Texas McCombs MBA Insider

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Full-Time MBA Class of 2023 Career Outcomes

Texas McCombs Full-Time MBA Class of 2023 Sets New Records in Employment Outcomes

February 9, 2024 / / Comments Off on Texas McCombs Full-Time MBA Class of 2023 Sets New Records in Employment Outcomes

Students in the Texas McCombs Full-Time MBA Class of 2023 accomplished remarkable success in their post-graduation employment outcomes. Among the 271 students who matriculated in the Full-Time MBA Class of 2023, an impressive 90% received job offers within three months after graduation and 89% accepted these positions, contributing to the attainment of the highest average base salary in school history – $157,735, making a significant 9% increase from the preceding year.

Click here for a detailed overview of the Texas McCombs Class of 2023 Salary Statistics.

This year’s key insights highlight the unique and exceptional achievements of our McCombs MBAs. They secured positions across a spectrum of 12 different industries, showcasing the comprehensive interests and adaptability of our students. The consulting function, in particular, saw a significant uptick, with 44% of our graduates entering full-time careers in this field.  

Moreover, 74% of acceptances were in consulting, financial services, and technology combined. Recognizing the exceptional talent in our McCombs 2023 graduates, 4 out of 5 Fortune 5 companies hired graduates for key positions within their organizations.   

Facilitating this success, the Texas McCombs Career Management and Corporate Relations (CMCR) team plays a pivotal role in preparing students for their job search. The team provides a strategic planning course, coaching appointments with school career consultants and industry experts, and career workshops, among other events and experiential learning opportunities. 80% of graduate offers were obtained through school-facilitated resources, underscoring the strength of McCombs’ career management initiatives.

Specifically, the Strategic Career Planning course equips students with skills needed to compete in various industries, combining theoretical frameworks with practical market insights gained from employer recruiting support. Delivered in year one of the MBA experience, this course aids students in building a strong career foundation. It progresses students through their Career Management Framework, helping MBAs evaluate their priorities, assess the job market, develop a personalized plan, and ultimately launch their overarching career strategy.  

90% Offers Received 3 months after graduation 89% Offers accepted 3 months after graduation

Reflecting the exceptional accomplishments of the Class of 2023, we proudly announce a historic milestone – the highest average salary in school history, reaching $157,735. Additionally, the average signing bonus stands at $32,915, marking a 6% uptick from 2022.  

$157,735 - Average Salary Reported by 177 Students, $32,915 - Average Signing Bonus reported by 140 Students

Examining job acceptances by industry reveals the wide-ranging success of our graduates. A substantial 43% of acceptances were in consulting, 16% in financial services, and 15% in technology. Noteworthy growth was observed in consumer-packaged goods (6%), energy (5%), retail (4%), and manufacturing (4%).  

Acceptances by Industry 43% Consulting, 16% Financial Services, 15% Technology, 6% Consumer-Packaged Goods, 5% Energy, 4% Retail, 4% Manufacturing

We are so thankful to the entire Texas McCombs community of faculty, staff, employers, and alumni who have played a valuable role in helping our MBAs achieve impressive outcomes. The Texas McCombs Full-Time MBA Class of 2023’s journey has been marked by outstanding achievements, industry diversification, and a continued commitment to excellence. As we reflect on these accomplishments, we look forward to witnessing the continued impact our graduates will make in various sectors.  

Visit Texas McCombs MBA to learn more about our programs and upcoming events or take a peek into student life on Instagram. For any inquiries, don’t hesitate to reach out to the MBA Admissions Team. We look forward to connecting with you on your journey to success.

Hook ‘Em!

Exploring the Return on Investment of a Texas McCombs MBA.

Maximizing Your Potential: Exploring the ROI of a Texas McCombs MBA

May 9, 2023 / / 1 Comment

This MBA Insider content comes from Christie Jenkins, Senior MBA Recruiting and Admissions Officer, Working Professional MBA.

There’s a saying in undergraduate admissions that a student’s decision on where to go to college ultimately boils down to the 3 P’s: price, proximity, and prestige. I’m not aware of a 3 P’s equivalent for MBA programs, so allow me to invent one. The 3 R’s: Rankings, Recruiting, and ROI.

It’s no secret that future MBA’s are a little more objective and outcomes-focused with this decision than they may have been when choosing a college for undergrad. Undergrad is all about the experience, personal growth, and the journey as well as the destination. Those things certainly matter for your MBA selection too, but with an added emphasis on results and tangible benefits. Objectively, why should someone spend 2 years and $100,000+ on an MBA? What is the value?

