We’re back for another edition of MBA Myth Busters in which we review and disprove the popular myths surrounding graduate business education.
Myth: You must attend an M7 school to have a successful post-MBA career.
This is a myth!
For reference, the M7 schools (“M” for “magnificent” or, sometimes, “magic”) are as follows:
- Columbia Business School
- Harvard Business School
- MIT Sloan School of Management
- Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management
- Stanford University Graduate School of Business
- University of Chicago Booth School of Business
- University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton School
Yes, M7 schools are known for their rigorous curricula, high employability rates, excellent faculty and excellent reputations across the industry. But can these features be found only at the M7 schools? Absolutely not!
Employment reports from top business schools outside the M7 reveal similarly high post-graduation employment rates, impressive starting salaries, and all the other indications of a successful post-MBA career. Take a look, for example, at statistics from the Class of 2024 at Dartmouth Tuck, Duke Fuqua, NYU Stern, and Yale SOM:
| School | Employment offers within 3 months of graduating | Median post-MBA starting salary | Median signing bonus | Graduates who received signing bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dartmouth Tuck | 91% | $175,000 | $30,000 | 84% |
| Duke Fuqua | 85% | $175,000 | $30,000 | 87% |
| NYU Stern | 94.30% | $175,000 | $30,000 | n/a |
| Yale SOM | 84.80% | $160,000 | $30,000 | n/a |
Understanding whether a non-M7 business school will set you up for post-MBA career success comes down to more than just employment rates and starting salaries. In fact, there are many factors you can consider—industry connections, faculty experience, extracurricular and experiential opportunities, curriculum quality and personal fit.
A robust curriculum, in particular, influences employer perception of your MBA and your consequent likelihood of landing a job. When assessing curriculum quality, accreditation is a good place to start; accreditation of an MBA program by organizations like the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the Association of MBAs (AMBA), or the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) indicate a strong curriculum, high academic standards, and the presence of industry-relevant skills development. A program accredited by AACSB carries particular weight in the job market, being considered the gold standard of accreditation in the U.S.
