10 of the Top Companies for MBA Internships

Regardless of where you end up working after graduating, a summer MBA internship is a source of valuable lessons and work experience. At the same time, however, some companies are more popular than others. The 10 companies listed below are those which appear frequently among the top MBA internship employers (by volume), as reported in the latest  annual employment reports of seven leading US business schools (namely; MIT Sloan, Columbia Business School, Kellogg, Duke Fuqua, Dartmouth Tuck, Michigan Ross and UC Berkeley-Haas). Many of these internship employers also feature in the latest Universum ranking aimed at listing the most attractive MBA employers in the US.

1. McKinsey MBA Internship Program

Location: Europe, the Middle East, Africa, North America, Latin America, Asia (see McKinsey’s list of summer internship offices for specific countries and cities).

Internship duration: Typically eight to 12 weeks in summer, but there may be opportunities to intern either for fewer weeks, or during the spring or fall (autumn).

Internship experience: The internship program is “the best opportunity to explore management consulting at McKinsey,” according to the company website. Interns spend the summer working as a member of McKinsey’s client engagement team.

Opportunities for advancement: Each office usually decides whether or not to make permanent offer by the end of the internship.

• Read about one MBA’s experience working at McKinsey’s Hong Kong office.

2. Boston Consulting Group (BCG) MBA Internship Program

Locations: ‘Home’ offices can be found in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and North America with a possibility of travel.

Internship duration: Typically two to three months, but it varies based on role and location.

Internship experience: Boston Consulting Group (BCG) interns spend the summer working alongside BCG consultants, yet take ownership of specific components of a client project. Investigating why a US technology company was losing its market share in Europe is just one example of a potential internship project, from examples listed on the company’s website. Some internships involve travel during the week, followed by office events and social activities at the end of the week.

Opportunities for advancement: The BCG website states that “a vast majority of [its] interns receive offers for full-time positions.”

3. Deloitte MBA Internship Program

Locations: 80+ Deloitte offices in the US.

Internship duration: 10 weeks.

Internship experience: Deloitte’s summer associates work with an international clientele and across a broad range of industries. Interns are responsible for a variety of client-facing tasks including; interviewing staff, gathering data, analyzing issues, formulating and making recommendations and helping clients implement proposed solutions.

Opportunities for advancement: Summer associates may be offered a full-time position based on their performance.

Further information: Deloitte says it is looking for first-year MBAs with demonstrated leadership and communication skills, and who have the ability to think analytically and solve problems.

4. Amazon MBA Internship Program

Locations: US, Canada, China, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, Poland, Czech Republic, India, Japan.

Internship duration: 11 to 12 weeks.

Internship experience: Amazon’s MBA program acts as a leadership pipeline for the company and allow interns to complete function-specific projects. Interns are said to be given responsibilities that allow them to make strategic decisions with the potential to significantly impact Amazon’s customers and overall business.

Further information: Functional areas available to interns include retail, finance, product management and operations management.

5. Google MBA Internship Program

Locations: Ann Arbor, Michigan; San Francisco; New York; San Bruno, California; Mountain View, California.

Internship duration: 11 to 12 weeks.

Internship experience: Summer internships at Google allow MBAs to learn more about business careers in the technology industry and to improve their skillsets. In addition to day-to-day duties, interns participate in a program exposing them to the many facets of Google’s business. The 2017 internship application will be posted on Google’s career website in October.

Further information: Google looks for MBAs with the authorization to work in the US and Canada, and who possess a strong interest in the internet as well as Google’s technology and business. Skills sought include critical thinking, project management, interpersonal, organizational and analytic skills. Functional areas available to interns include product management, finance, sales and account management, and marketing and communications.

6. Goldman Sachs MBA Internship Program

Internship duration: 10 weeks.

Internship experience: The internship begins with a company-wide orientation where MBAs learn about Goldman Sachs’ company culture, as well as the benefits and responsibilities that come with working there. Interns also participate in division-specific training. For more information on how to apply, visit the summer associate program website for Goldman Sachs.

Opportunities for advancement: High-performing summer associates may be invited back full time as part of its New Associate program.

Further information: Goldman Sachs targets MBAs with knowledge of the finance industry as well as of the company’s products and services. Specific areas of study or concentration within an MBA are not considered important.

7. Bain & Company MBA Internship Program

Locations: US, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and Latin America (see the company’s website for specific locations).

Internship duration: 10 weeks.

Internship experience: Bain & Company’s Summer Associate program starts with a one-week trip to Cape Cod to learn about Bain’s core consulting skills. Interns then work with clients that include Fortune 500 companies, midsize firms, nonprofits and startups across a wide range of industries. The result of work carried out as part of the internship is presented both to company partners and clients.

Opportunities for advancement: “When we hire summer MBA interns our goal is that 100% of our interns get offers to return full time at the end of the summer. We've consistently been well over 90%,” Bain’s head of global recruiting, Keith Bevans, told TopMBA.com this year. 

Further information: Bain’s ideal MBA intern is a team player who can also think independently, who has robust analytical skills, excellent communication skills, endless curiosity and is fluent in English (however, it’s worth noting here that there may be additional language requirements depending on the office to which you apply – check the local office page for more details).  

8. JPMorgan Chase MBA Internship Program

JPMorgan Chase offers several different MBA internship programs for MBAs, based on the area of business covered. Outlined below, these programs come with locations, duration and experiences specific to each:

• Corporate Banking Associate Program (Hong Kong, Singapore)
• Global Wealth Management Associate Program (France, Hong Kong, Singapore, US, UK)
• Investment Banking Associate Program (Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, US)
• Research Associate Program (Hong Kong, US)
• Legal Associate Program  (US)
• Quantitative Research Associate Program (China, Hong Kong, Singapore, US, UK)
• Chase Leaders Internship (US)
• Management Associate Program (US)

JPMorgan Chase also offers some pre-internship programs. Visit the JPMorgan careers website for more information.

9. Genentech MBA Internship Program

Internship duration: 10-12 weeks.

Internship experience: Genentech’s MBA Internship Program allows MBAs to “enjoy hands-on work within a fast-paced and challenging environment,” according to the company. Interns gain first-hand experience in the biotech industry through working on business-critical projects. At the end of the internship, interns have the opportunity to present their end-of-summer project findings to senior management. Other MBA internship highlights include networking opportunities, career development panels, a VP speaker series and an intern video contest.

Opportunities for advancement: Genentech says it “pulls heavily from its internship talent pool to fill full-time opportunities.” 

Further information: Genentech wants MBAs with four to six years of prior work experience and has a preference for those who have worked in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical or healthcare industries.

• Read TopMBA.com’s interview with Connie White, Genentech’s head of college programs, to learn more about what the biotech giant looks for in its MBA hires.

10. Citi MBA Internship Program

Locations: New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and Houston.

Internship duration: 10 weeks.

Internship experience: Citi’s MBA interns participate in hands-on work alongside analysts and associates. "Citi's programs give interns the opportunity to have a real impact while doing real work, and many of them return as full-time analysts and associates following graduation,” Citi’s head of graduate recruitment and program management for North America, Courtney Storz, told TopMBA.com.

• Read the full MBA recruiter interview with Citi.

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