Every year, Net Impact publishes a Business as UNusual guide that surveys over 3,000 students currently in their social entrepreneurship MBA programs to provide an inside look on these programs.
Increasingly, students wish to pursue an MBA to embark on career paths that improve the world. Professor J. Gregory Dees, known as the “Father of Social Entrepreneurship Education”, pointed out that student demand is fueling the growth of social entrepreneurship education in their schools. But now with many options, figuring out which program to attend is a challenge in itself.
The choices and offerings from each MBA program range widely. There are full-time and part-time options. Students may be able to choose between one or two year programs. And with respect to social entrepreneurship education, activities outside the classroom such as conferences, business plan competitions, and on-campus incubators are important pieces to one’s experience.
In their last publication, 103 graduate business schools were profiled by local Net Impact Chapters. In addition, Net Impact members were asked to complete an online survey to provide feedback on their programs.
While schools differ and are evaluated among various factors, respondents were asked to give their programs an overall rating on a 5-point scale in two focus categories: sustainability and social impact. Students were also asked how satisfied they were with each program’s focus on social and environmental issues.
So how did the schools rank? The following is a list of 15 top-ranked social entrepreneurship graduate programs from the survey. Even though many programs were rated favourably overall, these 15 edged out on students’ satisfaction with their program’s focus on social and environmental issues among course content, faculty emphasis, student commitment, and extracurriculars.
Antioch University – New England (AUNE), MBA in Sustainability
Sustainability: 5/5
Social impact: 5/5
Survey respondents: 20
Full-time MBA students: 44
Reasons to attend: All respondents (100%) said they were satisfied with the program’s course content, faculty emphasis, and student commitment. In terms of extracurriculars, 83% said they were satisfied. AUNE has a strong emphasis on social justice and commitment to the environment. Its approach is to empower students to become leaders of change and to teach that organizations need to operate in the present without compromising the future. The MBA in Sustainability can be completed through a two-year weekend program or a one-year accelerated program.
Bainbridge Graduate Institute – Master of Business Administration Program
Sustainability: 5/5
Social impact: 4.5/5
Survey respondents: 68
Full-time MBA students: 196
Reasons to attend: Despite having a higher number of survey respondents, over 90% of students were satisfied with the program’s course content, faculty emphasis, and student commitment. In terms of extracurriculars, 82% said they were satisfied. Similar to AUNE, Bainbridge emphasizes social justice and sustainability. Its commitment to pursuing a triple bottom line of people, planet, and profit is reflected in the curriculum.
Colorado State University – Global Social & Sustainable Enterprise (GSSE) MBA
Sustainability: 4/5
Social impact: 4.5/5
Survey respondents: 42
Full-time MBA students: 50
Reasons to attend: Colorado State scored well on students’ satisfaction with course content (87%), faculty emphasis (91%), student commitment (89%), and extracurriculars (80%). From the first semester through to graduation, students work on developing enterprises that address real-world problems. A unique component of the GSSE is an 8-12 weeks of summer fieldwork in developing countries.
ESADE Business School – Master of Business Administration Program
Sustainability: 4/5
Social impact: 4.5/5
Survey respondents: 32
Full-time MBA students: 180
Reasons to attend: As the only non-U.S. school on this list, ESADE is rated favourably overall with more than 80% of students satisfied with course content, faculty emphasis, and extracurriculars, and 78% satisfied with student commitment. Two unique features of the ESADE MBA program are the Institute for Social Innovation research facility and the Entrepreneurship Institute. An annual conference brings together organizations from across Europe for knowledge sharing.
Mills College – Lorry I. Lokey Graduate School of Business
Sustainability: 4.5/5
Social impact: 4.5/5
Survey respondents: 32
Full-time MBA students: 99
Reasons to attend: Mills College scored well on students’ satisfaction with course content (91%), faculty emphasis (81%), student commitment (94%), and extracurriculars (88%). Originally founded to advance women in business, current students are both men and women representing a rich diversity of backgrounds and perspectives. The school boasts a joint MBA/MA Educational Leadership degree designed for leaders in education. It is particularly known for being a “green” college, with strong integration of social and environmental themes in core courses, and recognition as one of America’s “100 Coolest” green schools by the Sierra Club magazine.
Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS) – MBA in International Management & MA in International Environmental Policy
Sustainability: 4.5/5
Social impact: 4/5
Survey respondents: 24
Full-time MBA students: 80
Reasons to attend: MIIS was rated well, scoring over 90% across the four measures of student satisfaction. Its main strength is the interdisciplinary nature of its program. MBA students can pursue a dual degree in international environmental policy. It also has a diverse student body, with over 50% of students coming from outside the U.S.
New York University (NYU) – Stern School of Business
Sustainability: 4/5
Social impact: 5/5
Survey respondents: 29
Full-time MBA students: 784
Reasons to attend: NYU stands out as one of the larger institutions rated favourably by students: 90% were satisfied with course content, 83% were satisfied with faculty emphasis, 93% were satisfied with student commitment, and 100% were satisfied with extracurriculars. The MBA program gives students a broad set of electives, the Stern Consulting Corps that matches students with Stern professors, alumni mentors, and NYC-based organizations to undertake semester-long projects, and the Board Fellow program that allows students to join the board of NYC-based nonprofit organizations.
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