Career Outlook With a Master’s in Business Administration
Online MBA Graduates Have More Options Than Ever
Be Prepared to Lead in Your Career
As a Purdue Online MBA student, you’ll have many opportunities to put what you’ve learned to use in the context of real business issues. As a graduate, your advanced skills and knowledge will prepare you to step into a broad range of rewarding leadership and management roles.
In addition, Purdue is one of the schools with the most graduates working at top Fortune 500 companies,1 which means you’ll join a well-connected, talented and successful network, further enhancing your career outlook.
We’ll Help You Get Where You’re Going Next
Whether you want to advance in your current career, switch to a new one or launch or grow a business, Krannert Professional Development Center (KPDC) will help you make your next giant career leap. Resources include:
- 1-on-1 certified Executive Coaches
- Professional development workshops
- Employer engagement opportunities and virtual career fairs
- Job search support
- Help with your personal brand, interview skills and more
- Networking connections
- A center dedicated to entrepreneurship
Career Opportunities With an MBA
According to a recent survey by the Graduate Management Admission Council, the top MBA career goals for prospective students include2:
- Manage people — 42%
- Manage projects — 40%
- Raise/salary increase — 40%
- Senior-level position — 39%
- Job with international travel — 35%
- Executive-level position — 34%
- Job with a different company — 28%
- CEO of a company — 23%
- Promotion — 20%
In a recent survey, corporate recruiters identified the following skills as ones they expect from business school graduates.3
- Ability to solve complex problems
- Ease working with numerical data
- Expertise in data analysis and interpretation
- Critical and logical reasoning skills
- Active listening to spoken arguments
- Effective communication and presentation skills
- Ethical behavior and determination to achieve goals
- Teaming with others to achieve a common goal
- Coachability and reflective learning skills
Master's vs. Bachelor's in Business: Career Advantages to Consider
Earning a bachelor’s in business administration covers the fundamentals of business education. An MBA builds upon that knowledge with hands-on, focused courses of study that prepare you with the leadership skills you need to land management positions that command some of the highest salaries of all major occupations.4
Business and financial positions in the U.S. are expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations from 2019 to 2029.5 Driven by the formation of new organizations and expansion of existing ones, more workers will be needed to manage operations.
Industries Where Graduates of Other Purdue MBA Programs Are Employed
| Area | Percentage of 2018 Class |
|---|---|
| Consulting | 10% |
| Finance/Accounting | 14% |
| General Management/Strategy | 6% |
| Marketing/Sales | 22% |
| Operations/Supply Chain | 34% |
| Human Resources | 14% |
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Discover More
Make your career goals a reality with Purdue University's Online Master of Business Administration. Call 877-491-0224 to speak with an Enrollment Specialist or request more information.
NOTES AND CONDITIONS - PLEASE READ
1 Source: Forbes, on the internet at https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2021/09/04/the-universities-with-the-most-graduates-working-at-top-fortune-500-companies/.
2 Source: Graduate Management Admission Council, Career Aspirations: mba.com Prospective Students Survey 2019, on the internet at https://www.gmac.com/-/media/files/gmac/research/prospective-student-data/career-aspirations_mbacom-prospective-students-survey-2019.pdf.
3 Source: Graduate Management Admission Council, The Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Companies Expect from Business School Graduates, Corporate Recruiters Survey 2018, on the internet at https://www.gmac.com/-/media/files/gmac/research/employment-outlook/ksa-report_corporate-recruiters-survey-2018.pdf.
4 Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Business careers with high pay,” Career Outlook, on the internet at https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2016/article/high-paying-business-careers.htm.
5 Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Business and Financial Occupations, on the internet at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/home.htm.