10 of the Best Jobs for MBA Graduates

A Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree is one of the most sought-after degrees available for those looking to break into the business world. It prepares you to move up the career ladder into some of the best jobs you can get in today’s competitive market.

As a highly marketable credential, it will make you eligible for several top-shelf careers in managerial and supervisory positions. An MBA reveals to prospective employers that you exhibit strong leadership skills and have extensive experience and knowledge in your specific field.

Jobs for MBA graduates vary depending on a person’s interests, goals, and specializations. Some MBA programs allow their students to specialize, or select focus areas so that they graduate with very specific business skills. Others offer a more general curriculum so that their graduates are more well-rounded businesspeople. In either case, you should check to see if your program of choice offers a specialization or electives that suit your goals. If you’re not quite sure what your goal is, explore this list of 10 hot MBA jobs.

Financial Manager

Every business needs a financial manager with a wealth of economic experience and financial skills. Due to the highly sensitive and critical nature of this role, top financial managers are usually paid six-figure salaries.¹ An MBA coupled with appropriate financial qualifications will get you a foot in the door for some of the top financial management roles at companies such as YieldStreet, Lending Point, Nationwide, and West Creek Financial.

Since a financial manager is responsible for safeguarding the wealth of the business and maintaining its financial interests, it's a job that requires a mature attitude and strict adherence to rules and regulations. No ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ antics here! You'll be expected to complete daily reporting, analyze targets, meet with department heads, and coordinate the monthly budget.

Marketing Manager

Marketing is the lifeblood that drives many businesses, particularly in the retail or service industry. With an MBA, you'll find far less resistance on your path to becoming a marketing manager. Highly effective marketing managers are always in demand as they can make or break a company’s bottom line.

As a business executive, you’ll be responsible for managing the marketing team and overseeing marketing campaigns. You’ll also need to analyze business ideas, assess product profitability, and formulate strategies to increase sales and attract new customers.

Investment Banker

The role of an investment banker varies depending on the industry and is often an entrepreneurial one. It involves raising capital by careful and calculated investment in stocks, assets, and other markets. Investment bankers need excellent financial skills and a natural talent for reading markets and calculating risk.

The highest-paid investment bankers often hold MBAs, and many of them are employed by top financial institutions such as banks, accounting firms, and other large corporations.²

Business Operations Manager

An MBA is particularly relevant for those looking to become business operations managers. These flexible, high-level positions are found in almost every type of business across a wide range of industries, so you’ll be spoiled for choice.

A business operations manager is typically a highly motivated individual with a personal interest in the success of the company, dedicated to ensuring the smooth running of the business at all times. As a business operations manager, you’ll have a finger in every pie—balancing budgets, managing people, and formulating strategies.³

Financial Advisor

A financial advisor helps individuals and businesses to manage and invest their money well. They often work for themselves in private firms or are employed by large corporations, where they advise on financial matters. They plan asset allocation, conduct risk assessments, monitor investments, and maintain an up-to-date outline of an organization's or individual's financial situation.

An MBA combined with a solid financial background will put you in a strong position to make it in the competitive world of financial advising. With the business management and networking skills garnered through an MBA, you’ll be well equipped to take on this challenging career path.⁴

Information Technology (IT) Manager

Effective IT management is quickly becoming one of the most critical requirements in any business, as cybersecurity threats increase annually. Good IT managers usually have a wealth of experience in all areas of computers, networking and communications, and possess a high level of business and leadership skills.

The addition of an MBA will take you out of the stuffy server room and into the boardroom, where you will help plan and implement a highly effective IT strategy. IT managers must be critical thinkers, with strong analytical skills and the ability to bring a team together.⁵

Human Resources Manager

Those with a background in human resources will find that an MBA prepares them for moving into a managerial position. As a human resources manager, you will be expected to supervise the human resources department and oversee recruiting, interviewing, and onboarding of new staff.

While an MBA is not necessarily a requirement for an HR manager position, it will help boost essential skills and greatly improve your chances of securing the job. In the U.S., HR managers with an MBA or other master’s degree typically earn six-figure salaries.⁶

Health Services Manager

Hospitals and healthcare facilities often require business-minded professionals with MBAs to oversee the compliance, regulations, and administration of the organization. While not a necessity, any experience in a medical field would be beneficial for this role, which is expected to see a 20 percent increase in demand in the coming years.⁷

Health services managers ensure that the facility is running smoothly, the staff members are adequately supported, and the organization is adhering to regulations. Excellent communication skills and technical literacy are musts as medical records become increasingly digitized.

Management Consultant

Management consultants are often self-employed or entrepreneurs, working with companies to support specific projects. Typically, the management consultant will have many years of experience in a specific industry and will be an expert in the field. Management consultants help their clients to identify problems and formulate solutions, provide advice on the roll-out of projects and help businesses to define and improve processes.

An MBA can help you shift from your current area of expertise into a self-employed consultancy, allowing you greater flexibility in your career. As the ‘remote work’ culture continues to grow, management consultant positions are likely to increase in the coming years.⁸

Chief Executive Officer

Almost every company needs a chief executive officer (CEO)—the person in charge of making business-critical decisions and steering the business. CEOs typically have many decades of experience, with years of managerial experience and strong technical skills. CEOs will regularly meet with the board of directors to communicate business operations and report back to corporate. They usually stand as the public face of the company, speaking to the press, conducting interviews and maintaining good public relations.

According to Forbes, an MBA is the most common type of graduate degree earned by CEOs at Fortune 100 companies.⁹ Deep experience combined with top qualifications, leadership, and the strong business skills provided by an MBA make for the ideal CEO candidate.

Choose your dream job and prepare for it.

Set yourself apart in a competitive market with the Online MBA from California State University, Monterey Bay. Designed to fit with your full-time commitments, our 100 percent online curriculum is focused on the increasing role and importance of responsible business. Start advancing your career today. Review the program details and call an Admissions Advisor at 831-920-3453.