Pursuing a Master of Business Administration (MBA) can be a powerful investment for career development.
Choosing the right program is a personal choice and can depend on many factors. Some individuals may want to focus on building a strong professional network, while others might be looking to advance their career and reach the C-suite. Ultimately, the outcome and experience comes down to what someone values most in their MBA journey.
An MBA continues to open doors and gives some individuals professional growth in today’s competitive job market, according to LinkedIn’s annual report of top MBA programs.
The rankings list, which features 100 MBA programs around the world, found that the degree is far from outdated. Since 2010, there’s been a 25% global rise in senior leaders with MBAs. Meanwhile, entrepreneurs with the degree have surged by 45% during that same timeframe.
North America and Latin America lead the way in MBA programs, with 58 making the list. Meanwhile, 29 programs from Europe and the Middle East are included, and only 13 from Asia. Notably, LinkedIn takes into account specific factors like social responsibility and artificial intelligence (AI), noting that with the rapid rise, “employers worldwide have had to adapt to thrive.”
To compile the rankings list, LinkedIn used its own data to evaluate full-time MBA programs across five key areas: job placement and demand, career advancement, network strength, leadership potential, and gender diversity. The platform’s data focused on recent graduates from 2019-2023 to measure job outcomes, promotions, and alumni connections. LinkedIn said it also assessed how well alumni advance to senior roles, their network quality, and overall gender parity.
Only full-time MBA programs that are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) or EQUIS, a business school accreditation system, were included. The programs needed to have at least 1,500 total alumni to be considered.
Let’s take a look at the top 10 U.S. MBA programs, including their most common job titles, the top locations graduates are most likely to work, and their standout pillars (if they’re included)
