An MBA Degree is Essential

GMAC asked business school alumni from graduating classes in the past five decades

(1959-2013) if their MBA or business master’s degree was essential to obtaining

employment and 83 percent said YES.

The Data:

Survey results are based on direct collaboration with 132 business schools in 29 countries and include data for nearly 21,000 business school alumni,

Key Findings:

The vast majority of business school alumni consider their graduate management education a good to outstanding value: 91 percent of graduates from 2010–2013, compared with 95 percent of graduates from 2000–2009, and an overwhelming 98 percent of alumni who graduated from the 1950s through the 1990s.

The vast majority of alumni (83 percent) from the classes of 1959 through 2013 report their graduate management degrees were essential for obtaining employment; and 80 percent of graduate business school alumni attribute their career success to their graduate management degree.

More than 4 in 5 alumni across all graduation years strongly agree that they make an impact at their company (86 percent), are engaged with their work (85 percent), have challenging and interesting work (85 percent), have meaningful work (84 percent), and work for a company that values their skills and abilities (81 percent).

MBAs and other business master’s degree-holders work in a variety of industries, with Finance/accounting and Products and services sectors (each with 20 percent) employing the greatest percentages of alumni surveyed. Among self-employed alumni, more than 3 in 10 work in both products and services and consulting.

Soft skills account for 3 of the top 5 skills that business school alumni use every day on the job. Interpersonal skills are the most frequently used skills, followed by knowledge of general business functions, conscientiousness, managing the decision-making process, and the combined skills of learning, motivation, and leadership.

Read more....