Universum IDEAL™ Employer Survey 2009 - MBA

Despite the economic downturn, MBAs have identified fewer sacrifices and trade-off areas than undergraduates, and remain committed to a career that is challenging and a job that affords a high level of responsibility, according to the results of the Universum IDEAL™ Employer Survey – MBA Edition.

Data from more than 6,000 respondents at 58 top programs proves that MBAs are less willing to sacrifice challenging work, a competitive salary, and professional development for greater job security than undergraduates, who placed characteristics such as stability and security above all else.

Still, deferred offers and uncertainty on Wall Street has influenced change in MBAs’ industry interest, according to the results. Financial services, as expected, is a less attractive industry compared to last year (down 4 percent), however investment banking and investment management actually increased slightly (less than 1 percent). The only notable industry increases were among management consulting, private equity (both more than a 2 percent increase), and energy (increased 1.2 percent).

Find out how these changes played out in MBAs’ employer rankings below.