University of Iowa Tippie Expands Programs to Des Moines Campus

Law and business can be a match made in heaven. Many of the world’s leading universities are combining their business and law schools to run dual JD/MBA degrees or are bolting on legal modules to their generalist MBA courses.

Business schools aross the world offer MBA scholarships, also known as fellowships, and a wide range of other financial aid.

Not long ago, an MBA degree was regarded by many people as a passport to a lucrative professional job in a field such as investment banking or strategy consulting. While many students still pursue these career paths, a growing portion of them are looking for purpose as well as profit in their jobs.  In fact, making a positive social or environmental impact has overtaken pay and other perks as the top reasons MBA students pursue their career, according to an often-cited survey by Bain & Company, which, ironically, is a consultancy firm.  Curriculum changes are underway as business schools respond to the corporate social responsibility (CSR) revolution. Schools have been criticized for their apparent role in the global financial crisis and for focusing too heavily on maximizing shareholder return. Today many top MBA programs include an impact-related module, such as impact investing or social entrepreneurship.  The career opportunities in this field have flourished. CSR was previously something many companies merely paid lip service to, but they are making “impact” a fundamental piece of their business plans. There are now 2,655 certified “B Corporations”, or firms that verify their high social and environmental performance, across 150 industries and 60 countries, including the ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s and the social media company Hootsuite.  Picking the right program, however, is crucial. So we’ve ranked the best MBAs for social or environmental impact, below. 

If you want a business degree without giving up your job or salary, there are a plethora of part-time MBA courses to pick from. Many of the world’s most prestigious business schools run part-time MBAs that provide flexibility, but without sacrificing on the quality of content or delivery. See the top 10 part-time MBA programs globally.