What Graduating MBAs Say

One thing everybody considers before deciding to go for an MBA or other business master’s degree is what the value of the degree will be to them.

The Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®) conducts a Global Graduates survey every year to learn from students just about to graduate whether their business school program met their expectations, how satisfied they are with their degree, and what career outcomes they have achieved as a result.

Of the 5,000 students from the class of 2012 who participated in our survey:

  • 94% rated the quality of the graduate management program as outstanding, excellent, or good.
  • Four out of 5 felt their degree gave them a competitive advantage and prepared them for today’s job market.

Key Drivers of Quality for Graduate Business Education

Key Drivers of Quality

A Graduate Business Degree Pays Off in a Competitive Job Market
Class of 2012 grads reported their degree opened the door to jobs, increased career opportunities, and a significant boost in pay:

  • 62% of job seekers across all program types in the class of 2012 had received an offer of employment at the time of our survey (up 8% compared with students the year before).
  • In 2012, typical MBA grads saw the following increases from pre-degree to post-degree salary: 81% for those in a full-time two-year MBA program, 67% for graduates in a full-time one-year MBA program, and 53% for part-time MBA graduates.

Internships Are Important When It Comes to Salary
Participating in an internship can play a big role in your salary offer. Class of 2012 grads who received a job offer through an internship received a salary increase over pre-degree earnings of 84% compared with an increase of 70% for those who received a new job offer at graduation without an internship.

Want to Know More?
For more information about choosing the right school and program, see the Find a School section of this site and read our post on the Official GMAT blog, “Hunting for the Right School.” See profiles of what business school graduates are doing with their careers.