UT Austin, McCombs School: Class of 2015 Employment Report

The technology industry has suffered a substantial drop in popularity as an industry destination for MBA graduates of the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business this year, according to employment statistics released for the class of 2015.

Technology no longer biggest supplier of MBA jobs at UT Austin

Last year, technology – broken up into four distinct categories – accounted for more than a quarter (28%) of graduates – a higher proportion than any other industry. However, that number has now fallen back by almost 40%, with only 17% of this year’s class taking MBA jobs in technology.

Instead consulting, the industry proportion of which has grown from 25 to 28%, is now the number one destination for MBA graduates of the McCombs School of Business.

Technology’s losses also give way to rises in other industries. Real estate takes 7% of the class at McCombs this year, up from just 2% in 2014, manufacturing’s proportion is up from 3 to 5% and the combined areas of consumer products and retail now account for 13% of the class, having been worth 9% last year.   

MBA jobs taken in the financial services, meanwhile, remain relatively stable. Last year’s proportion moving into a number of finance areas (figures for which were reported separately) represented 18% overall; the equivalent figure this year stands at 19%, although here we must take care in our analysis due to changes to the industry brackets used in McCombs’ statistics.

Rises to average MBA salary levels

There’s a notable rise to the median MBA salary achieved by graduates of the McCombs School of Business this year, from US$100,000 to U$113,500. However, when considering the class of 2015’s average (mean) the rise is less pronounced and has risen from approximately US$107,000 to US$114,000.

Mean figures across individual industries have also risen. The highest earners are, unsurprisingly, those taking MBA jobs in consulting, where MBA salary levels are up from US$127k in 2014 to US$133k. The average salary in investment management is up from US$97k to US$105k, while the average for MBA jobs taken in all areas of finance outside of investment management is given as being US$118k this year. In technology, the equivalent figure is a little shy of US$104k. The increasing numbers joining the real estate industry from McCombs’ class of 2015 is also matched by a substantial rise in average salary, from US$97k to US$111k. However, the average MBA salary for those moving into the manufacturing arena is down a touch, from US$109k in 2014 to US$108k this time round.  

64% of McCombs School MBAs stay in US Southwest

MBAs graduating from the McCombs School of Business tend to find and accept job opportunities in the region around its base in Austin, Texas. A clear majority of 64% from the class of 2015 have taken MBA jobs in the Southwest US, the same proportion as in 2014. This region is given as encompassing the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Oklahoma in addition to Texas, where the largest cities include Denver, Phoenix, El Paso, Las Vegas and Albuquerque. However, higher MBA salary levels, on average, have been secured by the 13% and 9% heading to the West (including California) and Northeast (including New York) regions of the US, respectively, with more students accepting MBA jobs in the Northeast and fewer in the West this year, when compared to 2014’s proportions. Meanwhile, the percentage of students taking positions based overseas remains low, having climbed from just 2% in 2014 to 3% this time round.

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