See coverage of the Northwestern Kellogg employment report for the MBA Class of 2022 here.
Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management has released its MBA Class of 2021 Employment Report. The achievements of the full-time two-year MBA graduates are unhindered by the current pandemic-related economic disruption, with impressive job offers and acceptance numbers plus a 100% internship success rate.
At three months post-graduation, 97.1% of MBAs reported receiving a job offer, and 96.1% had accepted a job offer. The median base salary across all industries reached $150,000, and 85.5% reported receiving a signing bonus, which hit a median of $30,000 this year. Compensation for the two-year MBA program has been on an upward trend, increasing 15% since 2018.
Most positions—74.7%—were school-facilitated, either through alumni referrals, school job board postings, and school-sponsored interviews and summer employment arrangements.
In the school’s blog post on the employment outcomes report, Liza Kirkpatrick, Assistant Dean of the Career Management Center, wrote, “While we will continue to see industries and firms adapt and change due to the ongoing pandemic and shifts in the broader business landscape, what remains constant is the caliber of our students. Kellogg students have the ability to adapt, an appetite for disruption, and the necessary skills to lead in an increasingly complex global economy. I look forward to seeing how they continue to make their impact as alumni, and pay it forward to the rising leaders at Kellogg.”
Here are some key statistics from the employment report:
| Consulting | 37% |
| Technology | 26% |
| Financial Services | 15% |
| Consumer Packaged Goods | 8% |
| Healthcare | 6% |
| West | 29.9% |
| Midwest | 28.3% |
| Northeast | 15% |
| Southwest | 9.4% |
| Mid-Atlantic | 5% |
| South | 3.6% |
Industry and Regional Placement
The highest median salary by industry was found in consulting at $165,000, where 37% of graduates began their careers. The next most popular industry among Kellogg MBAs was technology with 26%, followed by financial services at 15%, consumer packaged goods at 8%, and healthcare with 6% of the class.
Over 90% of MBA graduates stayed in the US. While the U.S. West saw the largest portion of the class move there with 29.9%, the city of Chicago became home to 23.3% of Kellogg MBAs, accounting for most of the Midwest region’s 28.3% of the class. The Northeast was the destination for 15% of grads, the Southwest 9.4%, and the Mid-Atlantic states 5%. The South accounted for just 3.6% of job placements. However, the Atlanta and Miami metro areas shared the highest median salaries—$165,000—with Dallas, Texas in the Southwest, and Washington, D.C. in the Mid-Atlantic.
