하버드 경영대학원(HBS), 와튼, MIT 슬론 MBA 졸업생의 졸업 3년 차 중간 연봉은 각각 약 26만 달러, 24만8천 달러, 24만6천 달러로 확인됐다. 하버드 2025학번은 3개월 이내 구직 제안률이 90%, 수락률이 84%로 단기 취업 전환도 안정적으로 유지됐다. GMAC 집계에서는 2024년 지원자 수가 13%, 2025년이 2% 늘며 수요가 지속됐고, 맥킨지·베인·JP모건·골드만 삭스로 이어지는 채용 채널이 고용 탄탄성을 뒷받침한다고 전해졌다. 다만 리슨 창업 자문가, 일론 머스크, 피터 틸 등은 MBA보다 실무 창업의 효용을 더 높게 본다는 반대 의견을 제시한다.

원문 링크: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/not-degrees-waste-time-mba-133500625.html

Not all degrees are a waste of time: MBA graduates from Harvard, MIT, and Wharton are making over $245,000 just three years after graduating

As the job market has tightened, many Gen Z college graduates have struggled to find stable footing—raising new questions about whether a degree is still worth the time and debt burden.

But for many MBA students, the return on investment still looks hard to beat.

Recent data from Harvard Business School found MBA alumni are raking in median salaries of about $260,000 three years after graduating. At the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, alumni are earning $248,000, while MIT (Sloan) graduates are bringing in $246,000, according to the Financial Times .

Why do critics question MBA program value?

How competitive are elite MBA program admissions?

What salary ranges do top MBA graduates earn?

What advantages do top MBA networks provide?

This eye-watering pay—and strong return on investment—at elite MBA programs is “no surprise,” Jamie Beaton, founder and CEO of Crimson Education, a college admissions consulting firm , told Fortune .

The degree often serves as a gateway to some of the highest-paying fields in business, including management consulting, investment banking, and private equity. Top firms, from McKinsey and Bain to JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs, regularly recruit from a small group of elite schools, creating a reliable pipeline into fruitful careers, Beaton said.

“The enduring benefit of business school from a top school is as long as you select the right industries, the economic return is lucrative,” he said.

HBS, Wharton, and MIT regularly top lists of the best business schools in the country.

Despite the high post-grad salaries, an MBA’s value remains hotly debated.

Late last year, billionaire Joe Liemandt was asked on the BigDeal podcast if young people should pursue an MBA. His answer was simple: “No.”

“That’s an easy one for me,” said the Trilogy Software and ESW Capital founder. “There’s nothing on the business knowledge that you’re going to come out of there that is a fraction of what you would get from building your own thing for that two years.”

Other top leaders, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk and PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel, have similarly expressed their disdain for hiring someone just because they have an MBA.

Still, student interest hadn’t faded. Applications to MBA programs grew by 13% in 2024 and another 2% in 2025, according to the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC).

While long-term earnings are strong, short-term job outcomes also remain solid—even as concerns about the entry-level job market persist. Among HBS’s class of 2025, 90% received at least one job offer within three months of graduation—and 84% accepted, both figures an improvement from the previous two years.

Outcomes across the other so-called “Magnificent 7” business schools—Chicago (Booth), Columbia Business School, MIT (Sloan), Northwestern (Kellogg), Stanford (GSB), UPenn (Wharton)—show similar strength. Recent graduates reported median base salaries ranging from about $175,000 to $185,000 within three months of receiving their diploma.

Source: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/not-degrees-waste-time-mba-133500625.html