Getting Paid: The Highest-Earning Houston MBA Grads
Houston metro is not just home to mouth-watering Texas barbecue and some of the most beautiful beaches in the country. It is also one of the most diverse places on the planet. The melding of cultures and trades yields a booming economy that spreads across a variety of industries, not to mention the best Tex Mex in the world.The city’s thriving economy combined with a low cost of living also makes for a large contingent of cultural philanthropists and institutions, giving Houston one of the great art scenes in the US. Delicious food and cultural perks aside, earning an MBA in Houston is a practical decision for a multitude of reasons. Houston is one of the most populous cities in the US, and it is home to nearly two dozen Fortune 500 companies.
For future industry leaders looking to pursue especially lucrative careers, we’ve laid out the schools that produce the highest paid MBAs in Houston.
Rice University — Jones Graduate School of Business
For b-schoolers aspiring to take high-powered positions with an equally respectable pay off, the Jones Graduate School of Business may be a viable option. The MBA students who graduated in 2016 had an impressive average base salary of $112,158, with an average signing bonus of $25,475. About 34 percent of these grads pursued finance or accounting, and the second most popular industry was consulting (24.7 percent). Though Rice’s rankings and stats are objectively impressive, this school also works to build a sense of community. Class sizes are relatively small, at 40 people per class, and professors strive to familiarize themselves with the students they teach.
Mays Business School – Texas A&M University
The rigorous MBA program at the Texas A&M Mays Business School is sure to provide MBAs with the tools they need to launch high-income careers. The average base salary for the class of 2016 was $103,299. This represents an impressive 87 percent increase from the average pre-MBA salary. The full-time track involves a formidable course load during the first year, as this is when 75 percent of students’ 49 credit hours will be completed. This creates more freedom to pursue internships and electives in the following months, though internships are generally completed during the summer.
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McCombs School of Business – University of Texas at Austin
At the McCombs School of Business, the mean starting salary for the MBA class of 2017 was a remarkable $117,068, with an average signing bonus of $28,349. A respectable 29 percent of these graduates accepted jobs in the technology field, while 21 percent secured jobs in consulting. This cohort-based program offers MBAs the opportunity to thoroughly map out their academic trajectory, so their education stays aligned with their career goals. This program is unique in that students complete one semester of required courses, and completely design their own curriculum for the remaining three semesters. Students can also design their course choices around one of seven possible concentrations.
Which Dallas MBA Programs Offer the Best Starting Salary?
It’s naive to think that folks who earn their MBA degree don’t expect to earn a decent salary. After years of balancing work, studying, and life, an MBAs starting salary is the cherry on top of the grad school sundae. For those looking to work in or are attending school in the Dallas metro, here are the programs that can help you find that well-deserved pay day the fastest.
High Rollers
McCombs School of Business – University of Texas at Austin
According to statistics provided by the McCombs School of Business school, the average full-time MBA student goes on to earn a starting salary of $113,481 following graduation. The average full-time MBA grad also receives a signing bonus of $27,564. A full breakdown of McCombs full-time MBA salary statistics can be found here.
The McCombs School of Business is usually ranked among business schools in the U.S. for the number of MBA graduates who earn job offers. In fact, career planning is also built into the curriculum of the full-time MBA. During the first year students take a class called Strategic Career Planning—a course that was created to best prepare students to make career choices and help them achieve their career goals. The class teaches students skills like interview training and marketing and networking techniques.
Cox School of Business – Southern Methodist University
According to SMU’s MBA Placement Data, graduating MBAs at the Cox School of Business earn an average salary of $96,587. Recent Cox MBAs have been offered jobs at companies such as Amazon, At&T, Capital One, Deloitte, and more.
Students have the option of customizing their education by completing up to two concentrations in addition to the MBA program. While all full-time students are enrolled in the General Business concentration, additional majors include: accounting, business analytics, finance, general business, information technology and operations management, management, marketing, real estate, and strategy and entrepreneurship. MBAs majoring in strategy, general management, leadership, and consulting earn a bit more, averaging $108,333 to start, while accounting, finance, and real estate majors earn a bit less, averaging $94,173 annually.
Next Tier
Neeley School of Business – Texas Christian University
The TCU Neeley School of Business full-time MBA program is designed for professionals who may not necessarily have a background in business, but are interested in changing careers or transitioning into a new field where business and management knowledge would be necessary. According to StartClass, TCU MBAs earn an average salary of $89,579 post-graduation.
To help secure a job with a well-paying salary, MBA students have access to The Neeley Professional Development Center and the Graduate Career Services Center. The Professional Development Center provides Neeley students with personal and professional training and coaching for presentations, business writing, and career preparation. Meanwhile, the Graduate Career Services Center provides students with resume help, job search, networking events, career coaching, interview prep, and skill building programs.
CHECK THIS OUT: “The Most Affordable MBA Programs in Dallas“
Commerce College of Business – Texas A&M University
Different from the Mays School of Business on A&M’s main campus, the Commerce College of Business is located about one hour northeast of the Dallas metro. PayScale data reveals that Texas A&M Commerce MBAs earn a starting salary of $89,393.
Commerce students have access to the office of Career Development, which offers students special events such as networking nights, job shadow programs, business etiquette dinners, career fairs, and job search workshops. The CD can also help students with resume and cover letter consultation, LinkedIn consultation, mock interviews, career assessment, and counseling and employment application
Naveen Jindal School of Management – University of Texas at Dallas
Students who graduate with an MBA degree from the Jindal School of Management at UT Dallas earn an average starting salary of $86,644.
