A common piece of advice for potential business school applicants is to not bother if you don’t make it into a top-ranked school. While that might be true if you’re seeking a $150,000 plus salary right after graduation, it’s still a pretty fantastic job market for those with an MBA. Even students at less prestigious schools are being recruited more aggressively, according to a report (PDF) by the MBA Career Services and Employer Alliance.
A survey of more than 90 schools found that on campus recruiting activity is way up, particularly at low ranked schools:
And the number of full time jobs posted has also jumped substantially for those schools as well:
It certainly benefits the group to report such rosy numbers, but the trends align with what recruiters are saying. The fact that employers are more aggressively going after students at less prestigious schools indicates that the job market is getting tighter, and that MBAs are still valued.
The state of the MBA comes in sharp contrast with a traditionally competing degree. It’s a pretty grim time for both law schools and their recent graduates. The job market is awful and applications are down, to the point where marginal schools are in danger of closing, and are offering to reimburse tuition for students who don’t get jobs.