RANKINGS

Or maybe this R should be reputation? Either way, Texas McCombs excels at both. U.S. News and World Report ranks our MBA programs as the following:

#6 Working Professional MBA

#14 Executive MBA

#20 Full-Time MBA

It goes without saying that our MBA programs are the best in Texas. Our programs also benefit from The University of Texas at Austin brand. Visit anywhere in the world and someone will be able to tell you about the burnt orange Texas Longhorns, and possibly that “What starts here changes the world.” Simply put, you will never have to explain what UT is all about. People know.

RECRUITING

Employers want to hire Texas McCombs MBAs. We partner with more than 400 employers annually, and the list is always growing. A few of our top recruiting partners who hired 10 or more MBAs last year include Amazon, Dell Technologies, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Boston Consulting Group, and Deloitte Consulting.

Texas has the fastest-growing job market in the country, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and has been ranked No. 1 Best State for Business for 18 consecutive years. Texas is also home to the most Fortune 500 companies, with more than 135 companies that have relocated their headquarters to Texas since 2020. This list includes AT&T, CBRE, Charles Schwab, Exxon Mobil, Hewlett Packard, Oracle, Tesla, and more. Add in that Texas has no state income tax and a comparatively low cost of living, and you can see why this is a great place to live and work.

Texas stats graphic for the report.

Source: Texas Economic Development & Tourism, Office of the Governor.

To help you land those jobs, you’ll also have unlimited access to career coaching, even after you graduate. Our career coaches can help you refine your brand, prepare for interviews, negotiate your starting salary, and much more. They’ll be there for you as a student and after graduation, as MBA alumni have lifetime access to career resources and coaches.

ROI

For those uninitiated in the MBA lingo, ROI, or Return on Investment, is a way to measure the profitability of an investment. Another way of thinking about this concept is the payback period, or how long it will take for an investment to pay for itself.

According to the GMAC Corporate Recruiters Survey, bachelor’s degree holders from the United States are expected to earn a median of $50,000 annually. The median starting salary for an MBA graduate is $95,000 – and that’s just a graduate of any MBA program!

Source: GMAC Corporate Recruiters Survey – 2022

For a Texas McCombs Full-Time MBA grad, the average starting salary for the Class of 2022 was $145,000. Therefore, the average incoming student can expect a $95,000 pay increase at the time of graduation ($145,000 McCombs MBA salary minus $50,000 bachelor’s degree holder salary). Compare that to the cost of our MBA programs (between $105,100-$149,500) – you’ll see the typical payback period for a McCombs MBA is less than 2 years!

After your McCombs MBA investment has paid for itself, you’ll have a lifetime to reap the rewards. If you are in your 20s or 30s, with an expected retirement age of 65, then you could have 30 or 40 more years ahead of you in your career. Wouldn’t it be nice to make the most of your incoming-earning years? The earlier you start, the more time you have to benefit from your increased post-MBA salary.

 

According to Poets and Quants, the expected lifetime earnings of a McCombs MBA graduate is $6.35 million.

For those who want to see the numbers, here’s your ROI calculation: profit (or gross income minus cost) divided by cost. For a McCombs Full-time MBA, that is $6,350,000 – $105,100 / $105,100, which works out to an ROI of 59.42. Over the course of your lifetime, your MBA will pay for itself more than 59x.

Of course, this barely scratches the surface.

The true value of an MBA can’t be measured in dollars. It includes your personal growth and development, the networking and relationships you will build, the intrinsic value of gaining knowledge and confidence, job security, upward mobility, and much more.

Only you can calculate what an MBA will mean for your future, but hopefully, you are reassured to know that a McCombs MBA makes objective, financial sense in addition to being a great experience.

Ready to get started on your MBA journey? Visit Texas McCombs MBA to learn more about our programs, application components, deadlines, and upcoming events, or take a peek into student life on Instagram. Please reach out to the MBA Admissions Team with any questions.

MBA career management

Meet Your Working Professional and Executive MBA Career Team

April 24, 2019 / / Comments Off on Meet Your Working Professional and Executive MBA Career Team

This Insider insight comes from our Working Professional and Executive MBA Career Team.

Texas McCombs MBA Career resources are truly unmatched among other top business schools. Our Career Management team‘s vision is focused on the future, adapting and growing to meet the needs of tomorrow’s career landscape. And they understand that the MBA career path for our Working Professional and Executive (WPE) MBA student differs from full-time students, dedicating a team of career support specifically for our WPE students in Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Austin (Evening & Executive).

