Top Business Schools for Healthcare / Pharma / Biotech 2022

Located in what is known as "The Healthcare City" - Rutgers is close to big pharma companies like Johnson & Johnson and Bristol-Myers Squibb, as well as several large hospitals. Rutgers' Pharmaceutical Management MBA concentration and the Lerner Center—which publishes relevant research and puts on events—further strengthen the school's links to the biopharmaceutical industry. In recent years, over half of the school's MBA classes have gone into the healthcare or pharma industries.

BU offers a two-year, specialized Health Sector MBA (HSM) that leads to internships and jobs in the Boston area and beyond. Twenty-nine percent of all of 2021 MBA grads landed jobs in the healthcare industry or related fields. BU's is one of a handful of MBA and dual-degree MBA programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME).

Northeastern’s Boston location puts it right in the middle of a healthcare hub. To cater to demand in this field, the school offers an MBA concentration in Healthcare Management, which addresses specific topics in the American healthcare system and the strategic management of healthcare organizations, among other topics. A whopping 28 percent of Northeastern’s MBA class of 2019 landed jobs in healthcare and related organizations, such as Boston Children’s Hospital and CVS Health.

Students who are interested in healthcare can pursue the school’s Medical Industry MBA specialization, which explores topics in healthcare law, the pharmaceutical industry, the medical device industry, and more. Recruiters generally include the Mayo Clinic, Medtronic, and GE Healthcare, among others. Up to 23 percent of the school’s recent MBA classes have gone into the healthcare sector.

The percentage of IMD MBAs going into pharmaceuticals has reached double digits in recent years, with many alum going to work for Swiss pharma giants like Novartis and Roche. Although the school’s placement into this field fluctuates from year to year, upwards of fifteen percent of MBA class has landed jobs in this sector in recent years. 

Students interested in healthcare can pursue Olin’s “Business of Healthcare” concentration. Up to twenty percent of recent MBA grads have gone into the pharma/biotech/healthcare industries. Recent employers snapping up WUSTL’s MBAs have included CVS Health, Procter & Gamble, and the St. Louis City Health Department. 

In recent years, the school has reported that up to 17 percent of its recent MBA grads have gone into healthcare or pharma roles. Recruiters have included pharmaceutical companies like Johnson & Johnson and GlaxoSmithKline. The school also puts on a range of healthcare-themed executive education courses.

Although CEIBS does not offer an MBA specialization in Healthcare, it does offer some relevant electives, including one called “Health Care: Economics and Industry.” In recent years, over 13 percent of school's MBA class has gone into the healthcare industry. The school hosts the CEIBS Healthcare Sector Research Centre, which produces research; and it runs a dual-degree MBA/MPH through a partnership with Johns Hopkins.

Generally, around 15 to 20 percent of St. Gallen MBAs go into the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries after graduation. Novartis recruits heavily from the school. The school hosts a “Center for Healthcare,” which produces relevant research and puts on healthcare-related executive education programs.

Music isn't Nashville's biggest industry; health care is. Vanderbilt offers a specialized Health Care MBA that leverages close ties to Vanderbilt's Medical Center and proximity to hundreds of local healthcare companies, including HCA. The school also offers various other management programs in healthcare, including a joint MD/MBA and the one-year Master of Management in Health Care. Twenty-two percent of Owen’s MBA class of 2021 went into the healthcare sector.