Editorial
applications
strategy manager at London Business School observes that “with an MBA, have risen to the US$90-95,000 bracket (from $80-85,000). These
it becomes easier for someone to make up to two out of the three big career expectations are topped by German applicants who are currently earning
changes, either in geography, function or industry, but rarely can someone an average of US$97,900 and expect to earn $194,100 on graduation,
change all three.” followed by UK applicants who expect uplift from US$79,500 to
However some words of caution are required, because in a recession, $169,700.
big career changes become harder and the MBA qualification is more likely Jay Barratt says “the exorbitant MBA salaries of 2007/8 many not be
to be simply a route to career progression. Barratt says: “I see students with sustainable, but I have spoken to many of the big banks and am confident
no prior banking experience seeking internships in banking and I just don’t my MBA will still ensure a strong salary uplift compared to what I was
see it happening next year.” earning at JP Morgan pre-MBA.”
When selecting a school, career placement results are the primary
selection criteria for applicants worldwide, though European applicants Table 3 shows the uplift in expected salaries compared with current
place greater emphasis on the quality of academics, ahead of the reputation salaries amongst MBA applicants from selected countries:
of the school or its performance in rankings. Rankings have fallen in
current average salary (Us$) country average target salary
relevance and importance to candidates in recent years; having been the
(Us$)
second most important criteria as recently as 2000, it was only the seventh $97900 Germany $194100
most important criteria in 2008.
$79500 UK $169700
$41600 Russia $155700
Table 1 shows the rank order of business school selection criteria
amongst applicants from various regions of the world:
$84000 France $148700
Respondents From:
$55800 Italy $130500
criteria north Europe asia
$62600 United States $124200
america
$59600 Canada $120700
Career placement record 1 2 1
$30500 Chile $118400
Return on investment 2 4 4
$51100 Brazil $111300
Quality of research / academics 3 1 3
$28600 India $99900
School reputation 3 5 7
$25200 Argentina $96800
Profile of students / alumni 5 9 8
$26800 China $91000
School specializations 5 6 5
$31500 Mexico $90000
Recent school ranking 7 7 10
$28500 Peru $79800
Accreditation status 8 8 8
$24500 Colombia $77600
Scholarships / financial Aid 9 3 2
$24300 Venezuela $64600
Convenience of location 10 13 13
Teaching style (e.g. case method) 11 9 11
Source: QS TopMBA.com Applicant Survey 2008
Course length 12 12 12
Some young professionals try to time their MBA so that they graduate in
Affordability 13 11 6
time to benefit from the next boom. Martinelli says, “Experience suggests
Source: QS TopMBA.com Applicant Survey 2008 that such forecasting is difficult and the best time to take an MBA is when
an applicant feels ready personally, irrespective of economic conditions. An
European MBA applicants today have significantly higher earnings MBA should be viewed with a long-term career perspective.” The short-term
expectations than their counterparts in other parts of the world. According outlook for MBA application numbers is undoubtedly positive, which is
to the TopMBA.com research, average, global, post-MBA target earnings good news for schools and employers.
8 TopMBA CAreer Guide www.topmba.com

TopMBA CAreer Guide www.topmba.com 9
MBA_SPR09_pp_001-051.indd 9 17/2/09 15:54:36
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