Median Salary Tops US$94,500; 93 Percent of B-School Alumni Employed
Compensation packages for MBAs who graduated over the last decade are continuing to grow as the global economy appears to be on the mend, according to research conducted by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), owner of the GMAT exam. The median base salary for business school alumni in the survey topped US$94,500 in 2010 -- well above the pre-recession level of US$89,000 recorded in 2007.
In another indication of the value of graduate management education, 93 percent of respondents to the most recent GMAC Alumni Perspectives Survey were employed. This was up from 90 percent of participants in the Council's 2009 alumni survey and just below the 95 percent mark seen in 2007.
"Employers around the world tell us they place great value on business school graduates -- and these strong compensation figures provide strong evidence to support that conclusion," said Dave Wilson, president and CEO of GMAC. "The message is clear: A quality management education positions people well to thrive in today's highly competitive, knowledge-driven job market."
GMAC's latest alumni survey, conducted in September 2010, drew responses from 3,490 business school graduates who earned their degrees between 2000 and 2010.
The new data reveal a continuing upward trend in compensation for business school graduates. Median base compensation among survey participants rose to US$94,542 in 2010, up from US$91,500 in the 2009 survey, US$90,000 in 2008 and US$89,000 in 2007. The median bonus in 2010 was US$17,565, compared with US$10,000 in 2007.
The 2011 GMAC Alumni Perspectives Survey Report and an interactive tool with data from the survey are available at www.gmac.com/AlumniPerspectivesSurvey .
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