The Cornell Employment Report lists information on what Cornell MBAs experience after graduating, from average salaries, to popular industries, to companies that typically hire Cornell MBAs.
Topics in this article will include:
- History
- Popular Industries for Cornell Business School MBAs
- Companies Typically Hiring Cornell Business School MBAs
- Average Cornell Business School MBA Salary
- Average Cornell Business School MBA Salary by Region
- Cornell Business School MBA Signing Bonus
- Cornell Business School Employment Report
Cornell Business School Salary & Employment Data
Before jumping into the data, let's give a little contextual history for the school.
In the late 1800s, Ezra Cornell’s idea to add a Department of Trade and Commerce at Cornell was revolutionary. However, due to world events, Cornell Business School would not open until many years later in 1946. The school acquired the name S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management in 1984 after a generous gift from S.C. Johnson, Jr. Since then, it’s been consistently ranked as one of the top business schools in the nation.
The Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management has a close community and a dual-campus approach to learning. The school has deeply integrated leadership development and technology studies into its curriculum.
There are eight immersion offerings that are based on specific career paths and industries. Each student completes an internship to gain real-world business knowledge and apply what they learned in the classroom. There are over 120 electives in various concentrations across the university to dive deep into each student’s specialization. Students remain very involved on campus by leading and participating in some of Johnson’s 80+ clubs.
For more information and an overview of the program, see our in-depth write-up. In this article, we’ll be focusing on salary and employment data for Cornell MBA grads.
Popular Industries for Cornell Business School MBAs
Here are the most popular S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management industries according to the school’s employment report. These statistics are based on data collected from the class of 2021.
Cornell MBA industries:
- Financial Services – 36%
- Consulting – 27%
- Technology – 17%
- Consumer Products – 6%
- Manufacturing – 5%
- Healthcare – 4%
- Energy/Utilities – 1%
- Real Estate – 1%
- Other – 3%
Consulting and Financial Services make up over half of the industries Cornell MBAs go into upon graduation, a common 1-2 punch for top MBA programs.
Companies Typically Hiring Cornell Business School MBAs
What are the chances for you to break into consulting with a Cornell MBA? With 27% of the class of 2021 breaking in, it looks like the odds are pretty good. Bain, Deloitte, and McKinsey are all among the top companies hiring Cornell MBAs.
Companies hiring Cornell Business School MBAs:
- Altman Solon
- Amazon
- American Express
- Bain and Company
- Bank of America
- Citi
- Corning
- Deloitte
- Deutsche Bank
- Ernst & Young
- Evercore
- J.P. Morgan
- McKinsey & Company
- PwC
- Tata Consultancy Services
Average Cornell Business School MBA salary and Signing Bonus
The Cornell average base salary for MBA graduates was listed at $139,121 per year. The average salary for consultants was over $9,000 above that at $148,389.
In addition to the base salary, the average signing bonus reported was $37,684, which is up 4% from the class of 2020. Graduates working outside the U.S. received a slightly higher than average signing bonus than graduates accepting work inside the U.S.
Average Cornell Business School MBA Salary By Region
Average Cornell Business School salary by region in the United States:
- Northeast - $144,098
- West - $132,935
- Midwest - $133,978
- Southwest - $147,647
- Mid-Atlantic - $141,875
- South - $133,750
The Northeast region employed over half of 2-year MBAs and offered the second highest average base salary.
Cornell Business School Employment Report
The 2021 Cornell Employment Report outlines compensation, locations, companies, industries, and job functions of Cornell’s most recent MBA graduates. 95% of those seeking employment were employed within three months, with 97% receiving an offer. Both of these are relatively high compared with other leading business schools.
Unlike other leading business schools, consulting was not the top industry where graduates landed employment. It was second to Financial Services, where 37% of graduates accepted job offers. While the Cornell average salary was listed at $139,121, the average consulting salary was listed at $148,389.
Conclusion
The Johnson School of Management offers hands-on experience like no other leading business school with its first year immersion program, required summer internship, and MBA intensives. MBA students at Cornell have the opportunity to lead, be led, and collaborate with a diverse group of first and second year students.
Cornell graduates are recruited and hired at some of the leading companies in the world like Amazon, American Express, Bank of America, Bain, and McKinsey. The Cornell average salary and other employment data can all be found in the 2021 Cornell Employment Report.
If you’re looking for a business education that offers a significant amount of experience working on real-world problems, Cornell may be the place for you. Be sure to check out our directory listing for the Johnson Graduate School of Management for more information on the school.
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