According to U.S. News, MBA graduates from the Naveen Jindal School of Management have the best salary-to-debt ratio of any ranked school. As stated above, Jindal MBAs earn an average starting salary of $86,644 and have an average student loan debt of $7,132—an earnings-to-debt ratio of 12.148. The average ratio for ranked business schools that reported the data is 1.986.
Up-And-Coming
Hankamer School of Business – Baylor University
Baylor Hankamer School of Business MBA graduates earn a reported average starting salary of nearly $65,000. Recent Baylor full-time MBA graduating class had a 64 percent job placement rate at the time of graduation and 86 percent placement rate 90 days after graduation.
University of North Texas College of Business
PayScale reports that the average starting salary for North Texas College of Business MBA grads is also $65,000. North Texas features the Career Center at the Business Leadership Building where students receive one-on-one advising, career planning, and career exploration help from graduate advisors. These advisors help students with résumé and cover letter writing as well as mock interviews.
The Best MBA Return on Investment in the Houston Metro
One of the top things an MBA looks for when choosing a business school is the return on investment. Return on investment, or ROI, is one of the most common profitability ratios, and an easy way to determine if an MBA is “worth” your time and money. We took a look at the Houston metro, and ranked the top business schools in the area based on their ROI, comparing average starting salaries with tuition costs. Continue reading…
TCU Neeley Management Professor Michael Hitt Earns Career Achievement Award
A Distinguished Research Fellow at the Texas Christian University – Neeley School of Business, Michael Hitt, has received the Career Achievement/Distinguished Educator Award for his many contributions to the field of management throughout his career.
Hitt was presented with the award this year at the annual meeting for the Academy of Management. The award, one of the highest honors the Academy can give, was given in recognition of Hitt’s long career and service to the field of management through research, breakthrough developments, and innovative teaching methods.
“Letters of support from former students show Michael’s engagement and ongoing support for his students—encouraging everyone to be the best they could be, and going above and beyond to help them get there,” said one committee member who selected Hitt for the award.
Over his 40 years of teaching and research, Hitt has left his impact on the field of management in a number of ways. This is not the first time Hitt has been honored by the Academy of Management, however. He received the Irwin Outstanding Educator Award from the organization and being named as a “Thomas Reuters Highly Cited Researcher.” He has also served in different capacities for several scholarly journals, acting at one time as editor for the Academy of Management Journal, co-editor for the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, and with research published in a number of premier journals such as Organization Science, the Journal of International Business Studies, and many more.
Before coming to TCU, Hitt was a teacher at Texas A&M University, where he was the University Distinguished Professor Emeritus. He holds a BBA and MBA from Texas Tech University and a Ph.D. in organizational theory/behavior, quantitative methods in economics, and business policy from the University of Colorado.
Your Guide to the Most Affordable MBA Programs in Dallas
An MBA provides professionals with increased career flexibility and greater earning potential. Unfortunately, the sizable cost of graduate school can be a hindrance to students motivated to earn an MBA. The shackles of student loan debt can haunt former students well into their professional lives.
Luckily, many schools appreciate the toll a high price tag can take on students, and offer more realistic fees and resources. With this in mind, we’ve laid out three of the most affordable Dallas MBA programs.
Commerce College of Business — Texas A&M University
The Texas A&M Commerce College of Business offers a relatively affordable experience for aspiring MBAs. The school is particularly sensitive to the financial stress pursuing MBA can cause. This is why the school follows the [In]tuition plan. Commerce’s [In]tuition guarantees the cost of commerce students’ educations will not will remain the same from registration until graduation, so that students do not have to worry about rising costs and fees from year to year. According to their tuition calculator, a graduate student who lives off campus and is a Texas resident could pay a tuition as low as $5,775.06 per year. The program averages about two years. Commerce accepts a long list of outside scholarships, and they offer institutional scholarships based on academic achievement.
The cost may also be reduced for students who completed the appropriate undergraduate courses, which could waive six pre-requisite courses. Commerce offers 13 minor options, such as Accounting, Business Analytics, Corporate Management, and Cyber Security. Commerce students benefit from the flexibility of the plethora of online courses offered by the school.
Naveen Jindal School of Management — University of Texas at Dallas
At the Naveen Jindal School of Management, residents pay around $32,998, factoring in tuition and fees, and nonresidents pay about $64,332 for the full-time MBA. In the past few years, the university offered scholarships to 75 percent of their incoming full-time MBA students. There are two types of merit-based scholarships for full-time MBAs in this program: Cohort and Corporate. These are both merit-based and students must apply to be considered.
U.S. News & World Report ranked Naveen Jindal as the 38th best business school in the country, which boasts an impressive 90 percent employment rate for full-time MBA grads. Students have recently gone on to earn high ranking positions at companies like Amazon and Toyota.
University of North Texas College of Business
As of the 2016-17 school year, the total cost of an MBA at University of North Texas College of Business was about $41,780 for residents and $56,468 for non-residents. At UNT, students can apply for a variety scholarships to cut tuition costs for many different types of students. For example, the Lupe Murchison Foundation Graduate Fellowship is a scholarship awarded to students, not based purely on need or academic achievement, but also on the student’s effort and promise.
UNT also offers a prestigious Online MBA for students looks for a more accommodating schedule. The school also offers afternoon, evening, and weekend classes for students looking for schedule flexibility, and who also wish to experience the on-campus community.
For more valuable information about the best MBA programs Dallas has to offer, check out our guide to the metro and which schools don’t require GMAT/GRE scores for admission.
Finding The 6 Most Affordable Houston MBA Programs
There are various investments a prospective MBA needs make when deciding to pursue an advanced degree, especially investments of time and money. When it comes to cash, some top-tier business schools ask for more than $60,000 in tuition, which automatically put them out of the question for lots of folks. Luckily, there are affordable MBA options out there in each metro, including Houston, Texas. Continue reading…
