Where In The World Is The MBA Most Valued?

The report also asked schools to self-report salary averages for the Class of 2014. Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business led U.S.-based schools with an average salary of $129,600. Harvard and Wharton followed with $125,000 and $123,400, respectively. However, according to the report, three schools—two from Australia and one from Switzerland—had 2014 graduates average more than any U.S. school. Graduates of the University of New South Whales in Australia reported an average of $139,900. Adelaide Business School, which is also in Australia, and Switzerland-based University of St. Gallen each reported $130,000.

Iqbal did not say if the same conversions were used as employer-reported salaries to change all salaries to U.S. dollars. In March, Poets&Quants reported total average pay (salaries and bonuses included) for the class of 2014 and found Harvard reported the highest amount at $144,750. MIT Sloan followed with $142,936, eeking ahead of Stanford GSB’s $142,834.

The final notable finding in this year’s report, according to Iqbal, was the age-old discovery that employers think MBAs need to improve their soft-skills. The survey asks employers to rate how satisfied they are with MBAs in 15 skill-sets. While MBAs rated well in technical skills, they again lagged in personal development skills. “One area in which we find that MBAs fall short of employer expectations is those which we would call soft skills – namely leadership, communication and interpersonal skills,” the report reads.

“It’s disappointing to see employers are not satisfied with the soft-skills from MBAs,” Iqbal says. “Schools are producing very sharp, technical students, but they’re not good at dealing with people.”

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