| The MBA or Masters of Business Administration is | | | | Harvard led the pack with total 20 years gross |
| widely viewed as a ticket to a high salary job | | | | earnings of $3,889,880 while Wharton came a |
| whether on Wall Street or in Corporate America. | | | | close second with $3,541,110. The bottom two |
| There are obviously many variables that | | | | of the top ten schools were Michigan’s Ross |
| contribute to high MBA earnings including the | | | | School and Duke. One school that seemed to |
| school attended, the field being worked in and the | | | | benefit by its location and came in New York City |
| professional and personal contacts the MBA holder | | | | was Columbia University’s Business School. |
| has access to. With that said, there is a certain | | | | This was in large part to its proximity to Wall |
| earnings range that MBA graduates can expect | | | | Street and the number of graduates that were |
| that I go over in this article. | | | | hired into investment banking. Total 20 year |
| Traditionally, various publications such as | | | | gross for Columbia came in at $3,368, 440, |
| BusinessWeek, U.S. News and World Reports, | | | | bested only by Harvard and Wharton. |
| Forbes and others have focused on the average | | | | One surprise in the study was that contrary to |
| starting salary of graduates in their first year of | | | | belief the total gross income from schools in the |
| graduation. In 2008, for the average of the top | | | | 2nd ‘10’, in other words the 11-20 slots in |
| ten ranked schools this number was $120,400. | | | | many ways held up to some of the top ten |
| The top two earning schools were The Wharton | | | | schools. Some standouts include |
| Business School and Harvard Business School. | | | | Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business which |
| The top ten was closed out by the Duke (Fuqua) | | | | outpaced several top ten schools with gross 20 |
| School. | | | | year earnings of 3,181,610. This beat such |
| The Long Term | | | | schools as MIT, Chicago and UC Berkeley. |
| Recently however a study was conducted that | | | | The Larger Perspective |
| noticed something different over time. Some | | | | When the rankings and earnings analysis is opened |
| schools that were lower right out of the gate | | | | to the top 30 schools what is seen is that the |
| seemed to gain steam over others in the long | | | | range of earnings after 20 years ranges are all |
| run. Two schools in particular stood out as head | | | | above the $2 million mark with the tail end being |
| and tails above all others in terms of total gross | | | | Indiana’s Kelly School at $2,164,500. The |
| earnings 5, 10 and 20 years out from graduation. | | | | average of the top 30 ranked schools in earnings |
| The leaders were clearly Harvard and Wharton. | | | | for the first 20 years out of school is $2,750,724. |