Pick the Right MBA Program for Consulting
Thinking about a career in consulting? You’re not alone. At programs like MIT Sloan and Northwestern Kellogg joining blue chip firms like Bain and McKinsey. What makes some schools better suited to producing graduates ticketed to a Bain or a McKinsey?
Recently, US News outlined three factors to weigh in choosing an MBA program that may give you an advantage in landing a job with a name consulting firm.
1.) Course Topics
There are certain courses that can benefit students looking for a career in consulting. Future consultants should look for business schools with curriculums that offer both strategy and technical courses. Courses that offer marketable skills, such as business analytics and supply chain management, will be valuable to a consulting career. Karrie Prehm, a 2011 MBA graduate from Florida Atlantic University, tells US News that “MBA courses on business communications and organizational structure are particularly useful for future consultants.” According to Prehm, these types of courses are valuable because they train students how to “simultaneously convince executives of their business ideas, and motivate lower-level employees to implement those ideas.”
2.) Project-Based Learning Opportunities
Many schools offer courses in their curriculum that can provide future consultants with valuable experience. One of the ways to gain impressive consulting experience is through consulting projects. Often times, these projects include school-supported pro bono projects for nonprofit organizations and extracurricular projects at student consulting clubs. Through these types of projects, future consultants are exposed to vital skills such as data analysis and implementation planning.
3.) High Placement Rate at Consulting Firms
The placement rate of that MBA program is another important factor to consider when selecting an MBA program for a consulting career. Top business schools generally report how many of their students in each graduating class were hired by various major consulting firms. Understanding these numbers and choosing an MBA program with a high graduate placement rate at consulting firms is one sure way to determine whether or not an MBA program will prepare you for a consulting career.
Which MBA programs place the most graduates in the top consulting firms. Check out this exclusive research from Poets&Quants by clicking here.
Source: US News
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