What MBA Alumni Say

What do recent MBA and master’s alumni say about the value of their degree?

Every year, we survey MBAs and graduate business school alumni who have been in the job market from six months to 10 years.

Here are the highlights of our 2012 survey:

Employment Continues to Rise: 92% of Class of 2012 Grads Have Jobs
For graduates of the Class of 2012, 52% got their first post-degree job after graduating from business school, 34%, continued working for their employer post-degree, and 14% had an internship that continued after graduation.

Alumni Salary 2013
Source: GMAC, 2013. Alumni Perspectives Survey Report1

Prior Work Experience Yields Premium in Starting Salaries
Alumni in the class of 2012 with three or more years of work experience at the time they enrolled in graduate business school earned a premium of US$25,000 (median) upon graduation, compared with those who entered their programs with less experience. Class of 2012 alumni who completed an internship also saw a salary boost of US$21,995 (median) compared with those who did not do an internship, regardless of program type.

Jobs Cover Broad Sectors of Economy
Class of 2012 alumni are making strides in a variety of industries:

  • Products and services (20%)
  • Consulting (19%)
  • Technology (17%)
  • Finance and accounting (16%)
  • Manufacturing (9%)
  • Health care or pharmaceuticals (8%)
  • Nonprofit or government (8%)
  • Energy and utilities (3%)

Alumni Cite Top Career Outcomes as Drivers of Degree’s Value
Alumni continue to value their degrees highly, with 95% of class of 2012 alumni rating the value of their education good to outstanding. The top three career outcomes driving alumni assessment of educational value include receiving progressively challenging and interesting work, developing managerial knowledge and technical skills, and being enabled to start their own business.

Meet recent MBA alumni and hear their advice for developing careers in different industries.

[1] Salary data for 2012 reflects methodological change to include starting salary representing all graduating students in the class of 2012. Previous salary analysis included only alumni who obtained a new job after graduation, not those continuing an existing job. Median salary shown in US Dollars.