4 Top Jobs for MBA Grads in Health Care (2025)

There's an increasing demand for MBA graduates as the U.S. health care industry grows.

MBA programs help students develop critical thinking, quantitative, organizational efficiency and relational skills that hospitals and health care providers find attractive from a business standpoint, experts say.

"Health care providers, hospitals, clinics – they’re organizations," says Arman Davtyan, assistant dean of enrollment management at Pepperdine University's Graziadio Business School in California. "To the extent that you still need to be running an organization, a lot of what you’d be learning in business school is going to matter. You’re going to learn about the financial side of it as well as the operational management, people, the strategic planning and the project management side of it."

Business school professionals say they've seen more students coming from the health care industry to earn an MBA, as well as those looking to break into the health care field after earning an MBA. Among 147 MBA programs that reported industry and salary data to U.S. News in an annual survey, 46 reported 10% or more graduates entering the health care space. Eight programs reported 25% or more grads entered health care.

Pepperdine responded to demand by launching an MBA concentration in health care management and leadership in 2024.

"The idea is to attract people who may be actual clinicians or health care providers, but now they’re looking to arm themselves with the business side of the house so they can either expand their role or do some sort of entrepreneurial venture," Davtyan says.

MBA students pursuing a career in health care are motivated by the ability to significantly affect society, lead in a rapidly growing and changing industry, and drive innovation through data analytics, artificial intelligence and other technology, says S. Kellogg Leliveld, senior director of career education and advising at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business.

Job prospects and earning potential are also attractive, as most of these jobs typically pay six figures, experts say. Among the 56 schools that reported average salary data to U.S. News, the overall average in the health care sector was $115,624. Forty of those schools reported average salaries of $103,700 or higher, with 14 at $140,100 or higher.

"I think there’s also opportunities to grow within these companies," says Rebecca Cook, executive director of career services at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business. "Most of them are pretty exciting in that they’re coming out with new products or launching new things all the time. If you’re coming at it from a marketing standpoint, to me that’s an interesting space to go into because you know there’s always new things."

Experts say MBA graduates are in demand across all facets of health care, from biotechnology and pharmaceuticals to health care systems and providers. Here are four health care careers that usually require an MBA background.

1. Health Care Consultant

Strategic management of resources is an important part of health care, and hospitals and providers often look to MBA grads for consulting in this area, Davtyan says.

"You hear a lot about private equity firms taking over health care services and organizations," he says. "So there’s definitely the need to get some consulting services to make something more efficient, speed up the delivery of services to our patients and how to cut down on costs."

Consultants are also often needed in policy development and analysis when health care companies and hospitals are working to understand or lobby for government policy and regulation, he says.

2. Strategic Project Manager

For those who don't want the travel requirements of consulting, working as a project manager for a hospital or health care provider may be a good fit.

These types of roles may also include operations responsibilities, such as serving as a project manager for clinical trials or for a health maintenance organization, says Dan Moshavi, dean of the Fowler College of Business at San Diego State University in California.

The pay is typically less in these roles than in consulting, but the work-life balance may be more attractive, experts say. There arealso various ways to execute this role, Davtyan says.

"As health care really leans into its technological capabilities, data capturing and sharing capabilities, project managers are also necessary to implement new technologies and workflows," he says.

3. Hospital Administrator

For those whose career aspirations include working in health care administration or potentially becoming the CEO of a hospital, an MBA “certainly helps,” Moshavi says. “If you’re going to run a hospital, absolutely that business background is critical.”

Experts say students interested in hospital systems tend to be driven to that path because of its altruistic nature. San Diego State offers a health services administration concentration within its MBA program.

"That program in particular tends to draw people who have a public health interest who recognize they will benefit from an MBA in terms of the skill sets they develop and their career opportunities," Moshavi says. "Around the pandemic, interest in public health went up dramatically, so we certainly see strong interest from students that are looking for that intersection between the skills that an MBA provides and the context that a health services focus or public health provides."

4. Pharmaceutical Brand Manager

Some Kelley graduates go to work for pharmaceutical companies like Eli Lilly or Johnson and Johnson as brand managers and product managers, Cook says.

This is predominantly a sales and marketing role that involves strong relational skills, Davtyan says. These professionals work to promote the benefits of a particular pharmaceutical product. Marketing managers made $157,620 on average in 2023, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

"Any kind of brand manager really has to understand the sales process," he says. "Obviously, marketing skills are going to be really valuable because you are representing that brand."

Considerations for MBA Health Care Jobs

The health care industry is heavily regulated, requiring leaders to navigate complex laws and ensure compliance with policies around patient care, privacy, insurance and reimbursement, Leliveld says. Ethical challenges also arise, as business leaders must balance financial considerations with patient outcomes while maintaining high moral standards.

Despite these challenges, health care is a rewarding field that offers the chance to make a meaningful impact, improve lives and contribute to public well-being, she says.

"We need more leaders in the space who want to make a difference," Leliveld wrote in an email. "The industry is intellectually stimulating, full of opportunities for problem-solving and provides strong long-term career stability."

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