The McCombs Difference

MBA program administrators realized they needed to rethink their approach to career management for part-time students.

“We developed an entirely new career management framework that emphasized students’ strengths and interests and better prepared them not only for OCR (on-campus recruiting), but also for other channels that led to experienced hires and will allow them to continually progress in their careers.” – Joe Stephens, Assistant Dean, Working Professional and Executive MBA programs.

The framework, which can be applied in any phase of a student’s career and is tied to students’ career management curriculum and one-on-one advising, includes a market assessment (self-assessment, career exploration, and network creation); value proposition (your brand and competitive advantage, and elevator pitch); sales tools and channels (resume, LinkedIn profile, interview prep, and network cultivation); and launch (plan execution and offer negotiation).

“This career management framework has served as our WPE team’s vision and mission,” says Janet Huang, Director of MBA Career Management at McCombs. (source: Medium)

Meet the WPE Team

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beyond the classroom: New York

Hands-On MBA: Fall Marketing Trek

January 4, 2019 / / Comments Off on Hands-On MBA: Fall Marketing Trek

This past October, the Graduate Marketing Network at Texas McCombs hosted their annual Marketing Trek with the MBA Career Management team. 19 first-year students traveled to New York City and visited the offices of Samsung, Google, Pinterest, Adobe, and ZX Ventures!

Career Treks give Full-Time MBAs the opportunity to learn about their industry to become more familiar with the culture of the companies in a real-world context. The companies provide presentations, Q&A sessions, and opportunities to network with alumni and executive management.

MBA students take New York

New York City holds many business opportunities in hundreds of different markets. We caught up with MBA ’20 students Alicia Mercolino, Xingpin Liu, and Saransh Gupta to hear about their experiences and takeaways from the trek–  Saransh is drawn to the city for tech, Xingpin for marketing opportunities, and Alicia wanted to explore the options with a goal to move to NYC in the future.

“My goal is to move back to New York with a full-time offer in hand. I was interested in learning more about and meeting people at companies with MBA opportunities and McCombs alumni.” – Alicia Mercolino

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Texas MBA Career Treks

November 21, 2016 / / Comments Off on Texas MBA Career Treks

Each year, the Texas MBA Career Management team leads Treks to various cities to visit the main offices of different companies, giving Texas Full-Time MBA students a great opportunity to learn more about their industry of interest and allowing them to become more familiar with the culture at these companies. Visits typically consist of presentations, Q&A sessions, and numerous opportunities for networking with alumni and executive management.

One of the biggest trends our Employer Relations and Career Management teams have seen has been an enormous increase in student career interest in the West Coast.

In 2010, 9% of Texas MBA graduates landed jobs on the West Coast — that percentage has nearly doubled with the class of 2016! Interest in technology companies has exploded, making it a large area of focus for our annual Treks.

Complementing those two trends, West Coast tech companies have been opening offices and/or growing their corporate presence in Austin i.e., Facebook, Google, Apple, Cisco Systems, eBay, PayPal, VMware and Electronic Arts just to name a few. We continue to build our relationships with these firms, as well as seeking new opportunities.

We have also seen every facet of student interest in entrepreneurship increase, from coming into the program already running a firm, or founding a company in business school, to working at a startup or fast growing company post-graduation.

In response, the Texas MBA Program has created many unique opportunities for MBA students to network with and connect to the startup community. We now host a biannual McCombs Entrepreneurship Night, which showcases startups founded by McCombs MBA students and/or alumni.

That event is held in conjunction with Austin Startup Week in the fall and during SXSW Interactive in the spring. The contacts made during these events are invited to our Entrepreneur Society (ES) events during the school year, such as the Pitch Party in the Fall and ES Connex in the spring, a networking night for local startups looking to hire interns or full-time candidates.

2016-2017 Career Treks 

bcg

Texas MBA students at the Boston Consulting Group offices in Dallas, TX

chevron

Texas MBA students at the Chevron offices in Houston, TX

atkearney

Texas MBA students at the A.T. Kearney office in Dallas, TX

bain-co

Texas MBA students at the Bain & Company office in Dallas, TX

baml

Texas MBA students at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch office in New York City

att

Texas MBA students at AT&T headquarters in Dallas, TX

 

McCombs Career Management: Texas MBAs are in Demand!

March 23, 2016 / / Comments Off on McCombs Career Management: Texas MBAs are in Demand!

