Top salaries after business school

US-website Poets & Quants has collected data on top business schools and the average salary graduates earned in 2018. The comparison is particularly interesting given the high cost of full-time MBA programmes.

In general, it’s best to choose a career in which you are comfortable, enjoy the work and can challenge yourself in positive ways. However, it’s also useful to know which MBA degrees generate the highest base salaries in certain industries, not only to choose a career path but also to find the best possible university or business school for it.

The highest base salary can be found under the category “other occupations” at New York University Stern School of Business (NYU Stern). These high salaries stem from areas like retail, luxury, and real estate where NYU Stern offers unique concentrations.

In finance, consulting, marketing and general management, Stanford Graduate School of Business tops the average base salary whilst Wharton does well in operations.

A Study International article emphasises that in finance, an MBA is practically a requirement, even at a junior level. “So, it makes economic sense to invest in one if you’re looking for positions such as financial analysts, finance manager, chief finance officer and portfolio managers,” the article states.

Average base salary for 2018 (US $)

1 Other occupations

New York University Stern School of Business $176,923

2 Finance

Stanford Graduate School of Business $159,397

3 Consulting

Stanford Graduate School of Business $142,151

4 Operations

Wharton $140,462

5 Marketing

Stanford Graduate School of Business $138,863

6 General Management