How has the MBA market shaped up in 2015?

At the beginning of the year we attempted to give a preview of the upcoming year, predicting that increasing flexibility and a global outlook will be as important for MBA students and business schools as for employers of MBA graduates. Those trends seem to be establishing themselves now, as several interviewees of MBA Channel indicated.

“I get to know more and more people who don’t enjoy the ‘9-to-5 job’ anymore and who don’t want to work in a regulated environment, but wish to combine their hobbies, reading, traveling and working”, Karsten Knorr told us in an interview, an entrepreneur and digital nomad who plans to circumnavigate the globe on a catamaran whilst still working his day-to-day job via a high-speed-internet connection.

Joël McConnell from IE Business School was another interview partner who questioned the “old-fashioned work approach” asking if it was necessary for people to be in the office from 8 to 5 instead of working flexible hours from at home. He also demanded more flexibility from companies for women who wish to combine an executive career with family life.

Looking back at twelve months of reporting on executive education, career options and career prospects, these were the main MBA trends that evolved 2015.

On-campus recruiting activity was on the rise and the job market – including full-time job postings – for MBAs grew.
MBA graduates saw increasing value in their education and reported having great success landing jobs with salaries on average nearly doubling their pre-degree salary.
The US and India remained the world’s biggest markets for MBA jobs despite India facing a crisis with empty business school classes.
The majority of full-time MBA programmes, in both two-year and one-year formats, increased in application volume compared with last year and ten years ago.
Flexible part-time MBA programmes, online MBA as well as the Masters in Management proved increasingly successful for many business schools.
Many of the most competitive business schools in the US reported higher numbers of women in their courses. The representation of women in the applicant pool for MBA programmes also increased 3 to 8 percentage points over the last five years. The pay divide between men and women however was still crippling women’s careers.

Find full reports here:
Bloomberg Business - The Real Payoff From an MBA Is Different for Men and Women
GMAC - Majority of Full-Time MBA Programs Worldwide Report Increases in Application Volume
MBA Career Services & Employer Alliance
Wallstreet Online -
Nine in 10 Grads Rate Their B-School Degree a Good to Outstanding Value
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Barbara Barkhausen