Top Business Schools for Nonprofit Management 2023

Students interested in delving deep into nonprofit management can pursue the school’s Public & Nonprofit Management MBA program. Five percent of Questrom’s MBA class of 2020 went into the nonprofit sector.

Students in GWU’s MBA program can pursue a Certificate in Nonprofit Management, which is offered through the Tratchtenberg School of Public Policy & Public Administration and aims to help students understand the intricacies of managing nonprofits. The school’s Institute for Corporate Responsibility produces relevant research.

McDonough’s Global Social Enterprise Initiative is a nexus for research and events relevant to the nonprofit sector. Besides the school’s MBA program, Georgetown also offers a nonprofit management program called “New Strategies” aimed to help senior nonprofit managers excel in their roles. In recent years, upwards of eight percent of the MBA class has gone onto be nonprofit managers.

MBA students interested in managing nonprofits can use Oxford's Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship as a hub for making connections and finding resources. The center can also help students tailor their experiential projects to focus on social innovation. The school also offers a selection of social entrepreneurship electives.

Although the school does not offer an MBA in Nonprofit per se, interested students can pursue the MBA specialization in Public Policy & Management, which covers relevant topics. In recent years, six percent of the school’s MBA classes have gone into nonprofits.

One of the best nonprofit MBA programs in the Boston area is Suffolk’s MBA / Nonprofit. Through a range of unique curriculum—such as classes in "Grant Writing and Management" and "Public Service Communication"—this program prepares students for a career in this field. Suffolk also offers an MPA degree in nonprofit management.

Geneva, a hub for international organizations and NGO activity, is a magnet for those seeking a career in the nonprofit sector. The school offers a specialized “International Organizations MBA” that examines management of intergovernmental, public and nonprofit organizations.

Weatherhead's Fowler Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit, launched in 2002, serves as a hub for MBAs looking to work in not-for-profits and other mission-oriented organizations. In recent years, upwards of thirteen percent of the school’s MBA classes have gone into nonprofits. In partnership with the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Weatherhead also offers an Executive MBA Nonprofit Certificate.

In any given year, some five to ten percent of graduates go into the nonprofit sector. In the past, students have been recruited by nonprofit organizations like AmeriCare, the Nature Conservancy, and the Environmental Defense Fund.

With the “Heller MBA in Nonprofit Management,” Brandeis is one of only a handful of schools to offer a specialized MBA in this field. The program's curriculum is designed to look at management through a nonprofit lens, with a specific focus on “the triple bottom line” (people, planet, profit). Grads go on to do fulfilling work in organizations like the Peace Corps and the AIDS Action Committee.