By Nathaniel Luce
Graduates from the full-time MBA program at Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management reported median base salary earnings of $110,000 per year, marking a nearly 5 percent increase from the previous year, which until now had been the highest on record. This year’s robust hiring was led by health care and management consulting.
At commencement in mid-May, 85 percent of the 2016 MBA graduates had received at least one job offer. That figure rose to 94 percent three months after graduation, a common measure used by business schools to compare hiring outcomes. In addition, 77 percent of the graduates with an offer received a median signing bonus of $25,000, also a record amount.
“While we are very happy to see record compensation, we are also extremely pleased with the breadth of employment opportunities for our graduates across multiple industries, job functions and geographies,” said Emily Anderson, Director of Owen’s Career Management Center.
Broken down by industry, the top three fields for this year’s Owen graduates were consulting (25 percent), health care (24 percent) and financial services (15 percent).
Geographically, 46 percent of this year’s MBA class took positions in the South. The Northeast region accounted for 15 percent of geographic placements, while the West and Midwest were tied with 13 percent. Nine percent went to the Southwest.
Anderson said she is optimistic for the class of 2017 as well. One-hundred percent of Owen students seeking summer internships received one, resulting in approximately 50 percent returning with job offers.
2016 graduates of Vanderbilt’s one-year MS Finance program also reported positive employment news. Student satisfaction with MS Finance career management services surged to a new record high for the third soncsecutive year. Ninety-five percent of the class accepted job offers within three months of graduation, bringing the four-year average for the program to 98%. The average salary for the Class of 2016 is $68,179.
This year’s full MBA employment report is available here.
The MS Finance program report is also available on the site.
Contact Person: Ryan Underwood Business News & Communication Office Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management
Contact Phone: 615.322.1003
Contact Email: ryan.underwood@vanderbilt.edu
