The Carlson School of Management MBA: What You Need To Know

As one of the first business schools to offer experiential learning as a standard in its Full-Time MBA program, the Carlson School is an established leader in preparing students to face complex real-world challenges. Carlson offers an intimate MBA experience, with an average class size of 90 students divided into two cohorts that undergo core courses together. Assistant Dean Phil Miller says, “A small cohort of students translates into personal support and engagement as well as experiential opportunities that are impractical at larger programs. Our career coaches know every student in the class.”

The Carlson School strives to build a well-rounded and diverse cohort each year, looking at each candidate holistically to assure they are the right fit for the program. Among application materials are GMAT/GRE scores, two professional references, a transcript, a video essay, and an interview.

The curriculum is designed to ground all students in business and management fundamentals. Core teams of 4-5 classmates work together across all courses, creating a strong sense of community and cohesion. Carlson is now offering a new Management Science program within the FTMBA: a STEM-designated degree that builds critical skills for full-time students considering careers in finance, consulting, analytics or technology.

The most distinct part of the program is the 15-month experiential learning experience that every student must undertake. The “enterprise” experience — in one of four areas such as brand, consulting, ventures, and funds — accounts for one-sixth of an MBA’s entire workload. Students are placed in small teams managed by both a professional and academic director and put to work on real problems with local companies. Carlson MBA candidates interested in finance or investment management, for example, can help manage a student-run mutual fund with $50 million in assets from actual clients.

The “global discovery program” is part of a second-year course that culminates in a two-week international trip every January. Each section of the class travels to a different locale around the globe. Once they return, students reconvene in the course to engage in a comparative analysis of different regions.

Rankings Data For Carlson School of Management

Ranking	Poets&Quants
2025-2026	43
2024-2025	47
2023-2024	44
2022-2023	32
2021-2022	30

Carlson School of Management MBA Employment Stats

Compensation Statistics of Carlson MBAs

Career Statistics	2024	2022	2021	2020	2019
Mean Base Salary	$131,208	$121,882	$112,235	$116,995	$144,065
Mean Signing Bonus	$32,360	$27,290	$25,763	$27,967	$25,138

Carlson MBA Graduate Employment Acceptances

Job Offers	2024	2022	2021	2020	2019
Received offer by 3 months post-graduation	83%	98%	95%	90%	93%
Accepted offer by 3 months post-graduation	78%

Industry Choices of Carlson MBAs

Industry	2024	2022	2021	2020	2019
Consulting	13%	25%	8%	20%	16%
Consumer Packaged Goods	20%	7%	23%	14%	14%
Financial Services	11%	7%	6%	10%
Healthcare	17%	23%	30%	19%	23%
Manufacturing	7%	9%	9%	13%	11%
Other	10%	15%	7%	9%	19%
Retail	7%	5%	4%	5%	7%
Technology		9%	13%	10%	10%
Transportation & Logistics Services	4%
Energy	7%
Media/Entertainment	4%

Where Carlson’s MBAs Went to Work

2024 Top Hiring Firms	2022 Top Hiring Firms	2021 Top Hiring Firms	2020 Top Hiring Firms	2019 Top Hiring Firms
Amazon	3M	3M	Amazon	3M
Boston Consulting Group	Amazon	Amazon	Anaplan	Amazon
Boston Scientific	The Boston Consulting Group	The Boston Consulting Group	Carlisle Companies, Inc	Anaplan
Deloitte	Boston Scientific	Boston Scientific	Deloitte	Boston Scientific
Ecolab	Deloitte Consulting	Deloitte	Ecolab, Inc	Cargill
General Mills	Ecolab Inc.	Ecolab	General Mills, Inc	Deloitte
Medtronic	McKinsey & Company	General Mills	Land O’Lakes, Inc	Ecolab, Inc
Moving Tech	Medtronic, Inc.	Land O’Lakes	Medtronic, Inc	General Mills, Inc
Schwan’s Company	Optum	McKinsey & Company	Schwan’s Co	Land O’Lakes, Inc
Target Corporation	Target Corporation	Medtronic	UnitedHealth Group	Medtronic, Inc
Twin Summit Consulting	University of Minnesota	Microsoft	University of Minnesota	Schwan’s Co
University of Minnesota		Post Consumer Brands		US Bank
		Procter & Gamble		UnitedHealth Group

MBA Program Consideration Set:

Stretch Schools: Emory, Indiana, USC

Match Schools: Georgetown, Notre Dame, Washington University, Rice, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Wisconsin, Michigan State

Safe Schools: University of Washington, Brigham Young, Southern Methodist, Rochester, Maryland

Notes: MBA Program Consideration Set: If you believe you’re a close match to this school–based on your GMAT and GPA scores, your age and work experience, you should look at these other competitive full-time MBA programs as well. We list them by stretch, match, and safety. These options are presented on the basis of brand image and ranking status.