it has developed a series of MBA courses, teaching models and tools focused on addressing human rights challenges  across economic sectors. 

Berkeley Haas School of Business in California launched its full-length MBA course, Managing Human Rights in Business, in 2016. It was the first business school to do so. The teaching draws on the expertise of the Human Rights and Business Initiative, which is a joint 
initiative with Berkeley Law’s Human Rights Center and the Center for Responsible Business at Berkeley Haas.

The Geneva School of Economics and Management (GSEM) in Switzerland has created a specialization for students interested in becoming experts in sustainable business and human rights. GSEM also runs the Geneva Center for Business and Human Rights, the first of its kind in Europe. 

In 2016, the UK’s Alliance Manchester Business School funded a new initiative: The Business and Human Rights Catalyst, one of the first human rights programs at a business school. Alliance Manchester teaches its MBA students about their direct responsibility to respect human rights as future business leaders. 

The AACSB-accredited University of Connecticut School of Business launched the Business and Human Rights Initiative in partnership with the Thomas J. Dodd Center and the Human Rights Institute. The Initiative supports the learning of MBA students and current course offerings include Corporate Social Impact, Business Solutions to Societal Challenges, Assessment for Human Rights and Sustainability, and Politics and Human Rights in Global Supply Chains.

Copenhagen Business School is one of few academic institutions worldwide that offer courses specifically on the intersection of business and human rights. The school in Denmark offers two such MBA courses and the institution also hosts several conferences and research seminars on human rights each year. This programming is part of the school’s wider commitment to corporate sustainability. 

Harvard Business School has developed case studies about business and human rights that it teaches to MBA students. This topics covered include the definition of human rights, the business leader’s role in upholding human rights, and the legal liability of companies and executives who violate human rights. HBS also hosts an annual Business and Human Rights Conference that serves as a further opportunity for students to learn from business leaders and government officials. 

At the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, some faculty have developed cases about business and human rights, which teach MBA students about mitigating human rights risks across the supply chain. The students also learn how to integrate social and environmental responsibility into business models without sacrificing financial returns, and how to face media coverage and public scrutiny. 

The Mendoza College of Business MBA program also includes case studies that touch upon human rights issues including how to balance an idyllic corporate philosophy with the need to grow and capture market share. Such subjects are discussed in the course called Foundations of Ethical Business Conduct, which is a required module in the core curriculum. 

The International Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility, at the UK’s Nottingham University Business School, focuses on business and human rights. It seeks to define the challenges of corporate responsibility towards human rights, and improve students’ knowledge on global governance dynamics and people’s fundamental rights.