MBA Career Management at McCombs works with the most discerning employers seeking innovative talent to fill their emerging leadership roles. With a student-focused Employer Relations team, we are working to create unique recruiting opportunities at global organizations throughout the year for companies that range from multinational organizations to start-ups, across the technology, finance, consulting and consumer segments. From preparing you for a summer internship to watching you land your ideal post-MBA position, we provide career resources every step of the way.

Dow - Texas MBA Students

 

The Class of 2015 had 90% job placement after graduation! The Financial Times gave McCombs its highest Global Ranking in over a decade for 2015, calling out the strength of Job Placement Success with a rank that jumped 10 spots globally to #18, making McCombs #1 in the state of Texas. Check out our full Career Statistics Report.

Our career advisors are professionally trained to help you assess and refine your post-graduate career goals through one-on-one guidance with additional support from Peer Advisors and specialized coaching resources. We work with you throughout your McCombs experience to create a customized strategy and timeline for your recruiting journey. We work to ensure our coaching services are student-focused and relevant, providing:

  • Resources, coaching and events for students interested in entrepreneurship, startups, corporate social responsibility, and nonprofit sectors.
  • Assessment and one-on-one advising to clarify the interests, motivators, and skills to craft a career plan that combines passion with talent.
  • Recruiting and networking events that leverage our students, our brand, and our geography:
    – Major career fairs on campus in the fall and spring.
    – 1st year career treks from coast to coast (New York, Seattle, and San Francisco) and in our own backyard (Austin, Dallas and Houston).
  • McCombs Entrepreneurship Night is a bi-annual event which highlights successful McCombs entrepreneurs from the Texas MBA Program while giving students a chance to network with Texas MBAs, alumni, local entrepreneurs, and either Austin Startup Week attendees in the fall, or SXSWi attendees in the spring.

    daniel goldberg“With the broad alumni base at both Texas and the MBA program, it’s been incredibly easy to get warm introductions at firms that I previously would have had no access to. Furthermore, I find the skills I learned at school are giving me the credibility needed to jump into more senior management roles as well. Finally, with my summer internship at Adobe, I’m confident McCombs played an intricate role at helping me to achieve my future career goals.”

    –Daniel Goldberg, MBA ’16

A Texas MBA Degree = A Head Start to Your Dream Career

November 29, 2015 / / Comments Off on A Texas MBA Degree = A Head Start to Your Dream Career

That six figure salary; The desire to travel the world; The ambition to make a difference. These are some of the reasons  that bring us to business school and we all hope to fulfill these aspirations through that dream job at the end! At McCombs, the faculty strives to help us to do exactly that through the many resources the business school has to offer.

If you see the class BA181 in the MBA curriculum and wonder what it’s about, I’m sure you are not alone. When I came to business school, I was surprised to find not only core classes in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Marketing and Operations but also one dedicated to Career Management. This unique class is perfectly designed to prevent the ever-busy MBA from losing sight of that end goal: To not just get a job, but the right job. It is led by an extremely talented Career Management team who provide you with a road map to reach your goal. Outside of class, they are always accessible to provide advice on topics ranging from career switching, networking, resume writing, interviewing, or sometimes just providing a shoulder to lean on for advice.

Besides a dedicated Career Management team we also have access to communication coaches who help up build our brand and communication skills through personal coaching sessions. Being an international student still learning the ropes of a new culture, these resources have been extremely useful to me. I am able to walk up to the team with questions that sometimes seem silly to me, but have always gotten the support I need. This has helped me greatly during networking events and career fairs. Learn More.

Our schedules are packed with information sessions and networking events with over 350 companies visiting campus! This can sometimes get stressful with homework, exams,  and networking all happening at once, but it has opened up a world of opportunities.

   CC Reception 1015

           Networking Reception at McCombs Career Fair          

             Tech Trek - Facebook 0115

 Tech Trek visit to Facebook

Career resources come in many forms and one of the most valuable is the UT network. Being part of this big network gives you access so alumni and seniors who are always willing to help the next generation of graduating MBAs. My personal experience reaching out to alumni has always been extremely pleasant. They are always willing to take time out for students from their Alma Mater no matter how busy their schedule. The collaboration that the Texas MBA program fosters stays with you long after you leave school. Alumni and staff are always there to help you succeed.

Finally, the biggest resource offered is the University of Texas and McCombs brand. Every day I learn of the many doors this brand opens up to students. With alumni spread across many industries and companies all around the world, the brand brings with it immense opportunities that I am learning more about every day.

