Study Finds Positive Career Impact For MBAs

Katz Students

Katz Students

A new study of nearly 10,000 LinkedIn members found that nine out of 10 graduates of MBA and other master’s programs in business say their degrees had a positive impact on their careers. What’s more, 73% of graduates are very or extremely satisfied with the impact their degree has had on their career.

The report, by LinkedIn and Carrington Crisp, a higher education market research firm, is largely based on an online survey of 9,898 members of the professional networking platform across 12 countries, including 1,620 in the U.S. and 1,087 in Canada.

The high level of satisfaction was a surprise to LinkedIn researchers, says Ira Amilhussin, senior global marketing manager for the social network. “I asked our researchers to go back and see if the numbers remained high for recent graduates,” he says. “When we looked at that sample, of grads between 2010 and 2015, it still remained very high: 85% said they had a good impact.”

GRADS WITH TANGIBLE MOTIVATIONS MOST SATISFIED

In parsing the study’s results, Amilhussin says that so-called “high-grit professionals” were more satisfied than others. The grit scale is a series of eight questions that measure a person’s tendency to persevere through challenges. “We found that those who had the hiighest grit scores were 40% more likely to have had a successful outcome and 13% more likely to be satisifed with their degree,” Amilhussin says. “Success can mean many different things to people, but satisfaction is important.”

Graduates with specific goals, moreover, were likely to say their success was greater. Graduates who were driven by more tangible motivations for earning a degree, such as salary or career advancement, were more likely to report feeling satisfied and successful in their career. The three most highly rated specific goals for MAs and MBAs:

▪ To accelerate a career

▪ To increase salary

▪ To upskill for a new role (transitioning to a different industry)

LinkedIn says the majority of the study’s MA/MBA respondents fell into 25-to-54 age range, accounting for 73% of all the responding graduates. Those aged 25 to 34 represented 25% of the study, while those aged 35 to 44 accounted for 26% of the respondents.

Source: LinkedIn online study of members with MA and MBA degrees

Source: LinkedIn online study of members with MA and MBA degrees

DON’T MISS: WHY THE MBA REMAINS AN AWESOME INVESTMENT or CAN AN MBA ADD $1 MILLION TO YOUR LIFELONG INCOME? A STUDY SAYS SO

Questions about this article? Email us or leave a comment below.