The average base salary for graduates of Cornell SC Johnson College of Business 2-year MBA Class of 2017 was up from last year by about 3.5 % at $125,578.
This figure is the School’s highest salary level to date, Johnson said in the Employment Report. The increase was driven by salary growth in consulting and finance.
While the Mean Total Salary was $125,578, the Signing Bonus was $31,604. The U.S. work authorized students received $127,684 salary and $32,171 Signing Bonus. The non-U.S. work authorized received $120,575 salary and $30,295 Signing Bonus.
Though Finance drew 38% of the graduates with a Salary of $122,456 and Signing Bonus of $43,164, it was Legal that took in just 5% of the Class which came up with a salary packet of $182,308 and Signing Bonus of $26,667.
“Employment rates are certainly an important measure. But it is also important to look at how strong an MBA program’s network is and the salary growth that graduates continue to experience,” says Cynthia.
Consulting claimed 26% with a Salary of $134,747 and Signing Bonus of $28,270. General Management was in the third spot with 21% opting for it with a salary of $114,601 and Signing Bonus of $25,035.
Marketing had 8% with a salary of $106,975 and Signing Bonus of $24,935. Other job functions had 2% for which salary and signing bonus figures were not available.
The Report said 93% of the students had reported full-time job offers within three months of graduation. While 71% had participated in school-facilitated recruiting activities, 29% had gone for graduate-initiated job search activities.
They found roles in 122 companies. The top recruiters included Citigroup Inc., Amazon, Deloitte Consulting LLP, Ernst & Young, Bank of America, Corning Incorporated, and Liberty Mutual.
The Career Management Center (CMC) working with on-campus recruiters had welcomed 38 new companies to Ithaca. This is a significant jump from 2016, marking a 72% increase in the number of on-campus recruiting companies.
Meanwhile, CMC executive director Cynthia Saunders-Cheatham says prospective students, while evaluating career outcomes and employment reports among different MBA programs, should consider what else comes with their degree in hand.
Johnson and Cornell’s network of alumni strengthen the value of graduates’ MBA with 15,000 and 250,000 alumni respectively, she points out.
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“Employment rates are certainly an important measure. But it is also important to look at how strong an MBA program’s network is and the salary growth that graduates continue to experience,” says Cynthia.
“Many recruiters who return to campus are Cornell and Johnson alumni. They are passionate about Johnson and want to come back. They are available for informational meetings with our students. Some of them do mock interviews with students. They want to see our students do well. They are definitely partners in the process,” she adds.
The Class of 2017 comprises 274 students of whom 35% are international. While 26% are women, 10% are underrepresented minorities (US).
The average age of the cohort at the entrance was 28. With 98% of students having full-time work experience, the average was 5 years. The average GMAT score was 697.
