The employment report for the MBA Class of 2021 at the Texas McCombs School of Business shows a successful post-pandemic year.
In 2020, 88% of graduates seeking employment received a job offer three months after graduation, and 85.6% had accepted. This year, those numbers jumped to 94.3% receiving offers and 93% accepting at the three-month post-graduation mark. The median salary for the class is $130,000, up from $125,000 last year.
“Thanks to the support of our extensive employer and alumni network, our world-class faculty, industry experts, and our talented career consultants, we had a strong performance in our employment outcomes for 2021,” writes Janet Huang, Senior Assistant Dean McCombs Career Management and Corporate Relations in the school’s report. “Resiliency and momentum in 2021 allowed the Austin economy, MBA students, and our community to bounce forward in a global pandemic.”
The McCombs corporate partner ecosystem, alumni and staff network, and UT Austin resources were responsible for sourcing 78% of positions. Almost 64% reported receiving a signing bonus, the median for which shrank from $30,000 last year to $25,000 in 2021.
Industry and Regional Placement for Texas McCombs MBA Class of 2021
| Technology | 34.1% |
| Consulting | 22.7% |
| Financial Services | 16.6% |
| Consumer Products | 5.7% |
| Energy & Utilities | 5.7% |
The top industry for McCombs’ graduates is technology, a sector that has increased for the school by 8% over the last five years. Consulting jobs recruited 22.7% of MBAs, which also reported the highest median salary by industry at $160,000. Financial services took in 16.6% of the recent class, and consumer products 5.7%. Careers in energy and utilities rounded out the top five industries with 5.7%, a reflection of the Texas economy’s strong suit.
| Southwest | 65.9% |
| West | 13.3% |
| Midwest | 6.6% |
| Northeast | 5.2% |
| South | 3.3% |
| Mid-Atlantic | 2.4% |
Less than 2% of the class went to work outside the U.S., and these graduates accepted full-time positions in Mexico, China, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates. The majority of the class—65.9%—remained in the Southwest U.S., followed by 13% heading West. Nearly seven percent pursued work in the Midwest, and just 5.2% headed to the Northeast despite the highest reported median salary by region there at $142,000. The South became home to 3.3% of MBAs, and the Mid-Atlantic states 2.4%.
