New data from the Financial Times shows that the average pay for a Master of Business Administration (MBA) alumni is $142,000 – up 12% since 2014.<\/p>\n
A poll taken by the publication showed that the main reason students are prepared to fork out for such high tuition fees is to increase their salary.<\/p>\n
The FT<\/a> <\/strong>said it’s data indicates that salaries are still on the rise, with average alumni salaries increasing year on year for about three-quarters of schools in its global ranking.<\/p>\n “Average salaries increased by $7,000 in 2017, the largest increase in absolute terms in more than 12 years. All sectors apart from three \u2014 education, transport and logistics and law \u2014 saw average salaries increase,” it said.<\/p>\n It said that if the latest trend continues, the overall average salary should be near to $150,000 in 2018.<\/p>\n However, experts have recently warned against the value of pursuing an MBA. While still considered a safe bet, some hiring experts including\u00a0Debbie Goodman-Bhyat, CEO of executive search firm, Jack Hammer, believe that the qualification is no longer as sought-after as it was during its heyday.<\/p>\n \u201cAn MBA itself is no longer a differentiator for professionals who are looking to make themselves more desirable from a hiring perspective,\u201d Goodman-Bhyat said towards the end of last year<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe MBA is now so common, that the prestige and exclusivity of it has diminished significantly over the years. Twenty years ago, it was a rare and highly prestigious degree to attain, with graduates adding a golden arrow to their bow as they then became assured of substantial career and advancement, and the resultant package hikes that would offset their investment in their MBA studies in no time.\u201d<\/p>\n The FT’s data showed that the Gordon Institute of Business Science at the University of Pretoria ranks among some of the top MBA programmes for senior working managers in the world. It ranked 87th in 2017, and is the only representative from Africa.<\/p>\n The school has been continuously ranked since 2011, when it entered the top 100 at 67. Its highest position was 60th, in 2012.<\/p>\n Its alumni have the highest average salary among the bottom half of the table at $207,000 (R2.5 million) \u2013 the average alumni salary three years after graduation, and a 48% increase on their pre-EMBA pay.<\/p>\n