Top Business Schools for Energy and Natural Resources 2023

One of the largest energy centers in the world, Houston is home to dozens of global oil and gas companies. It's also home to the Jones Graduate School of Business, which in recent years has sent almost 13 percent of its full-time MBA class into the energy sector; one of the highest percentages of all schools surveyed by FIND MBA. The school offers an MBA specialization in Energy, as well as a student club that hosts speakers and energy-related networking events

Although the school doesn't have an official MBA in Energy, a substantial portion of graduates go into the energy field. The campus' proximity to oil giants like Shell Oil and ExxonMobil means that these companies—as well as other energy firms—recruit substantially from the school.

The percentage of Edinburgh MBAs going into the energy sector has increased in recent years. In the past, Edinburgh MBA grads have gone into global energy firms like Schlumberger. MBAs have also done projects and internships with a range of energy companies, from the Spain-based EDP Renewables to GE Energy.

Offering concentrations in both Energy Finance and Cleantech, McCombs’ MBA bridges the gaps between two disparate parts of the industry. With UT Austin’s School of Law, McCombs hosts the Center for Energy, Law and Business, which produces relevant research and puts on events.

The school’s Gutierrez Energy Management Institute serves as a hub for research into the energy business. Beyond a specialized Energy MBA program, the school also offers an MS in Global Energy Management. According to the school, upwards of one-fifth of its recent MBA classes have gone into the energy industry. 

As part of UNC’s MBA, students can pursue a concentration in Energy, which explores topics such as “The Energy Value Chain,” “The Business of Alternative Energy,” and more. The school also hosts an “Energy Center,” which produces research and hosts a student energy club, among other functions.

In recent years, Fuqua has launched a range of energy-related MBA offerings, including a concentration in Energy & Environment and one in Energy Finance, as well as a three-year offering that combines an MBA with a Master of Environmental Management. The school’s Center for Energy, Development, and the Global Environment seeks to help businesses how to meet energy demands sustainably. Typically, some three to five percent of Duke MBAs go into the energy sector and related fields. Firms like ExxonMobil, GE, Pacific Gas & Electric, and NRG have all scooped up Fuqua grads in the recent past.

For a career in renewable energy, an MBA from Haas is hard to beat. MBA graduates from the school have gone on to work for companies like NextEra Energy and other renewable-oriented firms. The MBA in Energy and Clean Technology leverages the school's strengths in innovation to create an entrepreneurship-oriented curriculum.

The state of Oklahoma is one of the top producers of natural gas and oil in the US, and Price is helping grads tap into these industries with a number of specialized MBA offerings, including an Executive MBA in Energy. Full-Time MBA students can pursue a concentration in Energy; the school places grads into firms like ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, and Devon Energy.

Imperial’s Energy Business Research Laboratory produces a range of research in the sustainable energy space. The school also offers some interesting electives in the space, including “Clean Technology Investment,” which looks at how energy markets are evolving. In recent years, up to eight percent of the school’s MBA class went into the energy sector; grads have gone into firms like BP and EDF Energy.