Full-Time Travelers: Texas MBA Treks

November 13, 2015 / / Comments Off on Full-Time Travelers: Texas MBA Treks
Source: VH1.TUMBLR.COM

Source: VH1.TUMBLR.COM

Great Scott! Back to the Future Day was October 21st this year, and that week McCombs first-year MBAs glimpsed their potential destinies. With a two-day break from their courses, students trekked across the city, state and country to become better acquainted with companies from local startup RealMassive to investment banks in the Big Apple.

Screen Shot 2015-10-22 at 2.07.11 AM

McCombs alumni welcomed visitors all along the way with warm greetings, fond memories and useful career development tips, as well as branded swag and delicious treats. And speaking of Hollywood classics, there were some big screens too, like this one at Austin big tech trek participant Emerson…

Thanks to MBA career advisor Daniel Liu for this photo from the big tech trek

… and futuristic motor vehicles that make modern-day stagecoaches seem so last century (yes, even when they have no class, McCombs MBA students stay classy).

Thanks to Tina Mabley, Director of the Full-Time MBA Program for capturing the tech trekkers in their best hook 'em poses

Thanks to Full-Time MBA program director Tina Mabley for capturing the tech trekkers in their best Hook ‘Em poses

For 20 MBAs on the Dallas marketing trek, the Monday morning agenda comprised coffee, juice and breakfast pastries served by American Airlines, Pizza Hut for lunch, and Frito-Lay’s Rold Gold pretzel dippers as a late-afternoon snack—all at those respective firms’ corporate headquarters. Presentations from members of the Longhorn family and current employees on navigating a major merger in the travel industry, managing relationships with franchisees and reaching target customer segments through emerging platforms like Periscope, among other topics, provided the food for thought. 

Six first-year MBAs at the Dallas headquarters of Pepsico's Frito-Lay division

Six first-year MBAs at the Dallas headquarters of Pepsico’s Frito-Lay division

Houston Energy Finance (visits including Chevron, ExxonMobil and Phillips66), Houston Clean Tech (visits including NRG and First Solar), and Dallas Private Wealth/Asset Management (visits including JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse) were among the other treks. The adventures in networking continued throughout the next few weeks in Houston and Dallas, as consulting firms and Houston investment banking institutions hosted more forward looking McCombs MBAs.

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McCombs Super Week Recap: A Head Start on Summer Internship Recruiting

January 26, 2015 / / Comments Off on McCombs Super Week Recap: A Head Start on Summer Internship Recruiting

Marketing and Finance are the largest employment functions for Texas MBA students, and over 35% of these jobs are in the Consulting or Technology industries. For the class of 2015, over 40% of our students pursued these functions. In order to respond to the high volume of recruiting interest from employers and students, the Texas MBA Career Management team has created an annual event: “Super Week.”

This year, Super Week was held on campus January 12-16 2015. For students, it provides a focused opportunity to conduct first round interviews with top employers for summer internship positions. For employers, it grants a streamlined and competitive process for accessing McCombs talent.

As working professional MBAs are fully employed, only Full-Time MBAs interview for summer internships. About 30-50% of working professional MBAs do elect to seek employment other than their current, and many of those participate in both fall and spring on-campus recruiting for 2nd year MBAs.

We’ve asked participating employers to reflect on their Super Week experiences. Here is what they said:

Why recruit Texas MBAs?

“We recruit at McCombs because of a history of long-term success here.”
-Associate, Barclays

“Candidates at UT fit the bill academically and technically but also socially and personally.”
-Associate, Citi

“We recruit here because McCombs consistently provides great candidates who are well prepared. You deliver year after year in terms of candidates.”
-Recruiter, Simmons and Co.

“Our firm has a focus on oil and gas. McCombs has one of the best concentrations of people interested in energy/oil and gas, which makes it a perfect place for us to recruit.”
-HR Manager, North & South America, Schlumberger Business Consulting

On January 12th & 13th, 20 investment banks or financial firms conducted more than 200 interviews with 43 unique students. Wednesday through Friday, saw 11 management consulting firms conducting around 200 interviews with 76 unique students.  On January 20, the Ford Career Center reopened for the spring recruiting season to include all other recruiting industries as well as a few additional banks and consulting firms.

For all involved, this event is the culmination of an intense recruiting process after months of networking and preparation. Many thanks to the MBA Students, Student Leadership, Alumni, MBA Program Office Management and Staff, Corporate and Foundation Relations, and the Recruitment Services Team for pulling together to make this happen and provide a competitive, aggressive yet “level playing field” recruiting environment. This high degree of collaboration led to McCombs being tied for 11th in the nation for business schools with the highest percentage of MBA job offers in 2014.

Hook ‘Em!

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